And that's a wrap. #GivingTuesday 2018 has celebrated its 7th birthday, ushered in the year-end fundraising season, raised $380 million USD for causes around the globe, and already saved the date for its 8th birthday (December 3, 2019).

By now, you’ve likely heard from CNN, Slate, the Washington Post, or anywhere else you get your news that the ACLU had its best fundraising weekend on record: $25 million from almost 400,000 donors in 48 hours, following its lawsuit against President Trump's Muslim ban.

We’re looking for a silver lining this January, and we’ve found it in this fact: From post-election passion to Giving Tuesday through EOY, our Springboard clients (like many worthy causes) raised more in the last quarter of the year than in the rest of 2016 -- or any other year-end, ever.

I can’t wait for NTC this year! Not only does it mark Jackson River’s eighth birthday, but we will have two great sessions with our clients: "The Modern Digital Team" with NRDC and "Unleash the Power of the People" with the Drug Policy Alliance. Will you be there?

Advocacy is central to the Drug Policy Alliance’s mission. Since DPA began using Springboard to target its supporters in September, they’ve seen an impressive 15% response rate on calls-to-action and 95% deliverability rate of their messages to decision-makers. We asked Megan Farrington, Digital Director at DPA, to tell us more.

Our team launched some exciting websites in the past year, and two of those projects have won the W³ Gold Award in the Charitable Organization and Nonprofit Website category: the ASPCA and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

A movement can’t be sustained without effective communication, and the Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer’s office is challenging constituents and representatives alike to engage in digital political discourse. There’s nothing like friendly competition to break the ice.

We started working with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF just about two years ago on a consulting project, working to form the best digital team possible for them, and also to find ways to align their technology strategy with renewed branding goals and focus. It was a pleasure every step of the way.

At the 2014 NTEN conference in Washington, DC, Jenn Olivia and I led a presentation focused on one of the least favorite parts of managing a website - what to do when everything falls apart. For those of you who weren't able to attend the conference, here's the Cliff Notes version ...