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Hi Ohdeuk,
In this month’s issue, you’ll find a feast of delectable treats:
- Fundraising blogger Conor Byrne shares a thought-provoking interview with Convio founder Vinay Bhagat about reaching major donors online
- Our very own Answerman, Peter Schoewe, provides us with the second and final part of his A,B,Cs of testing
- In Copy Corner, Deborah Block and Paul Karps share their secrets about how to keep the reader’s interest
- Copywriter Lisa Sargent offers a wealth of ideas and examples about fundraising thank-you letters
- Plus Where’s Mal?, Ask Mal, and other provocative short items
Oh, and if you haven’t picked up a copy of my latest book, Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future, now’s a really good time!
Cheers,
Mal
Now in its fourth year, this annual Washington DC conference has emerged as one of the largest—and surely among the best—of the many fundraising conferences held around the United States each year.
This year’s Bridge Conference—formally, the Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference—will be held July 21-23. I’ll be busy there, delivering two workshops and a pre-conference master class. Check it out.
1. Using the Internet to connect with major donors
By Conor Byrne
One of the many fascinating sessions in the three-day IFC online eConference—“the world’s first fully Web-based international fundraising conference”—was a Webinar with Convio founder Vinay Bhagat billed as “The Wired Wealthy: Using the Internet to Connect with your Middle and Major Donors.”
Vinay’s presentation was based on research with donors who had contributed $1,000+ to a single nonprofit in the previous 18 months. The project—carried out in collaboration with Mark Rovner, Principal at Sea Change Strategies; Colleen McCulloch-Learch, Senior Research Analyst at Edge Research; and Beth Wallace, Vice President for Digital Marketing, Conservation International—involved 23 major nonprofits and 40,000 donors. The Web-based survey in which findings were grounded had about 3,500 responses.
Last week I had the chance to get in touch with Vinay and find out a bit more about his thoughts on the Web and major gifts—and, most important, what you should be doing to make the most of it.
 read more
2. Where's Mal?
June 24-27, 2009 – Bangalore India
International Workshop on Resource Mobilisation
Master Class: How to Build a Fundraising Portfolio
Workshop: Recruiting Donors Through Smart Direct Marketing
Workshop: Applying Web 2.0 principles to a non-profit organisation
Site: InfoSys Campus
July 14, 2009 – Webinar
The Foundation Center
Workshop: Fundraising When Money Is Tight
read more
3. The A, B, Cs of testing (Part 2)
By Peter Schoewe
In our previous issue, Peter laid out Steps A and B, the first two of four steps in devising and executing a direct marketing test. Step A is to develop a hypothesis worthy of testing. Step B is to make sure that the test you design is actually calculated to test that hypothesis and not something else. In this article, Peter concludes with Steps C and D.
read more
4. Ask Mal
Since 1994, when the Mal Warwick Associates Web site went online, Editor Mal Warwick has answered fundraising questions posed by visitors to the site. Hundreds of those Q&As are available here. Here’s one Mal answered last month:
Question: I am trying to determine high Ask amounts for donors in previous years of $1,000 and above. I need to pick out the first, second, and third Ask amount for the reply card. How do I figure this out?
read more
5. Holding the reader’s interest
By Managing Editor Deborah Block and Paul Karps
We’re often asked to write a donor appeal where our job is to describe a number of the organization’s projects and programs. Sometimes, these efforts are related to each other by a specific theme—which would then be the overall theme of the package.
For example, we might write about an array of services that bring both emergency aid and longer-term assistance to the needy. Or we might need to discuss various attempts to protect a certain type of ecosystem. Regardless, these are really individual case studies (aka success stories) of the group’s work.
read more
6. 10 common mistakes nonprofits make in selecting a donor database
By Jeff Brooks
A Webinar recently presented by consultant Robert Weiner for FundRaising Success magazine, “Understanding and Maximizing Your Donor Database for Fundraising Success,” featured 10 common mistakes nonprofits make in selecting donor databases and how to avoid them.
read more
7. Thank-you letters: Help is on the way!
By Lisa Sargent
Recently, I worked with Ken Burnett to host an online thank-you letter clinic over at SOFII, the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration. Since thank-you letters are a great (but too often overlooked) way to forge a bond with donors, you may find it helpful to visit the clinic online.
This month, we tackle the controversial issue of whether first-time thank-you letters should include an additional Ask, by posting pro and con editorials: I write in favor of No Ask and Sean Triner of Pareto Fundraising writes in favor of Ask.
read more
8. How to find your missionaries
By Tom Belford
Editor’s note: Some people call them “evangelists.” Others may refer to committed activists. In his blog for The Agitator, Tom Belford calls them missionaries. Whatever you call them, they’re the folks who will go out of their way to promote your cause. They’ve made your cause their cause. Here’s how he suggests you identify these invaluable folks.
read more
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Mal Warwick
Editor |
Deborah Block
Managing Editor |
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Contributing Editors:
Nick Allen, Donordigital
Ken Burnett, Cascaid Consulting
Harvey McKinnon, Harvey McKinnon Associates
Jerold Panas, Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners
Steve Thomas, Stephen Thomas
Joe White, Share Group, Inc.
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