John Kerry

Overall spending by nonprofits was down considerably during the 2008 campaign, even though some groups tripled their expenditures to help take up the slack.

There is no question political and advocacy campaigns have embraced the Internet as part of the 2008 campaign cycle. Blogs, social networks and the YouTube phenomenon all are prevalent aspects of the marketing mix, and most campaigns have perfected fundraising and e-mail marketing online. However, to date, the presidential campaigns have overlooked an opportunity to capitalize on what non-political marketers have known for years: online advertising works. Otherwise, it would not be a $20 billion industry, surpassing radio advertising revenue and continuing to grow at 20 percent each year. Today, online represents about 7 percent of all commercial advertising spending in the U.S., versus

It might be an off year for big elections, but political fundraising never takes a hiatus. You can be sure that even with almost two years left in the current presidential administration, copywriters around the country, from every political party, are gearing up for the next big push.

Well-known political direct-mail strategist Hal Malchow recently spoke with FundRaising Success about raising money for political campaigns and how to connect with political donors. Malchow also is an author and president of Washington, D.C.-based communications firm MSHC Partners Inc.