When thinking of a direct response test, the first thing that comes to mind for many of us is a test within a single direct mail, email or paid digital effort. But tests are designed to answer specific questions and not everything we want to “ask” can be answered with the results of a single campaign. Sometimes we have questions with a scope that extends across multiple campaigns or even across our entire program. These are the types of questions that often require a test across more than one campaign to answer.

We’ve all done it. We’ve seen an interesting tactic used in a direct mail package or digital ad and immediately mentally slotted it in as the next promising test for our program. Sometimes these types of tests lead to great breakthroughs in a campaign (or even lead to program changing strategies!). But sometimes they can distract from what we truly need to learn, waste precious testing dollars and take up limited testing bandwidth.

The new Fuse Fundraising brand identity and website captures the agency’s full-service approach to direct response fundraising in an ever-changing industry.

Monthly giving programs, like other fundraising programs, require an intentional approach, focused on the details with the ultimate goal of creating a superior donor experience. And while these nuances can be overwhelming, the efforts taken in this area will pay dividends for your program in the future.

If the goal is keeping as many new donors as possible, beginning with business process is the place to be. As fundraisers who have been around the block a few times can attest, monthly giving programs are often the place where the smallest detail matters – and getting it ‘right’ most always starts with reviewing and optimizing organizational business processes.

Now that we can all agree on the great value of a healthy and robust sustainer program, let’s spend just a few moments talking about some popular myths as it relates to that coveted monthly donor.

Monthly giving programs are often viewed as complex puzzles, difficult to unlock, but with a reward well worth the upfront work. Today, some organizations seem to have unlocked the ‘monthly giving puzzle’, while others struggle with developing a plan to maximize their current program or even knowing where to start to develop a sustainer program.

Fundraising communications are typically a one-way street where we are regularly asking our donors to support our mission while providing them with the latest information about how that support makes a difference. But how often are we opening up that communication and giving our donors a voice?

We can likely all agree that the fundraising industry has changed pretty significantly over the last decade. More organizations are taking that valuable ‘monthly first’ approach … integration has become more than just a buzzword and it’s in practice across campaign messaging and audience planning … and, across all sectors, we are seeing nonprofits expand their investments into new channels to help grow and diversify donor files.

This blog post contains information from our SVP of Analytics Dave Jorgensen's Nonprofit Technology Conference presentation from March 24, 2021.

It’s that time of year again! The tease of warmer weather and the extra sunlight in the evenings are making us feel a little more productive and we’re more than ready to clean off that long, dark winter.

Just one year ago, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Dining rooms across the world quickly turned into both a home office and a day care and we learned how to juggle … a lot.