Welcome back to #NPPTrendingNow, a weekly video series where NonProfit PRO Editor-in-Chief Nhu Te breaks down the top three coveted stories of the week. Here's what we've got going on for you this week: ramping up your capital campaign, creating an annual plan and making recurring gifts through donor-advised funds.

How many of us sit down each day at work to a cup of coffee and review endless lists of potential prospect names? These names could be potential fundraising prospects — or not. You gather prospect information from a variety of sources and get very excited about their potential.

The Nonprofit Alliance, a professional association dedicated to promoting, protecting and strengthening the philanthropic sector, has announced a merger with the Association of Direct Response Fundraising Counsel, the national association for direct-response fundraising professionals. 

Consumers respond to any new form of marketing with excitement. Think how excited the villagers were to get the Wells Fargo wagon in "The Music Man" compared to how excited you are to get the mail today. Or banner ads, the first of which had a 78% click-through rate.

The three dreaded words for grant officers, “Do not apply — DNA.” They appear on private foundation profiles more often these days than ever before. Most annoying is that the funder seems particularly aligned with your mission. “If I could only get close to them, I would know the perfect thing to say,” you tell your CEO.

Check out these five benefits of nonprofit leadership and management courses. You may find that you could gain something from taking a few, and even have a better career because of it.

As a person in his early 30s, I’ve never felt politics’ impact — on day-to-day life, on the way we think and on the way we interact — so strongly before. If I had to guess, it might have something to do with how polarized our politics have become and how extreme the parties themselves have gotten.

What does "clear is kind" mean to you? In this episode, T-Shank shares the importance of being clear in your messaging — guessing games create confusion and, worse, toxic environments.

In this episode of the Nonprofit Chatter, Nhu Te, editor-in-chief of NonProfit PRO, and Taylor Shanklin, VP of marketing at Pursuant, are joined by Lee Aase, communications director of social and digital innovation at Mayo Clinic, to chatter about social media trends.

Donor-advised funds are vital tools for donors. That’s especially true of those who are mid-range or major donors. Of course, that depends on the size and budget of the charity where they donate. It can take as little as $5,000 to open a donor-advised fund at Fidelity Charitable. Other companies, like Vanguard, open one for $25,000.