Key performance indicators, or KPIs, aren’t one-size-fits-all. These data nuggets are a valuable way to see if your nonprofit is striking the right balance between thinking big and driving impact. KPIs are designed to tell the story of your work—and the data you uncover should inspire further digging. Why is that particular number down this […]

DAY 1: Connecting like Mushroom Roots Avalon’s most recent company-wide retreat provided tremendous opportunities to gather, learn, and share with and from each other. The retreat was structured to focus on core priorities for Avalon this year: Connection, Belonging, and Collaboration. For the first day, we grounded our connection work with a session from Jenny […]

In October 2023, Google and Yahoo announced a new set of email security requirements for any group sending emails to more than 5,000 names at once. Combined, Google and Yahoo (and Yahoo-owned AOL) account for nearly 2 billion email addresses worldwide, so compliance with these requirements is critical to ensuring your email program will continue […]

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 […]

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) have been around for years. But the pandemic accelerated growth in this type of giving over the last two years. For example, Fidelity Charitable reported making donor-recommended grants totaling $9.1 BILLION in 2020. Are you ready to assess the impact of DAF giving on your fundraising program? This surge of giving from […]

As a consultant, I love a good benchmark. Give me a hot-off-the presses report and I devour it immediately. But as a savvy fundraiser, I must share this PSA with the nonprofit world: You are NOT average. You MUST dig into the data behind industry benchmarks. The problem with averages is that they aggregate performance […]

I’m thrilled to announce Avalon’s new VitalStats™ Dashboard. This tool highlights the most important fundraising metrics for your program in a digestible, actionable and easy-to-share format. Fundraising dashboards allow you to quickly evaluate, make decisions, and communicate to your leadership about your program. You will know at-a-glance how your program is doing, what has changed, […]

When the pandemic hit in March, it was clear that COVID-19 would have a substantial impact. Add 2020’s urgent civil rights call to action and public response, and we are fundraising in a truly unprecedented time. This macro climate presents a host of challenges and some opportunities for nonprofits. Naturally, many boards and nonprofit leaders […]

I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Direct Marketing Association (DMA) annual conference recently with my colleagues Rick Malchow and Jackie Biancolli. Some of the key takeaways for us: