Tagged as ‘Direct Response Fundraising’
Much has been said about the tension between good nonprofit marketing & communications and good direct response fundraising. Good nonprofit marcom thrives on brand consistency; good direct response thrives on brand inconsistency. But when you get right down to it, good nonprofit branding/marcom is actually an essential prerequisite to good direct response fundraising. That’s because [...]
The start of a new year is a great time to weigh up your membership program’s strengths and challenges and set a course for new and improved direct response strategies. But just like resolutions that people make, it’s all too easy for nonprofits to set unrealistic goals and, worse, neglect to build the necessary foundation [...]
It rarely pays off in direct response fundraising to wait until you have the perfect words, the perfect design, the perfect data. The secret is showing up. In email, direct mail, online, on the phone. Make a plan and stick to it. Don’t cancel. Just show up. The more you do, the better you’ll get [...]
If you’re on track with your year-end calendar, it’s probably already fall at your office – which means that reading blogs isn’t exactly on the top of your priority list. Here then is a quick list of some of the most important things not to do this fall. Don’t focus an appeal on your organization’s [...]
When have bullet points ever made you think “Wow!”? Or made you stand up and say “I need to do something about this!”? When have they ever made you cry? Never. Bullet points are the blah blah blah of communication. They convey information to our donors but they don’t connect.
Integrated direct response fundraising has long been the pursuit of forward-thinking membership and development directors. But integration remains an ongoing challenge for most organizations – almost always for the same two reasons regardless of an organization’s size, funding, or mission. The channels like to change and organizations … don’t. Still, some organizations are much further [...]
As predictive analysts and veteran direct marketers will tell you, there’s no crystal ball for really knowing whether your next direct response effort will be stellar or just so-so. But there is a remarkably accurate trick for telling whether your copy is any good before you hit send and, in turn, predicting where you might [...]
Board members are integral to nonprofits. Legally, of course, but more importantly, because of the incredible role they play in enabling nonprofits to run well and make an impact. They bring expertise, ideas, connections, funding and so much more to the organizations they serve. They are awesome. But sometimes, between you and me, they have [...]
The sixth annual Bridge Conference on integrated marketing and fundraising for nonprofits ended Friday, but the great content will stay with us long after. Here are just a few words of wisdom from sessions I was lucky enough to attend at this year’s conference: “I’ve never regretted taking the high road.” – Jocelyn Harmon, Care2 [...]
