The Top 45 Strategies and Tactics you Must Implement to Survive and Thrive in Today's Tough Economy

Analyze the Current Economic Situation

• Review of current economic conditions – Happenings since October 2008, new economic indicators based upon new government initiatives, etc.
• Review of historical giving trends in previous economic downturns
• Preliminary review of results from 2008 year-end giving season: Client results, industry indicators, etc.

Managing Your Board

• Keep Senior Management and your Board informed during this protracted economic downturn
• Defend and promote your direct marketing program – still the best source for future major donors
• Keep on top of your program metrics – what you need to know at all times
• Stay informed about how your peer organizations are performing and how the nonprofit sector is performing as a whole

Acquisition Strategies

How do you:

• Improve acquisition list performance while reducing costs?
• Optimize merge-purge tactics?
• Reduce the cost of your control package and increase mail volume to maintain current new donor levels?
• Smartly reduce list and creative testing to reduce program costs but maintain learning?

New Donor Conversion Strategies – A continued investment in acquisition!

• Prompt and thoughtful acknowledgements – how and when to execute (timing, letters vs. phone calls) and what to say
• New Donor Welcome Kits
• Early second gift appeals
• Presenting donors with your strongest renewal appeals upfront
• Plan for a First-Year Anniversary Package to get a second gift from those new donors who are close to lapsing

Special Treatments to Strengthen Relationships with Loyal Donors – Now more important than ever!

• Special techniques to thank them promptly and sincerely
• Segmentation strategies that redefine your “high level” donors – and boost revenue
• Special cultivation techniques for major donors
• How to use a multichannel campaign to lift response rates
• Monthly giving conversion strategies – how to promote monthly giving during a tough economy
• Messaging that tells donors why you need their support now
• And much more!