Talking Back
Is your organization “pushing the envelope” with direct mail? Tell us about your most daring DM efforts....
Aid by the Cupful
In early October 2005, the United States was focused on the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina a month prior. But as thousands of small-scale farmers in Central America were preparing for the coffee harvest, Hurricane Stan struck. Guatemala, El Salvador...
Book Preview
If you’ve ever unjammed a printer and then found yourself designated the technology guru at your organization, the book “The Accidental Techie: Supporting, Managing, and Maximizing Your Nonprofit’s Technology” is for you....
Five-Minute Interview
Founded in 1972, The Door is a youth-development agency serving 8,000 youths aged 12 to 21 each year with free, confidential services that include primary health care, prenatal care and health education, mental health counseling, legal services, GED, ESL and...
Fundraising's Changing Face
There’s widespread agreement among direct-marketing professionals that the industry will continue to change dramatically over the next few years. Now, new research from Forrester Research Inc., an independent research firm, confirms it: Direct marketing is being transformed before our...
Quiet, Passionate Givers
We all remember our favorite teachers: those men and women who shaped our lives by giving us the encouragement we needed to feel good about ourselves, to try harder and achieve more. These are priceless charitable gifts that last a...
Don't Suffocate Your Readers
Not long ago, I was shopping at Whole Foods when I realized with a jolt that I was just an appliquéed theme sweater away from turning into my mother. There I was, squinting helplessly at a product label I...
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Something disturbing happened at the 2006 DMA Annual Washington Nonprofit Conference in February. It occurred at the beginning of the question-and-answer phase of a panel discussion titled “How to Beat a Long-Standing Control.” According to accounts, a member of the...
All Hail the Mighty E-mail
Relationships with your constituents are built on respect, trust and communication — qualities realized when you demonstrate that your organization is worthy of supporters’ time, energy and money. As nonprofits embrace the Internet’s power, e-mail is emerging as an increasingly...
What the $@#&?
Editor’s Note: This article contains some words and passages that some readers might find offensive or unsettling. We chose to leave them in so that the author could make his point, as well as to illustrate the powerful effect...
Trendy … Yet Timeless
When used in concert with each other and with your other fundraising strategies, omnipresent technological companions such as TVs, cell phones and computers can help you net more quality donors and perhaps even nudge them into the fundraising holy ground...
What's New
The right mix of technologies can help your organization convert annual and even ermegency donors into committed monthly givers....
Meet Your Mission
Children are starving, but the show must go on. And if you're raising money to support a symphony, how do you convince donors that they should not only give to your cause — perhaps in lieu of helping hungry...
