Probably relevant only to my fellow “Mid-Atlanteans” (within a two-drive of Washington DC) but:
The “Bridge to Integrated Direct Marketing and Fundraising” conference is coming up on July 26-28. This is the fourth year of a joint endeavor by the Association of Fundraising Professionals DC Metro Area Chapter (AFP/DC) and the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW), again at the Gaylord in National Harbor.
This marriage started rocky. The first year, it seemed like all the AFP people wanted was major giving/bequest sessions, while the speakers were largely small donor mail. The DMAW folks are mixed fundraising and for-profit consumer or B2B. Not enough overlap of content or audience that first year. But things started to merge, meld and get MUCH better ever since.
Second year the fundraising middle ground got covered with strong sessions on cultivation … how to move donors up the giving ladder. Plus more of the major gift people I met in subsequent years were sensitive to the fact that bequests most often come from the small-gift donor pool.
This year they’re offering plenty of tracks for all involved. Check ‘em out if you can attend.
Big bonus for fundraisers: I’m a fan of Michael Johnston, as I’ve written here before, and he’s doing a full-day pre-conference workshop. Attend if you can. You won’t be disappointed.