Contact
Carolyn GrayshawPennsylvania Land Trust Association
717-230-8560
cgrayshaw@conserveland.org
About David 
David Allen is the principal consultant for Development for Conservation, a consulting business specializing in fund development for nonprofit conservation organizations, including land trusts. David’s background includes more than 30 years working in annual fundraising, major donor development, communications, and marketing. He worked for Nature Conservancy chapters in Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin over a 13-year career and in senior management for the Madison, Wisconsin-based Sand County Foundation. He has devoted his professional career to helping conservation organizations and land trusts pursue excellence in all aspects of their conservation endeavors. David is a skilled teacher and presenter, particularly in major gift fundraising, and served TNC as an internal consultant and national trainer within the context of his Wisconsin assignment. David has conducted numerous workshops for Land Trust Alliance and other land trust service organizations, including PALTA. David works with land trust clients across the country and is currently consulting with land trusts in nine states. Practice specialties include membership systems, Development Audits, major gift development training, and campaign fundraising (both annual and capital).
In addition to his fundraising consulting work, David is also a member of Conservation Consulting Group, a consultancy devoted to helping land trusts through comprehensive strategic planning, organizational assessment, and accreditation preparation. The team identifies governance, finance, and programmatic issues and provides recommendations, advice, and templates to improve and strengthen those areas.
A Key to Organizational Sustainability: Using Direct Mail to Gain Donors
Direct mail is still the most effective strategy available to nonprofits, including land trusts, for attracting and acquiring new donor support and cultivating donors into long-term loyal advocates. In fact, nothing else even comes close. Yet few land trusts are invested in direct mail-based donor recruitment.
Why not? Among the potential reasons:
- It seems expensive,
- It seems intimidating,
- It seems crass and distasteful,
- Few current land trust employees have experience with it, and
- It might not work.
This seminar separates perceptions from realities and presents both the benefits and pitfalls of direct mail donor acquisition. It provides the information you need to make good decisions and, if appropriate, take action.
We’ll talk about the connection between direct mail and sustainability for organizations. We’ll look at the recipe for success and how to measure it, quantify the necessary financial investment and organizational commitment, and review the long-term implications for operations. We’ll also talk about the possibility of collaboration to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs.
Join colleagues for this eye-opening look at the world of direct mail with David Allen and Development for Conservation.Agenda of Topics
9:00AM - Gather/Coffee
9:30AM - Laying the groundwork
9:50AM- - How do we recruit new donors?
10:20AM -Pros and cons of using direct mail for new donor recruitment
10:45AM - BREAK
11:00AM - Direct mail technical process
11:30AM - Direct mail technical content
Noon - LUNCH
1:00PM - New issues; barriers to direct mail campaigns
1:30PM - Metrics
2:15PM - Potential for adn benefits of collaboration for land trusts
3:00PM - ADJOURN