Tom Ahern Archives

VIDEO: Blithering Idiots Discuss Making Direct Mail Great Again

February 18, 2019

Blithering Idiots, Jeff Brooks, Tom Ahern

The Blithering Idiots decide they can make direct mail a lot better by making a few much-needed “reformations.” Communicate a lot less often! Get rid of all that syrupy emotion and instead use facts and stats! Replace the boring old…

VIDEO: Does Fundraising Make You Feel Like a Used Car Salesman? GOOD!

June 5, 2018

Jeff Brooks

Creative, Jeff Brooks, Tom Ahern

No Comments

Fundraising professional, meet Crazy Eddie. You probably aren’t going to like him. He’s loud and obnoxious. I mean, really REALLY LOUD and OBNOXIOUS. But Crazy Eddie can teach us fundraisers a thing or two, especially when it comes to that…

Does Your Fundraising Secretly Say, “Don’t Bother Giving”?

June 5, 2018

Jeff Brooks

Creative, Jeff Brooks, Tom Ahern

No Comments

Let’s say you go to a shoe store and find a perfect pair of shoes: comfortable, great looking, right style. You ask a clerk (“footwear specialists” they’re probably called these days) how much the shoes cost. “You can purchase footwear…

How a Now-Defunct Fundraising Agency Discovered the Power of Donor Newsletters

May 21, 2018

Tom Ahern

Back in the early 1990s, a fundraising agency based in Seattle called the Domain Group accidentally made an important discovery: You can raise funds with a nonprofit newsletter. At the time, most people in the fundraising industry considered newsletters to…

VIDEO: Blithering Idiots Brainstorm a Donor Newsletter

May 15, 2018

Jeff Brooks

Jeff Brooks, Tom Ahern

Two blithering idiots … old farts … excuse me, make that nonprofit leaders — the kind of people who make a lot of decisions in fundraising these days (though not a whole lot of the actual work), brainstorm the content of…

3 Things You Could Do to Totally Ruin Your Donor Newsletter

May 8, 2018

Jeff Brooks

Jeff Brooks, Tom Ahern

I’m pretty obsessed with donor newsletters. I’ve planned, written, and directed a lot of them. (A few years back I tried to count how many … it was around a thousand issues at the time. It’s much more today.) There…

6 Ways to Make a Better Donor Newsletter

April 30, 2018

Tom Ahern

No Comments

Newsletter Master Tom Ahern reveals six concrete, simple things you can do to improve the results of your donor newsletter. Drawing from tested, proven approaches learned by fundraisers through the years, he’ll show you how these things will help bring…

6 Dumb Reasons for Not Sending a Charity Newsletter

April 21, 2018

Tom Ahern

Let’s tear down some common barriers. The ones that stand between your organization and creation of a newsletter that improves retention, thereby boosting the lifetime value of your donor list. Because, when you get right down to it, newsletters are…

Where For Art Thou Major Donors? The #1 Secret To Finding Those Hidden Major Donors.

October 16, 2017

Sean Triner

Roger Craver, Sean Triner, Tom Ahern, Veritus Group

Fundraisers can spend a lot of time asking “Where can I find some major donors?” They can spend enormous resources searching for these loving and generous people in all kinds of places. Clever fundraisers do it the easy way: They start…

Who Needs a Funny New Word? Well, You and I Do!

January 26, 2017

Sean Triner

Christiana Stergiou, Fiona McPhee, Jeff Brooks, Kathy Allen, Moceanic, Rebecca Davies, Roger Craver, Sean Triner, Tom Ahern

No Comments

Moceanic: It’s about love, depth, and how together we are going to change the world by changing the way we do fundraising. I’m really grateful to you for reading my articles. It’s your comments, feedback, and participation that gave me…

VIDEO: Blithering Idiots Discuss Making Direct Mail Great Again

VIDEO: Does Fundraising Make You Feel Like a Used Car Salesman? GOOD!

Does Your Fundraising Secretly Say, “Don’t Bother Giving”?

How a Now-Defunct Fundraising Agency Discovered the Power of Donor Newsletters

VIDEO: Blithering Idiots Brainstorm a Donor Newsletter

3 Things You Could Do to Totally Ruin Your Donor Newsletter

6 Ways to Make a Better Donor Newsletter

6 Dumb Reasons for Not Sending a Charity Newsletter

Where For Art Thou Major Donors? The #1 Secret To Finding Those Hidden Major Donors.

Who Needs a Funny New Word? Well, You and I Do!

SIGNUP FOR E-NEWS AND FREE FUNDRAISING TIPS

Nearly every single email can help you raise more money for your cause. You don't want to miss out.

Dive Into Smarter Fundraising with Moceanic

Now is the time to jump on board to get even smarter about your fundraising

SIGN UP FOR FREE FUNDRAISING TIPS

Nearly every single tip we give you could make your cause more money. You don’t want to miss out.

SIGNUP FOR E-NEWS AND FREE FUNDRAISING TIPS

Nearly every single email can help you raise more money for your cause. You don’t want to miss out.

100% FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP

Jeff Brooks’ Webinar: Your Roadmap to Record-Smashing Direct Mail This Year End

SESSION OPTION 2:

New York: 8pm Thursday, Aug 23
Los Angeles: 5pm Thursday, Aug 23
Sydney: 10am Friday, Aug 24
Auckland: 12 Noon Friday, Aug 24
Times don’t suit? Check out Option 1

REGISTER HERE!

100% FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP

Jeff Brooks’ Webinar: Your Roadmap to Record-Smashing Direct Mail This Year End

SESSION OPTION 1:

New York: 3:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
Los Angeles: 12:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
London: 8:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
Auckland: 7:30am Friday, Aug 24
Times don’t suit? Check out Option 2

REGISTER HERE!

SIGNUP FOR E-NEWS AND FREE FUNDRAISING TIPS

Nearly every single email can help you raise more money for your cause. You don't want to miss out.

Dive Into Smarter Fundraising with Moceanic

Now is the time to jump on board to get even smarter about your fundraising

SESSION OPTION 1:

New York: 3:30pm Thursday, Aug 23 Los Angeles: 12:30pm Thursday, Aug 23 London: 8:30pm Thursday, Aug 23 Auckland: 7:30am Friday, Aug 24 Times don’t suit? Check out Option 2

REGISTER HERE!

New York: 3:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
Los Angeles: 12:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
London: 8:30pm Thursday, Aug 23
Auckland: 7:30am Friday, Aug 24
Times don’t suit? Check out Option 2