thedatabank has combed through our past issues of the enews and our blog to bring you the most popular webinars and blog posts we’ve published in 2011.

1. Don’t Neglect Your Direct Mail Strategy by Joel Barker of Backpack Tactics – Direct mail campaigns are still an important part of a comprehensive fundraising development strategy. In order to keep your direct mail donors engaged, you need to spark their interest level. Here are some things to consider while planning your fall or year end direct mail appeal…

2. The Art of Thank You by Sarah Suemnig, CFRE – During my time helping organizations build and improve individual giving programs I have learned a few things. I appreciate the opportunity to share them with you here. Let’s start with thanking donors…

3. Benchmark Report on Nonprofit Email Response Rates [PDF] by thedatabank – This white paper covers national averages for open rates, Databank client open rates, and stories from organizations who have exceptional open rates (and how they got them)…

4. New Revenue Streams for Nonprofits presented by Tom Triplett of Triplett Consulting – In this webinar, Tom gave an overview of how to identify and evaluate revenue streams, including some you may never have considered before…

5. Nonprofits and the Mobile Revolution presented by Lynn Smith of Shiny New App – In this webinar, Lynn explored how mobile applications can help reduce costs and boost effectiveness of advocacy efforts…

6. Presentation Recap: Email EQ – Tips to Tap the Emotional Brain by Melissa Imboden of thedatabank- The main focus of the presentation was answering the question “Why do donors give to some causes and not to others?” Here are 3 tips that Cary and Kevin shared to tap the emotional brain…

7. Creating Donation Campaign Email Templates by William Naylor of thedatabank – I’ve seen a lot of newsletter templates reused to create donation appeals, and while consistent branding is important, it’s also important that an appeal stands out from your regular communications and marketing. Here are some tips for creating this template…

8. 7 Tips to Optimize Your Twitter Page by William Naylor of thedatabank – Whether you are just starting to think about getting an account and creating a presence on Twitter, or if you’ve got a legion of followers, here are 7 tips you can try to optimize your profile page…

9. Looking the Gift Horse in the Mouth by Chris Hanson of thedatabank – November 16 was Give to the Max day in Minnesota. By most accounts it was a great day for nonprofits in Minnesota with over $13 million donated to some 3,978 organizations. However, I’m concerned that focusing so much energy and time on one single donation event could diminish ongoing individual fundraising activities in the sector by creating an impression that Give to the Max Day is THE day to give…

10. The Web Space-Time Continuum by Chris Hanson of thedatabank – Our very first blog post…

11. 3 Must Have Tools for Nonprofit Online Engagement by Karen Graham (Me!) of thedatabank – The Web gives nonprofits so many opportunities to engage with supporters. Here are three things that require relatively little time and money, and can earn a big payoff in terms of widening your reach and deepening relationships…

I hope you enjoy our Top 11 from 2011 and are able to gain new insights and ideas from many of the great people who have contributed to this list.

Happy New Year!

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