Sometimes you just need to pause and celebrate

By Ronnie Richard

I’m a huge basketball fan—always have been.?

I watch games on TV. I coach my kids’ rec teams. I still play pickup games on Wednesdays. And I’m a (10-game) season ticket holder for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks .?

With that package comes playoff tickets, and last Saturday our family got to see the Mavs close out their playoff series against the Thunder. What a thrill to witness!??

Luka, Kyrie and the whole team celebrated their win on the court and in the locker room, before turning their attention to their next opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a great reminder that we all need to take a moment from time to time to pause from our day-to-day duties and celebrate our victories when they happen.?

Thus, if you’ll indulge me for a moment, it’s been an incredible month for RKD Group!??

So far in May, we’ve had a trio of huge milestones. Here’s a quick recap if you missed it:?

We hosted The Shift event in Washington, D.C., on May 1. This event brought together a great group of thinkers—we’re calling ourselves “Shifties”—both in and around the nonprofit sector. The goal? Changing the way we think about fundraising. Our five amazing speakers encouraged us to:?

• Take chances and celebrate failures ( Brad Montague )

• Lean into the power of community ( Celeste Flores )

• View our websites as a two-way mirror ( Vidya Chadaga )

• Bring donors along for our journey ( Kishshana Palmer, CFRE ) ?

• Face our challenges with courage ( Ryan Berman )

That same day, we announced the acquisition of Heller Consulting—We're Hiring! . Why Heller? Well, it just makes a lot of sense. Our CEO, Chris Pritcher , said it best here:?

"The combination of RKD and Heller directly addresses two common challenges for nonprofits: foundational technology and data practices, as well as the strategic use of that technology to drive improved fundraising outcomes.”?

The future of fundraising is based on data and technology, and Heller Consulting can help our clients establish a tech ecosystem that is tailored to their specific needs.?

A week later, we shared news of MDM Fundraising joining the RKD family. Serving rescue missions and faith-based causes has always been a part of RKD’s DNA. Now, we’re deepening our commitment to become the foremost fundraising solutions provider to missions in North America.?

Rather than competing, we’re working hand in hand with MDM to help these organizations face the challenges we see today across the nonprofit sector—like those mentioned in The Shift and the acquisition of Heller Consulting.?

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It’s an exciting time for RKD Group and an exciting time for our clients as we look to amplify and champion their causes.??

Now, here’s what we have in store for the rest of this newsletter:?

• 4 big award wins for our client work?

• AI and nonprofit creative: Balancing automation with ethics?

• 3 podcast episodes you don’t want to miss?

• Benchmarks, digital reports, DAFs and … grouchy sheep??

• The latest digital updates, including another Google cookie delay?

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Read on for more detail.?

Let’s celebrate our Communicator Award winners?

I almost added this to the exciting news above, but it felt better to give it its own space.?

The 2024 Communicator Award winners were just announced last week, and our amazing clients took home four awards:?

• Excellence: Coast Guard Foundation Mental Resilience Campaign?

• Excellence: North Texas Food Bank Summer Needs Campaign?

• Excellence: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Campaign?

• Distinction: SPCA of Texas Crossword Challenge?

Click here if you’d like to read about each in more detail. We’ve also previously written about the Coast Guard Foundation campaign on our blog.?

Bonus celebration: The RKD Group: Thinkers podcast also won its third Communicator Award. We received an Excellence recognition for our episode on mental health in the nonprofit sector with Becky Endicott of “We Are For Good.” Give it a listen here.?

Why you should become a fan of AI??

“I’m a big fan of AI,” writes Gorrasit V. , RKD’s Group Creative Director.??

Kawi, as he likes to be called, provides creative direction for our food bank, rescue mission and animal welfare clients. And he views AI as another tool in the creative toolkit, just like Photoshop, Illustrator or Word.??

In this blog post, he dives into:?

• Ethical considerations when using AI?

• Use cases for AI in nonprofit creative processes?

• Why human guidance is essential?

There’s a lot of uncertainty—and complexity—surrounding the use of AI in nonprofit fundraising and marketing. Give this post a read if you’d like a bit more clarity.?

3 new podcast episodes?

Speaking of AI, we recently had Ross Simmonds join us on the RKD Group: Thinkers podcast. Ross calls himself a “serial content creator” and expert in AI. Much like Kawi, he also encourages nonprofits to leverage AI tools for added efficiency and effectiveness in their fundraising and marketing efforts.?

Check out the episode if you’re interested in how to connect better with your constituents and make your content reach further.?

If you ever feel stuck in a negative mindset as a leader, it could be time to realign yourself.??

Jeff Shuck and Jennifer Mulholland , principals at Plenty Consulting, joined our podcast to talk about their new book, “Leading with Light.” It’s all about being intentional in how you live and lead—they call it “conscious leadership.”?

One big takeaway I got from the discussion was the idea that if you spend all your time solving problems—you know, the main goal in most causes and missions—then everything starts to look like a problem. You lose the ability to think about new ideas and possibilities. So insightful, and I highly recommend giving the episode a listen.?

Last—and certainly not least— Alisa Oerther Gray , the President and CEO of Kentucky Humane Society , sat down with Kate McKinley on the RKD Group: Chat podcast. Alisa shared:?

• Her journey into the nonprofit field and the animal welfare space?

• Memorable moments from her career that have also provided important lessons?

• Her advice for female professionals and working parents?

• Challenges she’s facing in her role today?

It’s a great listen to learn about Alisa’s passion for animals and giving back to her community—and her journey with nonprofit work that started at a young age, volunteering alongside her grandmother.?

Recurring giving and DAFs and grouchy sheep … oh my!?

Lisa Jones Rossi , VP, Client Partnership, is back with this month’s roundup of nonprofit industry news. She covers a range of updates and reports, including:?

• Blackbaud Institute Spotlight?

• The Recurring Giving Report by Neon One?

• The Donor Advised Fund (DAF) benchmark report by Chariot?

Plus, she covers the latest trends around the nonprofit sector and the economy. Oh, and did I mention grouchy sheep? You’ll have to read on to find out what they think about Axe body spray.?

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Google delays third-party cookie phase-out—again?

Finally, we also have a roundup of news in the digital fundraising space.??

After two previous delays, 2024 was supposed to be the year that we all said goodbye to third-party cookies. Surprise, surprise: There’s another delay.?

Google recently announced that “we will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4,” and “we envision proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation starting early next year.”?

Plus …?

• The U.S. passed a law banning TikTok in six months?

• Google search may be on the decline?

• California amends its controversial digital fundraising regulation?

• Stripe is making a crypto comeback?

• How Meta is addressing marketers’ generative AI concerns with new tools?

You can read all about these in more detail on our blog.?

Thanks for taking the time to read this month’s issue. As always, I wish you all the best in your fundraising endeavors.??

See you next month—and go Mavs!?