As Nexus Direct enters its third decade, I’ve found myself reflecting on our mission, our future, and even how we might help solve some of the world’s problems.

Remember When?

Back when we started, technology looked a lot different. We used BlackBerrys, fax machines, and car phones with cords. Now, you’ll get a ticket for holding your phone while driving, but you can AirDrop photos using Apple CarPlay.

In 2004, Facebook had just launched, and MySpace was the place to discover music. The world felt smaller and safer and seemed to spin a bit more slowly. I don’t remember looking at the calendar on July 1 and feeling shocked that the year was half over. Is that age? Or is it the atmosphere we’re living in now — where everything moves at the speed of notifications?

Everything Changes, Then Changes Again

History tells us things always come full circle.

After years of chasing modern conveniences, Americans started craving “Modern Farmhouses.” Bell-bottoms are back. Teslas are out. Travel is back. Dressing stylishly for travel is out. And I’m looking forward to the day when bare feet on planes are finally out.

Everything changes and then changes again. But will we ever get back to that smaller, safer feeling we had 20+ years ago?

The Resilience of Direct Mail

The 2008 recession was a major reset for our economy, our business, and our nonprofit clients. Many wanted to pull in their wings, but the courageous ones who refocused on core, reliable strategies — delivered with transparency and respect — came out on top.

Even as technology leapt forward, direct mail continued, and continues, to be the most resilient marketing channel in history. Many declared it dead, but here we are, still folding letters and affixing stamps, while the USPS offers discounts for using AI to create mail and emails customers with Informed Delivery.

Nonprofits, especially those engaging audiences ages 60+, still rely on direct mail — even with a phone buzzing in their pocket.

When Giving Tuesday launched in 2012, it was meant to boost online giving. In 2024, it raised $3.6 billion. But guess what? A direct mail piece reminding, nudging, and inviting donors to give on Giving Tuesday has always increased response and net revenue. Sorry, GT haters.

Fundraising Trends Come and Go

In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge launched, raising $115 million for ALS awareness and setting a new bar for peer-to-peer fundraising. Similarly, No Shave November and Red Nose Day have raised millions for cancer and poverty charities.

We saw Facebook Fundraisers, 24-Hour Giving Days, and Gaming Fundraisers lessen the friction between older donors and technology. Every nonprofit hoped to be the next Ice Bucket Challenge.

And yet, through it all, we come back to direct mail. It remains the heart of fundraising, storytelling, and communicating compassion — one letter at a time.

During the pandemic, people were briefly afraid to touch their mail. Crazy times. But NonProfit PRO reported that during that time 46% of people became more interested in mail, with one-third spending more time reading it.

Direct mail is like farmhouse kitchens and bell-bottoms: It always comes back. Will Tesla?

A Strange Dance with AI

Twenty-one years later, just under 10% of charitable revenue in the U.S. is raised online on average. Wouldn’t you think it should be more? It’s because direct mail is still king.

And while AI can enhance clarity, speed, and even creativity in communications, it’s worth pausing to recognize how strange it is to use artificial intelligence to try to build human connection.

We know donors crave authenticity and transparency — and yet we’re using robots to deliver it. It’s a good reminder that it’s our hearts, not AI, that will make the world a better place.

Take a Breath

If you’re reading this on your phone while sitting at the beach, I hope you’ll put it down, take a deep breath, and then another. You deserve to slow down for a bit. The emails will still be there when you get back.

The world will keep spinning, but we get to choose when to pause, breathe, and remember what truly matters.