In the Trenches: Nine Successful Habits of Direct-Response Fundraisers

9. Don’t sweat the small stuff. When I was writing this column, one of my colleagues suggested this as the most important habit to embrace. Direct-response fundraising can be an awesomely complex medium. Remember the annual plan? Stay focused on a strategy that will get you to a successful future. Trust your support team. And don’t sweat the small stuff.

I wish I could claim these as rock-solid personal habits, but I can’t. But I’m working on them, and I hope you are too.

Tom Hurley is president of the not-for-profit division of DMW Worldwide, a full-service direct-response advertising agency with offices in Wayne, Pa., St. Louis, and Plymouth, Mass. You can reach him at 774.773.1200 or via e-mail at thurley@dmwdirect.com.