Testing

What is the one thing in direct response that is going to make your income grow and your donors deepen their conviction? That's what you have to find out.

Direct-response fundraisers are being asked to measure more carefully in an increasingly complex environment. So, are we doing it right?

Three fundraising professionals shared their "20 Big Ideas for Small Nonprofits" at the 2012 Washington Nonprofit Conference. Here are ideas 11-15.

Three fundraising professionals shared their "20 Big Ideas for Small Nonprofits" at the 2012 Washington Nonprofit Conference. Here are ideas 6-10.

To acquire a large number of new donors quickly, nonprofits often turn to direct mail. It's cheap (well, compared to an option like direct-response television); you can target a specific geographic area or demographic; and over time you recoup your costs, identify potential major donors and planned-giving prospects, and build a loyal — and profitable — group of supporters.

Three fundraising professionals shared their "20 Big Ideas for Small Nonprofits" at the 2012 Washington Nonprofit Conference. Here are ideas 1-5.

In the fall of 2010, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview was looking to build a brand-new donor base through e-mail. Here are three takeaways it learned with vendor KMA through testing.

Enjoy your New Year and remember: There should always be "fun" in FUNdraising.

Here's an interesting development from the world of direct-mail testing for acquisition — a process that allows organizations to test various elements of their direct-mail packages without having to actually send out the packages.

Unfortunately, organic growth is usually not enough to offset attrition, and online acquisition may not be enough to grow your donor file. So, rather than calculating when attrition will leave you with only one remaining donor (though from experience, I assure you that presenting your board with a graph showing that startling statistic is quite effective), here are four ways to stretch even the smallest direct-mail acquisition budget for maximum impact.