As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on everything that made 2024 memorable for Fresh Eyes Digital. From exciting client successes and team milestones to conference appearances and a big shift in how we work (hello, four-day work week!), it’s been a year of growth, celebration, and impact.
Join us as we reflect on the highlights and share what’s ahead for 2025. Here’s to everything we accomplished together—and the opportunities to come!
Our Year in Review
In March, we attended TWO conferences — starting with some of our Freshies flying to Portland for the 2024 Nonprofit Technology Conference! Our Principal and Co-Founder Jenn Lejano spoke at Engaging Networks’ AI Day to talk about artificial intelligence and its future use in fundraising, advocacy and nonprofit marketing. We also co-hosted a happy hour with Engaging Networks and Slalom. It was an excellent way to kick off the week and say hello to friends new and old, truly highlighting one of the best parts about this conference. Read our full recap!
And just weeks later, our Principal & Co-Founder Rachel Allison and Director of Client Strategy Sara Cederberg headed to D.C. (during peak cherry blossom bloom!!!) for the Nonprofit Fundraisers Symposium, hosted by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington (DMAW) and The Nonprofit Alliance. We left fired up about the possibilities for innovation and growth in the months to come!
In April, our Production and Design Director Thelma Andree worked virtually from Argentina! With help from Noma Collective she took her laptop and VPN to work remotely for a month in Buenos Aires and Mendoza. The experience allowed her plenty of time to explore and practice her Spanish, alongside fellow remote workers, while still supporting her nonprofit clients. While she’s often splitting time between Oakland and Virginia, working abroad was a new experience, and she looks forward to future trips! (Let her know if you want details or a discount code!)
In May, we kicked off Year TWO of Summer Fridays — when we encourage our team to take time outdoors, spend time with their families, and enjoy the summer! One member of our team remains “on call” each Friday, just in case there are any fires that we need to assist our clients with.
Because AI is here to stay, in May we also did our first independent webinar in partnership with Jefferson Stovall of Captain Tomorrow where we dived into all things generative AI. Jenn, Jefferson, and Thelma shared practical tips on getting started with AI, assessing nonprofit readiness, and best practices to consider as you get started.
In June, we hired our new Project Success Coordinator Jordyn Key! Jordyn already has two-plus years of project management under her belt — and recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an MBA in marketing! We’re so thrilled to have her on the team. Get to know her!
In August, we got to meet legendary Chicago TV meteorologist Tom Skilling when helping the Adler Planetarium prepare for their late summer/early fall fundraising campaign with Tom! (Spoiler alert: It was a smashing success!)
Off the heels of a successful run of Summer Fridays, in September we rolled out our permanent four-day workweek to prioritize the work-life balance for our team! We think a four-day work week, increasingly being adopted by businesses of all different sizes and structures, is a great way to put our values in action. Read more about our decision.
In October, we hit Washington, D.C. again for ENCC D.C. 2024! Our Data and Analytics Consultant Ilana Schreiber guided a packed room through questions about AI Trends in the Nonprofit Space. And Co-Founder and Principal Rachel Allison partnered up with Gwynne Dixon at Engaging Networks to get technical and strategic about Email Deliverability and Fatigue. Get the full recap here!
In October we were also excited to become full service Engaging Networks partners. Thanks to Ilana Schreiber’s valiant work (and deep bench of EN knowledge) we completed our final Engaging Networks accreditation in Design and Development. Read about what that means here.
And finally in November, we released a new digital fundraising guide, written in partnership with Engaging Networks, Segment Smart for Year-End Success. The guide offers practical tips to help you reach the right audiences at year-end with the right messages, making the most of each donor relationship. While the giving season is already in full swing, there’s plenty of recommendations in the guide to guide your program to success all year. Click here to download the guide!
Aaaaaand that’s just scratching the surface. We’re looking forward to a LOT in 2025 — including presenting at not one, but FIVE Nonprofit Technology Conference sessions with our fantastic clients this upcoming April! We’ll have more details to share soon, but we’re looking forward to seeing you in Baltimore!
From all of us at Fresh Eyes Digital, Happy New Year and catch you in 2025!
