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A bed filled for the night. A hot meal, served to someone who hadn’t eaten in a while. A surgery for a child in need. A life transformed by hearing God’s Word. For many organizations, these show up as line items in a monthly newsletter or an annual report.

I receive a lot of emails and phone calls from nonprofit organizations and ministries inquiring about our fundraising services. Unfortunately, I can’t help everyone who asks.

If you spend enough time around fundraising professionals, you’ll eventually hear the debate:

Direct mail is still the gold standard. Digital is the future. Email is the highest ROI. Phone calls build relationships.

The problem is that donors don’t see and don’t care about these distinctions. They aren’t thinking about channels—they’re thinking about whether they trust your organization enough to respond when you ask for help.

I’ve recently been watching a lot of Marvel movies—one of my daughters has become a big fan. Sharing these stories with her has been a lot of fun, and during a recent rewatch of Guardians of the Galaxy, one scene struck me as an unexpected fundraising lesson.

Every nonprofit leader eventually faces decisions that do not come with easy answers. In these moments, the value of a fundraising consultant isn’t measured by the number of campaigns they have managed or the strategies they have recommended. It comes down to something much simpler:

This fall, I’m doing something I never thought I would do.

I’m taking my first cruise.

For years, I’ve said cruises weren’t for me. They’re too crowded. Too scheduled. Too much time on a boat. But then I realized something: my opinions were based on assumptions, not experience (a.k.a. data).

Before I ever step inside one of my rescue mission clients, I’ve usually spent hours with reports, campaign results, and donor data.

I know what performed, what didn’t, and where there may be opportunities for improvement. But none of this prepares me for what I learn once I’m actually there.

Has GivingTuesday lost its fundraising power?

With crowded inboxes and year-end campaigns starting earlier every year, it’s easy to see why some nonprofits are asking the question.

Every year, we bring back some good old-fashioned competition in the form of an annual walking challenge. It’s simple: the person with the most miles at the end of 8 weeks takes home the prize. Thirty of us logged miles, with Dr. Jim—our staff data scientist—helping us track everything. We grab our Smart Watch, Fitbit, Fitness app, Strava, step counter . . . whatever works . . . and we start pounding the pavement!