Getting Ready for the Revolution
Bob Walker, head of Enterprising Strategies, and one of the most experienced and thoughtful progressive strategists inside or outside the Beltway, has just released a must-read white paper titled “The Coming Political Realignment…And What it Means for Nonprofit Advocacy.”
All this comes from a guy who's been there, done that and done it successfully. As a key staffer to John Anderson (R-Ill) in the late '70s he sat in on the strategy meetings of the House Republican Conference and saw firsthand what the emerging conservative groups did to lay the groundwork for the Reagan Revolution.
As the head of Handgun Control, Inc. and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (now the Brady Campaign) he successfully steered America's largest anti-NRA citizen's movement until he wisely decided to move on –as the organizations' directors decided they'd rather form their firing squad in a circle and shoot at themselves rather than effectively deal with the NRA.
From his vantage point as an inside observer of the emerging conservative movement and as a leader of what was once an important progressive citiizens movement, Bob persuasively argues that the key to a progressive turnaround lies in the ability of progressive nonprofits to shape the policy debate and to pick the correct fights — much as the conservative and New Right movements did a generation ago.
But…he warns, success won't come from business-as-usual tactics. A total reassessment and rethinking is required.
From both a fundraising and advocacy perspective he suggests 10 key steps to insuring that each organization does its part. I'm not gonna summarize what they are 'cause you need to read this paper.
Click on this white paper link. Print it out. Then put it on the top of your “must read” pile.
If you want to thank him or damn him he can be reached at bwalker@enterprisingstrategies.com
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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