Serving Up Some Validation
	Posted by Chris McKinley at Jun 29, 2012 10:34 AM CDT

This post was written by Hillary Taylor, Strategic Advisor, Grizzard. It was originally featured on Grizzard's blog.

I recently attended a DMA panel discussion on integrated practices and trends among fundraisers. I went in with the expectation of discovering a few cutting-edge trends that I could parlay into new business strategy for my nonprofit clients. I walked away having learned no new trends or ideas, but with something equally as important: validation. I walked away with the validation that most fundraisers face similar challenges with successful integrated marketing implementation.

Why is validation so important? Let’s face it -- we all want it! It eases our minds to know that we are not alone in our challenges, experiences and expectations. My new found validation made me feel good. It gave me a greater sense of accomplishment with the strategies I am utilizing, and a renewed sense of hope that I will overcome the challenges I face.

The attending panelists represented the American Red Cross, Zoo Atlanta, Children’s Healthcare, United Way and Association of Dairy Farmers. Not surprisingly, the majority of the panelists were young (read -- very young) professionals. There was, however, one panelist who was not young enough to be my daughter – boosting my confidence that we “mature” professionals can play equally as well in the new technology game.

Here are my “feel good” takeaways:

• Everyone has difficulty monetizing and accurately reporting ROI in the digital channel. Most organizations are still utilizing raw numbers.
• Most organizations are having difficulty making mobile marketing profitable. Of the panelists, only the American Red Cross is successfully utilizing mobile marketing, and its greatest success remains the campaign for Haiti in 2010.
• Keeping up with the pace of social media and managing expectations of the digital channel were cited as the top two concerns for the future. I heartily agree.
• Every seminar you attend may not meet your initial expectations -- but you usually do walk away with something of value.