8 Must-Do Fundraising Changes to Make Now

By Nancy Schwartz

Now's the time to outline the right things for your organization's fundraising/marketing team to do this year. But to do it well, you have to get what's going on outside your organization as well as within it.

Review these trends with care to pinpoint the activities that work best to build relationships and response for your organization. Remember to build in a method of knowing when and how things change in the world in which you work, so you can revise your marketing to reflect them in real time.

Then build each to-do step into a 90-day work plan.

1. Integrated marketing is here to stay

Surfacing about five years ago, and an official trend since 2010, integrated marketing is here to stay. And that includes fundraising.

What is it? It's looking at all parts of how you reach out to your network as a whole across channels, format and content. A great example is the memorable Old Spice campaign (remember the guy in the shower?) that spilled consistent messages and a consistent look and feel online (Web and social media) and offline (in print and TV ads).

Plus, integrated marketing flips your traditional planning lens on its head and looks at your activities from your audience's point of view.

To do: Start small with tracking and recording every single message and campaign that goes to your base. Then analyze who gets what, and assess if that's the right approach.

Eventually you need to demolish departmental silos (marketing vs. fundraising vs. programs) marketing-wise. But take it one step at a time.

2. Social media continues to gain influence

Your use of social media is officially a must in 2013. It's where most of your prospects and supporters spend lots of digital time, and you have to be there too.