Disrupting what’s expected is uncomfortable. But when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), the choice for nonprofits is simple: Interrupt autopilot and build a more diverse coalition to support your mission or keep doing what you’re doing and quickly become an echo chamber that’s out of touch. To address this challenge, Avalon […]

Four Signs a Donor Relationship Wasn’t Made to Last (And What You Can Do About It) For all the talk in our industry about donor retention, donor desirability is a rarely discussed topic. But the fact is: Acquiring the right type of donor is as critical to strong retention as any post-acquisition cultivation strategy. Some […]

Matching Gifts and Challenge Grants play a key role in boosting response in direct mail, telemarketing, and online campaigns. Yet, the execution of a matching gift campaign must be very deliberate, and technical to ensure success. Marketing Your Campaign Accurately Challenge Grants and Matching Gifts are often confused or used interchangeably. Yet, they are distinct […]

This post is part four of a five-part series on DEI-informed fundraising. In part one of this series, we explored the connection between list strategies and DEI—and concluded that lists alone cannot make an organization more diverse. In part two, we offered six principles for DEI-informed messaging. In part three, we applied a DEI lens […]

  This post is part three of a five-part series on DEI-informed fundraising.    In part one of this series, we explored the connection between list strategies and DEI—and concluded that lists alone cannot make an organization more diverse. In part two, we offered six principles for DEI-informed messaging.    In this post, we apply a DEI lens to direct marketing data processes. Data and […]

Good news for the economy equals good news for nonprofits. This update from the Chronicle of Philanthropy backs up what Avalon is seeing with our clients in Q1 of 2021. Our nonprofit clients’ fundraising programs are 36% ahead of last March and 13% ahead cumulatively for the calendar year so far. Digging deeper, acquisition is […]

This is part two in a two-part series on women in philanthropy. Read part one here. Frequently, charitable giving by women, directly or through women’s funds, focuses on improving the quality of life and opportunity for girls and women. Women have long understood that the key to building and raising up communities is through empowering […]

Rethinking Engagement for R… by Allison Porter

  Dear friends, As I write this, the Electoral College is convening across the country to elect our next president. I thought NPR captured the moment well with this sentiment from first-time Pennsylvania elector Nina Ahmad: “I’m feeling excited. I’m feeling glad that the day is finally here and we can do our duty and move on.” […]

  Dear friends, Congratulations on a very successful Giving Tuesday! Avalon has posted an update here. The key takeaway is that donations were up for most organizations – both because of the longer window around the event and on the strength of COVID giving. Many nonprofits started their campaigns up to a week early, and some […]