Award Winning Blog

How Would You Know?

The latest issue of Non-Profit Times reports reveals that the #1 factor for donors contributing long term to an organization — selected by 35% of respondents — is that “the organization is well managed and your money is well spent.” OK. Seems like a no-brainer? Our question is: How would your donor know? How well […]

Learn More July 8, 2006

Prez Bush On the Cutting Edge

Reaching his 60th birthday, President Bush reminds us that the leading edge of the Boomer generation (born 1946-1964) is now crossing the 60 year milestone. Pew Research Center has marked the occasion with an important study on the financial attitudes and situation of Boomers as they begin to reckon with retirement. From a fundraising standpoint, […]

Learn More July 7, 2006

Compelling Images … Or Spam?

On the basis of testing they have done, M+R Strategic Services reports that inclusion of images within online e-mail appeals for action or funds does NOT necessarily translate to better response. They point out that anti-spam features built into most e-mail systems increasingly tend to block images, unless users have have elected to change default […]

Learn More July 6, 2006

Educating Your Donors

Most non-profits would agree that they are in the education business. Indeed, members/donors often regard their organizations as their primary and most trustworthy information source on the issue, cause or purpose that pulled them in. But how seriously does your organization really take its education mission? And is your non-profit fully capturing the marketing opportunity […]

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Send the Babes?!

First, we implore you … don't shoot the messengers! Here's a study, first reported in a June 15 NYT column, that looked at door-to-door fundraising solicitation and concluded that the strongest incentive for generating the gift was to send a more attractive female to do the … asking! No joke. The University of Chicago prof, […]

Learn More July 5, 2006

Wanted: More Fireworks!

As We The People celebrate America's 230th Independence Day amid fireworks, barbeques, volunteer fire department parades, the televised PBS special from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and heaven only knows how many political speeches and kissed babies, it's probably wise to think about the word “independence” itself. Especially in our trade where there's damn […]

Learn More July 4, 2006