Reflections on 10 Years: June 2005

• “Complacency is what got us here; as long as the checks [are] coming in from direct marketing, who cared? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you can’t be complacent. You have to constantly be looking at your strategy and approach, and thinking about how you’re going to raise the next dollar.”
• “Direct mail is still our workhorse, and we’ve got to keep it strong because it feeds memorial giving, bequests and major gifts. But we’re working now to 1) make sure we’re doing all we can with our direct-marketing programs; and 2) testing, testing and re-testing.”

From Tim Burgess, co-founder of The Domain Group (Because It Matters column, “Storms Brewing on Legislative Front”):

• “Some already have suggested that, at a minimum, the majority of nonprofit organizations — there are 1.2 million charities, churches and social-welfare groups in our country — will have to add accounting or legal staff just to handle compliance.”

From Jerry Huntsinger, ageless direct-marketing curmudgeon and guru (Just Slightly Contrarian column, “The Brochure Legend Lives On”):

• “The Internet has been successful for fundraisers only when there is a massive disaster of some kind and they need a quick, reliable way for donors to express their charitable impulses and give to a highly publicized bad event. But when it comes to developing a revenue stream, month in and month out, I don’t see that happening — yet.”

From Betty Ann Copley Harris, founder of the Copley Harris Co. (In the Office column, “Soliciting Major Gifts?”):

• “Success in major gifts requires a cultural shift within the organization — moving away from transactional fundraising techniques into relationship-based philanthropy, where more value, more time and more effort are focused on attracting gifts from individuals with a considerable capacity to give.”

From Kelly Mahoney, then-president of Newport Creative Communications (Donor Focus: Generation Y, “Feeling the ‘Echo’ Boom”):

• “Many of the Generation Y’ers have been encouraged to succeed in all aspects of their lives. Those charities that associate philanthropic giving with success, in terms of producing tangible results and a feeling of accomplishment, may have an advantage.”

From Annie Murphy, then-director of development at Hale House Center (At a Glance):

• “Hale House went through a difficult time in May 2001 and ceased fundraising for 1.5 years. We have had to rebuild our reputation, our fundraising strategies and our entire fundraising base. Part of the process has been to not only regain the support of individuals but to broaden our sources of funding to include foundations, corporations, government entities, religious organizations, etc.”
• "We try to give our donors as much information as possible so they know their support is being put to good use. We encourage visits to our programs, keep our website up to date, make personal phone calls to thank donors, etc. Hale House has a known name and an extraordinary founder. We feel it’s important to let our supporters know we are carrying on her mission.”