Catholic Relief Services

Two weeks after being suspended from government work, the leading development nonprofit for the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan has purged numerous longtime senior executives amid a widening investigation of allegations of “serious” financial misconduct. International Relief and Development, headquartered in Arlington, Va., allegedly used taxpayer money for football season tickets, personal travel and meals, and alcohol at company receptions and retreats, according to current and former government and nonprofit officials.

Seeing what others are doing with their fundraising is one of the best ways to jump-start your own creativity and find new things to try or test. If you haven't done it recently, make some donations to nonprofits that you think you can learn from; reading about fundraising is good, but actually being a recipient of it is great!

The DMA Nonprofit Federation’s Nonprofit Digital Day opened with Mikaela King from Defenders of Wildlife, Sean Powell of The Engage Group, Heather Marsh of ABD Direct and Peter Kaizer of Aquilent (former digital director of Catholic Relief Services). The panel, titled “Digital Fundraising 101,” discussed the basics of online acquisitions, email campaigns, Web marketing and social media.

Although much of the panel’s morning session focused on how to use content messaging and search engine marketing to acquire new constituents, one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of making nonprofit websites as user-friendly as possible.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

FundRaising Success takes a look back at the 2010 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards Lifetime Achievement winner, Lynn Edmonds, president of LW Robbins.

Pamela Barden takes a look back at 2013's last week of fundraising, this time tackling the fundraising direct-mail appeals she received in the final week of the year.

The Nonprofit Federation of the Direct Marketing Association (DMANF) is pleased to announce the selection of Lynn Edmonds, president of LW Robbins, as its 2013 Max L. Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award recipient. The Max L. Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award, presented annually at the Washington Nonprofit Conference, recognizes career accomplishments by an exceptional fundraising professional with a track record of service, leadership, innovation and integrity.

Lynn S. Edmonds, president of LW Robbins, a direct marketing fundraising agency, has been named the 2012 Direct Marketing Fundraising Association (DMFA) Marketer of the Year.

On May 19, FundRaising Success will host its second annual virtual conference and expo: Engaging, Enlightening, Empowering Donors. Did we mention it's FREE? Each week until then, we'll be publishing bios of our featured speakers. Today: Kristin McCurry.

With Congress and the White House locked in an impasse over spending and a federal shutdown looming, nonprofit officials nationwide are scrambling to prepare for the worst: The closure of government agencies would halt grants to many nonprofits and stop payments to charities that have contracts to provide emergency food shipments, vaccination clinics, care for the elderly, and home heating aid.