Blogs
Gratitude in Uncertain Times: 12 Tips to Show Donors They Matter
Blogs Gratitude in Uncertain Times: 12 Tips to Show Donors They Matter As we write this from our home offices in Maryland and Virginia, incredible staff at the nonprofits we care about are scrambling to figure out how to continue driving their missions through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are speaking with clients throughout the day…
Why Retention Matters
Blogs Why Retention Matters We can all agree that donor retention is important, but really how important? Presenters Marie Kosanovich and Courtney Lewis revealed at last week’s Lunch and Learn: Retention and Lapsed Strategies, that acquiring new donors, members, and customers has become extremely competitive due to a crowded marketplace. The abundance of options has…
Crisis Communications for Nonprofits in the Digital Age
Blogs If you’re like me you might have wondered why at the Annual Business Meeting of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington, our keynote speakers were speaking on crisis communications as opposed to, one might be forgiven for assuming, direct marketing. But, when you dig into the outcomes of a crisis – it is clear…
A Deeper Dive into Donor Advised Fund Marketing
Blogs A Deeper Dive into Donor Advised Fund Marketing One of the biggest challenges we face as an industry is the consolidation of billions of philanthropic dollars into Donor Advised Funds. This has been heightened by the 2018 tax reform. For instance, have you ever used a deadline on your Donor Advised Fund marketing for…
Your Guide to a Clean Bill of Copy Health – Learnings from DMAW’s Copy Clinic
Blogs Your Guide to a Clean Bill of Copy Health – Learnings from DMAW’s Copy Clinic Fundraising copy is a tricky beast to master. Breaking through the clutter—we encounter 5,000 brand and ad messages a day!—is a necessary but arduous task faced by fundraising professionals around the world. Thankfully, copywriting experts and accompanying prescriptions are…
Getting Started with Text Messaging: Part II
Blogs Everyone seems to be talking about text messaging these days! With 95% of Americans owning a mobile phone, more of us are “meeting people where they are” by using mobile (SMS) as a vital component of an organization or campaign’s communications, fundraising, advocacy and field strategies. More and more nonprofit organizations and campaigns…
Getting Started with Text Messaging
Everyone seems to be talking about text messaging these days! With 95% of Americans owning a mobile phone, more of us are “meeting people where they are” by using mobile (SMS) as a vital component of an organization or campaign’s communications, fundraising, advocacy and field strategies. More and more nonprofit organizations and campaigns are realizing…
Breaking Integration Myths
When it comes to food, people have long worked at breaking integration myths. Take the myth that oils and waters can’t mix. It’s a myth that can be easily broken when you add an emulsifier (egg yolk), force (whisking), and technique (slowly pouring melted butter into lemon juice and water) to create a hollandaise sauce…
Mail Plans – Are They Really Just for Direct Mail and Do I Really Need One?
No and Yes, according to Jessica Harrington of the Harrington Agency during her recent DMAW webinar. She is also a planner at heart as the detailed webinar revealed. When you take a trip, a GPS-enabled device is a must, but you might also print or download a map. In other words, you bring tools to…
How to Prioritize and Maximize Your Testing
Direct marketers love testing. It’s how we establish causality and know with certainty that results can be repeated across campaigns. It’s how we mitigate risk across our programs before rolling out with new ideas. It’s how we gain insights about donor and customer behavior that allow us to build effective communication strategies that yield results.…