It’s that time of year again – the annual eNonprofit Benchmark study, authored by M+R and NTEN, will soon be released. The full report will be released at the NTEN Conference on April 5, but here is a teaser infographic released today. Print it out, tack it to your wall, let the pretty colors soothe you…

We’re pleased to announce Avalon’s involvement in the first-ever Integrated Marketing Advisory Board (IMAB) for the nonprofit sector. Avalon is one of 12 organizations that have come together to form the IMAB, which is launching January 31.

Target Analytics’ Index of National Fundraising Performance for the second quarter of 2011 is out. To see the full report, visit:   http://www.blackbaud.com/targetanalytics/benchmarking/nationalindex.aspx

According to an October 25, 2011 AP article, as of late September, Americans’ confidence in the economy is at its lowest since 2009, when we were in the midst of a deep recession. See the full  article at: http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-confidence-lowest-since-recession-160735732.html

Some highlights (lowlights?):

When budgets are tight and our clients are looking for ways to cut costs, the subject of bringing (or keeping) their databases in-house often comes up. We’ve learned by experience that moving your database out of house is one of the best investments your organization can make.  It should only take three good reasons to convince any skeptic:

Everyone knows that the first 30 seconds of a telemarketing call is make or break.  But isn’t it really the first 5 seconds?  If the caller stumbles and fumbles the first few words – that critical introduction – in all likelihood the call is lost.  So how can you train your callers to make the most of those first few moments?

One of the most interesting sessions I attended at the DMANF Conference last month was about coop databases … “List Coops: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”  We have all had experience testing (and rolling out) compiled lists in our acquisition programs – and are familiar with predicting demonstrated donor behavior via modeling … but what’s the big deal about nonprofit coop databases?  And what could be so ugly about them?

So do you know the 10 Commandments to Fundraising Success?  Here’s a hint: Rule #1 is that it’s not about you.  Really.  Your direct mail program isn’t really yours – it’s your donors’.  Rule #9?  Don’t reinvent the world.  What else?

Oh yes … great stuff out there about Facebook: golden rules from nonprofit digital media professionals who actively manage their social media programs, more on QR codes and how they can be applied to your program, an innovative monthly donor recruitment tool, an update on mobile giving with an international view, and Blackbaud’s Index of Charitable Giving.

In an effort to define benchmarking performance for Avalon’s clients – and our specific markets – Avalon has compiled 2011 online fundraising performance metrics for our clients and compared them to the 2011 benchmarking numbers from The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study (by M+R Strategic Services and NTEN) and The Convio Online Nonprofit Benchmark™ Study. The results are pretty impressive.