Big Ideas
Thought leaders. Creative strategists. Direct marketing gurus. We’re all of the above. And when it comes to direct response fundraising in the nonprofit world, we’ve got big ideas. We’ll help you stay informed about the latest happenings in the industry and in our Company and we’ll showcase recent innovations in direct response fundraising both on and offline. Check back here often for fresh content on multichannel integration, year-end fundraising, donor cultivation, sustainer giving, planned giving and much more!
Company News
Lautman Takes Home Three Maxi Awards
Lautman Maska Neill & Company is proud to celebrate another incredible year at the 2025 Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s “Marketing Award for eXcellence and Innovation” (MAXI) Awards in... Read more »
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New & Noteworthy
Industry Articles
“Pink Slips” Win Big At MAXI Awards
Sending “pink slips” to prospective donors as an illustration was the top creative program, capturing the Platinum Big Idea Award – Fundraising That Works prize, during the 35th annual MAXI...
Company News
Lautman Honored with Four MAXI Awards
Lautman Recognized For Fundraising Excellence The DMAW MAXI Awards ceremony took place Wednesday night — the kickoff to the annual Bridge Conference here in Washington, DC — and Lautman Maska...
Lautman Thoughts
Keep Boredom out of the Boardroom
Keep Boredom out of the Boardroom We often hear “How do we get our Board more invested in our fundraising efforts?” Well, I recently attended four Board meetings where...
Industry Articles
Giving USA 2014 Highlights
Overview of Giving in 2014 Total estimated U.S. charitable giving increased by 4.4 percent, to $335.17 billion, in 2013. Giving by individuals is estimated to have increased by 4.2...
Industry Articles
Education Opportunities for Non-Profit Executives
“I don’t have time to sit in a conference for three days.” This is a common refrain from Executive Directors, CEOs, Board Chairs, Chief Development Officers and other non-profit leaders...
Lautman Thoughts
Functional Creativity
4 Tips for Achieving Real Creativity in Your Direct Response Fundraising Program Imagine for a minute that you’re remodeling your bathroom. You’re looking for something new and different. Something...
Lautman Thoughts
How to Raise Money from Baby Boomers
I recently read a stat that 70% of US disposable income is controlled by Baby Boomers. Taken together with the stat from Blackbaud’s “Next Generation of American Giving” report that...
Industry Articles
Member Spotlight: Emerging Leader
Lesley Hostetter was named DMAW’s 2013 “Emerging Leader” during Best of Direct in December. Her secrets? Since graduating from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT, this New York native spent...
Industry Articles
Learning From MAXI Excellence
It’s MAXI Season and time to start looking at the winners, which can be as simple as a postcard … or just the right combination of message and integration …...
Lautman Thoughts
Five Take Aways from the February DMA-NF Conference
A snowstorm is no match for the direct marketing industry! Last week, the morning after the biggest winter storm of the year, hundreds of fundraising and marketing professionals braved the...
Lautman Thoughts
What Kind of Friend are You? Building Relationships That Last
The world lost a noted philanthropist over the holidays with the death of Robert Wilson, who in his lifetime gave over $500 million to various charities. And while we generally...
Co-op Bulletin
Do You Know Where Your Online Fundraising Plan Is?
It’s December – do you know where your online fundraising plan is? If not, here are the three words you need to know to maximize online fundraising success between now...