Washington Nonprofit Conference Roundup: Capitalize on Your Low-hanging Fruit

“Do more with less.” You hear it from your boss, or maybe even your board in these tough times. Exasperated, you look back at your last six months: You’ve cut costs, backed off your most expensive programs, and maybe even made some painful staff decisions. So, now what?

Grateful for weathering the staff-reduction storm and committed to your cause, you dig in and look for new ways to capitalize on your low-hanging fruit. But knowing where to start can be challenging. In the session, “Capitalizing on Your Low-hanging Fruit” at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2010 Washington Nonprofit Conference, my fellow speakers and I explored some ways to get started by looking at three categories: improving the efficiency of direct-marketing programs; increasing revenue from offer and ask strategy adjustments; and maximizing credit card donations.