RKD Group

Name: RKD Group
Address: 2701 N. Dallas Parkway, Plano, TX, 75093, US
Telephone: +18002226070

We help nonprofits transform how they fundraise. Follow us on LinkedIn for more!

RKD Group is a leading fundraising and marketing services provider to hundreds of nonprofit organizations. With a growing team of professionals, including award-winning creative leadership, digital fundraising experts, and world class data scientists, RKD Group creates breakthroughs never thought possible™.

09/02/2026

Fundraising just posted its best first half in a decade, yet most fundraisers say this year feels hard. But ... why?

Our Mid-Year Benchmark Report is the first report with fundraising data through the first half of 2026, and it explains why both are true.

📈 Revenue: a 10-year high
📉 Donors: the lowest count since 2019
💸 Inflation-adjusted revenue: down 3.0% from 2021

In her latest blog post, EVP of Marketing Science Lori Collins breaks down how to adapt to increased wealth concentration, inflation squeezing everyday donors, and a Nov. 3 election sitting inside your most valuable eight weeks.

Her core argument: None of these forces are in your control, but your response to them is. And with year-end planning underway, that response is worth getting right now rather than in October.

Lori's full analysis is in the comments.

09/01/2026

Today is the first day of Hunger Action Month. For the 80+ food banks we serve, it's a moment to amplify awareness of the hidden realities of food insecurity.

Last week in New York City, RKD had the privilege of hosting a select group of food bank leaders from across the country for our 2026 Food Bank Leadership Summit. The conversation was honest about the moment in which food banks find themselves:

🍽️ Need is growing
💲 Costs are rising
⬇️ Federal support is shrinking
🦸 Fundraisers are being asked to close a widening gap

Bestselling author Ryan Berman ("Return on Courage") challenged the room with a question worth carrying into September: In a climate this complex, is playing it safe actually the safe choice?

After three days with these leaders, the answer was a clear "no."

The people moving this mission forward share something beyond strategy. They lead with courage.

To every food bank leader at the start of Hunger Action Month: Thank you for the work. We're honored to be in your corner.

08/26/2026

The first industry report with first-half 2026 fundraising data is out. 📊

Our Mid-Year Benchmark Report is live, featuring 10 years of full-file data for 219 nonprofit organizations through June 30. In this video, Lori Collins, head of our Marketing Science team, walks through the findings, including:

📈 Overall revenue hit a 10-year high
📉 Active donor count fell to the lowest level since 2019
💸 Adjusted for inflation, revenue is down 3.0% versus 2021
💰 68.3% of revenue now comes from $10,000+ gifts, the highest concentration we've recorded

The dollars hit a record. What they can buy didn’t.

If this pattern is showing up in your file, too, we have advice on closing out 2026 strong and building a plan for 2030. Watch Lori's breakdown, then get the full report.

Link in the comments.

08/21/2026

"I love you dearly. I think you'd be great in this job. But they are never going to give this job to a woman."

That's what a friend told Susan Blouch before she applied to lead Lebanon Rescue Mission.

She became the fourth executive director in the organization's 81-year history, and the first woman and first non-pastoral leader to hold the role.

Seventeen years later, she's led two capital campaigns, relocated an entire campus, and just broke ground on a 25,000-square-foot facility.

On the newest episode of the RKD Group: Chat podcast, Susan sits down with host Nipa Eason to talk about:

→ Why nonprofits should hire for skill sets, not job titles
→ Surviving your first capital campaign (including a zoning board rejection)
→ Why 45% of their guests are now over 65 and what that changes about shelter design
→ What organizations actually owe their front-line staff

08/20/2026

🎉Big news at RKD Group: Andrew Laudano has been promoted to Executive Vice President!

Andy has spent nearly 40 years in fundraising and two decades as an impactful leader at RKD. Today, he guides our partnerships with 14 Divisions of The Salvation Army and BrightFocus Foundation, helping those teams raise more so they can serve more people.

"Andy Laudano represents the kind of leadership that strengthens both our client partnerships and our organization," said CEO Kevin Jones.

Behind every client we serve is a mission—food for a family, care for a patient, hope for a neighbor—and Andy's leadership helps make more of those moments possible.

Congratulations, Andy! 👏

08/18/2026

We’re still thinking about last week’s dinner in Chicago.

More than 100 friends and colleagues from the food bank community joined RKD Group at The Gage during the Feeding America Philanthropy Conference for an evening of great food, meaningful conversation and new connections.

We’re grateful to everyone who came out and made the evening such a success. It was a pleasure to spend time with so many people who understand what this work takes and why it matters.

08/13/2026

Exciting news: Ellen Roeder has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth!

For 20+ years, Ellen has done one thing exceptionally well: She turns a nonprofit's brand into fundraising fuel. Belief that deepens donor engagement. Trust that drives performance. Relationships that last.

Chief Growth Officer Max Bunch said it best: "Her heart matches her hustle."

Congratulations, Ellen! 👏

08/11/2026

Most agencies meet a donor at one point in the journey. We wanted to meet them across all of it.

That's the opportunity Natalie Walby, SVP of Brand and Growth at RKD Group, sees in bringing RKD and Whiteboard together.

And the journey doesn't end at the gift.

As Natalie puts it, donors give more than just dollars. They give "their time, their energy, their voices," and the best ones bring their peers in to do the same.

Whiteboard's brand strength and RKD's fundraising engine create a full ecosystem for awareness, generosity, and advocacy that compounds.

Watch Natalie on the full donor journey 👇

08/05/2026

Can we do it all over again? 🎉

One week ago, we celebrated RKD + Whiteboard at Bridge. And what a night it was!

Old friends, new faces, incredible conversations, and a whole lot of belief in what our sector can do next.

We're grateful for every single person who came out to celebrate with us. This was the kind of night you don't forget.

Turn the sound up and take a look back with us 👇

08/04/2026

Nonprofits are changing, and so is the way they see the people who power them.

Members, volunteers, donors, and customers have typically been placed in separate lanes on separate journeys. As RKD Group CEO Kevin Jones explains, they're now "more complex and intertwined than ever," and the organizations that treat them holistically are the ones pulling ahead.

Whiteboard co-founder Eric Brown puts the heart of it simply: "Marketing gets someone to click. Brand gives them a reason to stay. The strongest fundraising organizations don't rent attention, they earn trust."

Because every fundraiser, whether they realize it or not, is a brand builder.

Watch Kevin and Eric on how our sector is changing 👇

Address

2701 N. Dallas Parkway
Plano, TX
75093

Telephone

+18002226070

Website

https://rkdgroup.com/

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