Direct Response

The next 60 days promise to be hectic. Holiday spirit, tax planning and general procrastination collide at this time of year to create a perfect storm for nonprofit fundraisers. Charities need to embark on an all-out effort to ensure the maximum amount of dollars flow to their cause. Here are 20 things you can do right now to help ensure success next year and long into the future...

I cleaned up my personal email and I am shocked at how many companies do not easily allow you to unsubscribe. Please note, this is not a best practice. Here's what I learned from the experience...

As anyone with experience in telefundraising for nonprofits will tell you, the donor conversations are typically 
engaging, inspiring and positive. Results are real-time and exciting. And the channel is dynamic, on the front-lines of fundraising. Even aside from the dollars and positive donor cultivation, telefundraising is also an immediate, laser-focused marketing research vehicle. But can it survive the age of the cellphone?...

With all the articles, blog posts and white papers about storytelling in fundraising, it's easy to think that all you have to do is drop a story into an appeal and there you go—success. Not necessarily so. Network for Good research showed 44 percent of nonprofits polled said that stories had no impact on results or were unsure…

Earlier this year, I received a postcard mailing from the Share and Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization located in New Jersey. In just four panels (one of which was the address panel), the postcard tackled one of those funding needs that make many fundraisers cringe—toilets...

OK, why am I talking about year-end? It’s August! Well, because that’s how our weird world of fundraising works—at least for direct response. I started presenting holiday campaign ideas to my clients back in July. Literally Christmas in July. That’s what makes the world of direct response marketing agencies extra weird. Because of the lead…

Since 2006, NonProfit PRO has held a competition for the Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence. This year's competition opened last week. If you’re with a nonprofit or agency (or know someone who is), and you’ve achieved some stellar results, it's time to get the ball rolling. Why should you submit your campaigns? Because great work deserves to be seen and rewarded...

"We need money! Can you send out an email/mailing/newsletter?" Have you heard some variation of that in your career? It’s tough enough doing a great job when you can plan a project, but when you have no time for the "luxury" of rumination, take a few minutes to answer these five questions to help your direct response fundraising be as effective as possible...

As a nonprofit professional, you’ve likely seen and heard your fair share of nonprofit gossip and fundraising myths. It can be difficult to tell myth from reality, especially when so many nonprofit best practices are just bad pieces of advice that get spun into the truth. But have no fear! We’re about to shatter some…

After business hours on Wednesday night, a catalog association warned its members that USPS may get half of its exigency rate hike back. First Class postage dropped from 49 to 47 cents in April when USPS lost its 4.3 percent exigent surcharge imposed as a result of its losses during the Great Recession...