Quick Byte Presentations

What Does the Giving USA Report Mean for The Salvation Army?

Recorded August 26, 2026

Giving USA is the premier benchmark report on philanthropy in the United States. These trendlines can explain past events and predict future opportunities and challenges.

During this live presentation, the panel will answer the question: what does the Giving USA data mean for The Salvation Army?

You couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable group of presenters. Derek Alley, Shawn Reed, and Steve Waiksnoris each have decades of experience raising funds for The Salvation Army, resulting in millions and millions of dollars.

By combining performance trends from their Salvation Army client portfolios with the Giving USA data, you’ll get a custom look into what's influencing donor behavior and fundraising results today. With this information in mind, the panel will round out the presentation with actionable ideas built for the next gift and the next generation of giving.

TrueSense Marketing and Arthur Alley Associated are both Giving Institute members and proud sponsors of Giving USA.

How Text Messaging Fits into a Comprehensive Fundraising Strategy

Recorded August 19, 2026

Text messaging has all the qualities of an effective fundraising channel — it's low cost and fosters two-way communication. But does sending your donors a text message actually increase their generosity?

In this Quick Byte, our fundraising experts will dive into the text messaging program analytics of our nonprofit clients. They'll showcase the needle-moving text messaging strategies that inspired gifts in any direct response channel. Packed with actionable advice, this is a 30-minute presentation you don't want to miss.

The Art and Science of the Non-Ask

Recorded August 11, 2026

It may sound counterintuitive, but some of the most important parts of your fundraising messaging strategy may be those “appeals” where you don’t prioritize asking for a gift at all.

In this Quick Byte, TrueSense creative directors Andrew Rogers and Allan Fernandez walk you through newsletters, impact reports, and other ways to share cool stories, as well as affirmation messages, surveys, and things you can do just for fun, like quizzes, trivia games, and even musical playlists. It’s all about building long-term partnerships with your donors, based on respect and trust!

Giving USA 2026 Webinar

Recorded July 23, 2026

Join fundraising experts from TrueSense Marketing as they break down key findings from Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025 and discuss the trends shaping fundraising today. We’ll pair Giving USA insights with TrueSense fundraising benchmarks, brand tracking data, and performance trends from across our client portfolio to provide a deeper look at what is influencing donor behavior and fundraising results. Take away practical context for interpreting the data and applying it to your fundraising strategy.

The Five New Rules of Digital Acquisition

Recorded June 25, 2026

The old playbook is not holding up. Digital acquisition is more expensive, more competitive, and harder to measure than it was just a few years ago. We will share what is actually driving performance today across search, social, and programmatic, and give you five rules you can apply to your acquisition strategy right now.

When Donors Respond to Crisis: Lessons from the Government Shutdown

Recorded May 14, 2026 

National disruptions don’t just make headlines — they reshape giving. In this session, we’ll share what we learned from donor behavior during the recent government shutdown — including where it mirrored giving during the COVID-19 pandemic and where it differed — and what those shifts mean for how organizations can respond more effectively during future moments of urgency and crisis.

Don’t Outsource Empathy: The Role of Generative AI in Fundraising

Recorded March 12, 2026

Generative AI is everywhere — but in fundraising, trust is everything.

This session explores how to use AI as a smart creative assistant while keeping storytelling, creative strategy, and donor relationships firmly in human hands. Learn practical ways to boost efficiency in copy and design without sacrificing authenticity or ethics.

Rethinking Donor Value: Insights That May Change the Way You Fundraise

Recorded January 27, 2026

In this session, we take a clear-eyed look at 5 years of donor and revenue data to challenge some of the most common assumptions in nonprofit fundraising. You will see where instinct often leads teams astray and how evidence points to smarter ways to build durable donor value. This presentation reframes how nonprofits should think about donor potential, upgrade strategies, and the behaviors that truly drive results.

Join us for this 30-minute Quick Byte webinar to learn:

• Why multichannel donors appear more valuable and what actually explains their performance
• What donor data reveals about low-dollar giving and the limits of upgrade potential
• Why giving frequency matters more than gift size in building donor value over time
• How reinforcing repeat giving behavior outperforms channel switching and aggressive upgrade tactics

Whether you rely on long-held fundraising rules or want stronger proof behind your decisions, this session will help you align strategy with what the data clearly shows.