Creative

A direct mail campaign bases its appeal on honoring the sacrifices of their fellow Americans.

Ever notice how sometimes when we put on our work hats we cease to be human? How we somehow morph into little robotic “professionals” and become enamored of jargon? “Lybnts.” “Sybnts.” “Recaptures.” Not that those things aren’t important. You need goals and objectives...

The harsh reality of fundraising is that boring is often best. Viral video, Instagram Live, Tinder (OK, maybe not Tinder)—there’s a steady stream of cool, new, exciting channels on which fundraisers can get creative. These channels promise big short-term returns, but they’re not without risk...

There is one important thing everyone involved in the process of creating a fundraising appeal has to remember: You are not the target audience. What you think or feel doesn’t matter. What matters is what the person being asked to make a donation thinks and feels...

Think about it. When you decide to make a PB&J, you give thought to the type of ingredients you’ll add to the mix: Crunchy or smooth? Strawberry jam or grape jelly? What are you, or those for whom you’re creating this delight, in the mood for? The same holds true for marketing and fundraising collaborations...

Are we simply letting our programs happen without a clear path to achieving our highest and most important goals? As a fundraiser, your ultimate goal should be to build sustainable funding that supports your organization’s mission. Have you instead been focusing your time and energy on the revolving door of acquiring new givers?...

Have you hit anyone up this week? Have you twisted arms? Have you called in the big guns to help you lean on your best targets? Do those words make you cringe? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some serious work to do to reshape the way you think about fundraising...

Mistakes are inevitable, how a fundraiser responds to those errors is what can really set the organization apart. Instead of spending all our time on looking for someone (anyone but me!) to blame, our first priority needs to be our donors...

A cancer hospital raises money with a direct mail package that depends on art from some of its smallest patients.

UCLA has received a generous $1.5 million gift from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation to support faculty members competing for the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE. The funds will support the team’s efforts to develop a process for capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into a material that can be used in building and…