The 10 Commandments for Optimizing Fundraising Success, Part 3

Your winners work because they create the perfect alignment of your marketing and human nature, Gaffny said, and until human nature changes, your winners will still be winners.

10. Direct mail still works
The word of direct mail's demise has been pervasive for the past decade-plus due to the onslaught of new technologies, but direct mail still brings in more fundraising dollars than any other channel.

The key to embracing new technologies and channels is not abandoning direct mail — it's integrating direct mail with e-mail, social media and any other channel that fits your organization and its donors, Gaffny said.