Category: Uncategorized

New year, fresh start You probably set some New Year’s resolutions. And you might even have broken some already.  (For me, it was to not swear at politics — I think the Times Square ball might still have been bouncing when that one went out the window.) Why do we start the new year with...

A statement from Gretchen Littlefield on the Capitol Hill riots Like so many Americans, I was horrified to see rioters and insurrectionists enter our U.S. Capitol building.  The violent acts leave deep wounds in our country. At Moore, we have the privilege to serve nonprofits who exist because they and their supporters believe some change...

The continuing opportunity in direct response television by Janet Tonner, president, DDTV Way back in April, I’d argued there was an opportunity in direct response television.  Increased viewership, decreased prices, and improving results combined to make it an excellent opportunity to attract new sustaining donors and improve brand visibility. But even I thought the DRTV...

The famine before the feast The Fundraising Effectiveness Project Q3 report is out and, as you might guess, it’s almost entirely good news.  Year-over-year, from January to September, we’ve seen: A 6% increase in total donors An 8% increase in donations A 12% increase in new donors Growth across giving levels, from under $250 to...

It’s a wonderful cause It says something about our national character that one of our most beloved Christmas movie is about a man’s near-suicide after being swindled by unaccountable forces.  I don’t know what it says, but it certainly says something. And yet It’s A Wonderful Life endures partly because it grapples with a central...

Santa will get there.  But will your package? by Carolyn Angelini, Director of Resource and Supplier Relations, Production Solutions Here at Production Solutions, we keep a list and we’re checking it twice.  Not about whether our donors are naughty or nice (all donors are, by definition, nice), but whether the mail will get through this...

The mighty mouse of content If you are just looking at the numbers, Disney could have been killed by 2020.  Over half of their 2019 revenues came from unmasked people sitting near each other riding a ride or watching something on a movie screen. Here’s their stock price (from Google): They’ve not only made it...

Getting in your fundraising time machine For years, I’ve said that if I had a time machine, there are three things I would do: Kill Hitler.  Yes, this always goes wrong in sci-fi, but I’m sure I could do it right this time.  Yes, I know this is what the people in sci-fi always say...

Five quick updates on five important topics For those who follow these writings regularly, you’re probably wondering what’s happened with popular recurring characters like Donor Advised Funds, the CARES Act, Facebook, and more!  Fear not, as we go into lightning round updates on your favorites: Donor-advised fund donors are still planning to up their giving. ...

Fighting for scraps As I write this on Cyber Monday, I’ve been reminded by two charities to set them up to receive .5% of my purchases on Amazon today.  Tomorrow (today, as you read it) is Giving Tuesday and two different organizations are throwing elbows for 1/200th of the value of a straight up gift...