Dear friends, Happy pride month to all! I am thrilled that this year’s events will feature more in-person gatherings. I hope you have fun with your celebrations. 🏳️‍🌈 While I enjoy the month’s festive atmosphere, I also want to honor ongoing work for LGBTQIA+ justice. One issue I’ve been learning more about is the […]

  Dear friends, The news from San Jose, the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, and the Republican party’s stubborn resistance to responsible governance have been weighing on me. I continue to hope that the Democratic leadership and majority will enable top-down change through meaningful legislation. At the grassroots, I always find comfort in our clients’ […]

  Dear friends, I have been eager to share some exciting news with you, and as of yesterday it’s official: Welcome to Jake Koenigsberg, Avalon’s new Communications Director! Jake brings 17 years of copywriting experience to our team, along with unparalleled expertise in content strategy and fundraising copy. He has been an Avalon partner for […]

Greetings! I’m Jake, Avalon Consulting’s new Communications Director! I have written fundraising copy for hundreds of nonprofits over the past two decades, and today I am thrilled to bring my experience to Avalon to help enhance and expand its creative services. I started my fundraising career at Craver, Mathews, Smith and Company (CMS) in 2001, […]

  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 […]

  Dear friends, I hope you were not affected by the Colonial Pipeline disruption. There is something poetic about “running on empty” as we emerge from this pandemic, but the impact in some communities is no joke. Both that experience and the discourse around new CDC masking guidelines remind me that traditional and social media can actually […]

This post is part two 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. They are only part of a larger strategy; DEI goals require serious commitment across the entire organization. We […]

  Dear friends, I hope the weekend was a good one for you and your families. I am personally finding it hard to believe that we have reached mid-May! Part of me feels like we’re still living in 2020—a common sentiment, according to recent journalism on the psychology of post-pandemic life. I recommend both the Washington […]

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 post is part one of a five-part series on DEI-informed fundraising.   One of the best levers that a nonprofit can use to impact donor acquisition performance is list strategy. Avalon has long believed in the power of a good list, and we love to collaborate with list partners who excel at matching nonprofits […]