Russ Reid

Feature Follow-up
February 24, 2009

To: Geoff Peters
I enjoyed your article in FundRaising Success (“Fundraising and the Economy,” January). Couldn’t have come out at a better time. Your explanation of the two most vulnerable channels is insightful, and your multichannel point is right on target.

Meet Our New Editorial Advisors
January 21, 2009

FundRaising Success is kicking off the new year with some changes to our Editorial Advisory Board. Here's a quick introduction to the new members. Be sure to keep an eye on future editions of the FS Advisor for interviews with these fundraising pros.

Meet Our New Editorial Advisors
January 20, 2009

FundRaising Success is kicking off the new year with some changes to our Editorial Advisory Board. Here's a quick introduction to the new members. Be sure to keep an eye on future editions of the FS Advisor for interviews with these fundraising pros.

Something to Smile About
October 1, 2008

Forty-five minutes and $240 can change a child’s life forever. That’s about how long it takes and how much it costs for Operation Smile to fix one child’s cleft lip. The organization has been fixing smiles and changing lives for more than 25 years. The worldwide medical charity, based in Norfolk, Va., has been providing free surgery to children in developing countries who were born with facial deformities since it was founded by Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen, a nurse and clinical social worker, in 1982. With the help of a crew

Conference Roundup: Hire Smart
June 24, 2008

Any nonprofit organization’s success hinges in part on recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest people — and firing those who fall short. That according to Stacey Girdner, the chief people development officer at Russ Reid Company, a Pasadena, Calif.-based marketing and communications firm that serves nonprofit organizations. “[Fewer and fewer] people are available for your positions,” Girdner said at the session “Grooming the Next Generation of Fundraisers: How Do I Find, Train and Retain Good People?” at the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s 2008 Leadership Summit held last month in Palm Beach, Fla. “You have to be more strategic.” Girdner, who has worked

Advisor 6/10/08_Quote
June 10, 2008

“Vision without fundraising is hallucination.” — Russ Reid President and CEO Tom Harrison quoting MINDset direct Principle and Founder Kristin McCurry at the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s 2008 Nonprofit Leadership Summit held last week in Palm Beach, Fla.

Don’t Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
June 1, 2006

Best Friends Animal Society, located in the heart of southern Utah’s golden circle of National Parks, is home to as many as 1,500 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and other animals. For the past 10 years, the organization had been using the same acquisition package. Although it had done a great job, response rates were dropping, causing the donor file to remain flat.

The situation was dire: If a new package wasn’t created, the file actually would have started to decrease, which could have led to cuts in service.

Quick Conference TipCTip
February 21, 2006

CTip Feb. 21, 2006 By Abny Santicola Conference sessions can provide attendees a wealth of information and motivation to take back to the office and apply to their organizations. But so can the ensuing Q-&-A period after each session. The Q-&-A period during one of the first sessions of the conference -- "How to Beat a Long-Standing Control" -- yielded some helpful tips. Most notably, one attendee asked for advice on her organization's dilemma of what to do about its aging celebrity endorser, who is featured prominently in the organization's direct mail. The organization knew that it would eventually need to transition