Intrigue and Economics at the DMAW Annual Meeting

The DMAW kicked off its Annual Meeting on January 24 with an economic, Bond-themed presentation by economist Anirban Basu. And when we say “Bond-themed” —we mean Bond. James Bond.

Several Avalonians had the opportunity to hear this hilarious and fascinating speech—The Economist Who Loved Me. We’ve never happily sat through 30+ slides on economics before, but this was riveting. Basu reviewed key aspects of the economy, including trends in the financial and labor markets, plus highlights of what’s coming in the real estate and energy sectors—and explained how these metrics may impact fundraising campaigns in 2017.

Besides making us laugh out loud throughout his presentation (with movie title headings like “The World Is Not (Growing) Enough” and “License to Sell”), Basu made some interesting predictions.

While some of the decisions being made now by the new Administration could be detrimental to the economy over the long term, the short-term impact will be good for fundraisers in 2017. Household spending is on the rise, which means a higher capacity for individual giving.

This prediction, coupled with our reinvigorated donors post-election, means we can raise a lot of money for our clients this year—#silverlining.

Go to DMAW’s website to see Anirban Basu’s slide presentation.

The DMAW also introduced its newly-elected board members, including Avalon Senior Fundraising Program Manager, Rebecca Shapalis.