Well, right now, it’s just one guy.  Hi. I’m Nick Ellinger.  I currently run the direct marketing program for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and have done other nonprofit marketing things in other more limited roles.

When I started in direct marketing for nonprofits, there was not a handy how-to guide to get me started. I had done it previously in the for-profit world (I was doing CPC search engine ads when it was done through GoTo.com; picture this said in a voice that sounds like Grandpappy Amos…), but it is a different world when your product is lives saved. On the one hand, with a product, there is usually something tangible that the person ends up with; with nonprofits, the donor is getting a feeling of doing something for their fellow people. On the other hand, that feeling has free shipping that’s faster than Amazon Prime.

So I wanted to share thoughts with those newer to the industry.  At the same time, I also wanted to expand the conversion about nonprofit direct marketing tips, thoughts, and advice. I certainly hold no monopoly on knowledge and, in fact, have rather narrow experiences.  Some of that may be true for you too, so here’s hoping that we can learn from each other.