Brickmill Marketing Completes First Phase of The Fund Raising School; Entire 50-Person Staff Takes Part in Comprehensive College-Level Fund Raising Course.

Business Editors

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2004

Brickmill(TM), a full service integrated marketing and fundraising services firm, today announced that the company has completed the first phase of in-depth training at The Fund Raising School of The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the only university-based program of its kind in the United States. The first phase of the program kicks off a full year of commitment by Brickmill to strengthen its overall fundraising tactics and strategies for its clients by training the entire employee base.

Each member of the 50-person company will take part in a comprehensive, four-phase program. Brickmill has completed the Principles & Techniques of Fundraising portion of the The Fund Raising School and will soon complete Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start, Developing Leadership for Major Gifts, and Interpersonal Communication for Fundraising.

As a result of the four-phase program, Brickmill will be better equipped to counsel its clients on successfully integrating fundraising efforts across various channels and programs. By gaining even more of an insight into areas such as Planned Giving and Major Gifts, Brickmill is able to offer a strategic 360-degree view of entire fundraising and marketing efforts.

"The Fund Raising School is pleased to offer these courses to the staff of Brickmill Marketing Services," said Timothy L. Seiler, Ph.D., CFRE, Director of Public Service and The Fund Raising School. "After taking these four core courses, the staff members at Brickmill will have earned their Certificate in Fund Raising Management which recognizes and rewards those people who show a commitment to fundraising leadership. This will ultimately help Brickmill's clients increase their capacity for raising funds to further their mission."

"It is rare that a company will send the entire staff to The Fund Raising School, but by doing so, Brickmill has demonstrated its commitment to fund raising and learning the latest tools and techniques needed to commence successful fundraising activities," said Joan L. Mason, BA, CFRE, a faculty member of The Fund Raising School courses at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. "As a result of the program, the staff at Brickmill will be better equipped to offer effective fundraising tactics and strategy to its clients, which is highly important in today's competitive market for donor dollars."

The Fund Raising School became a part of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in 1987 and focuses on how fundraising plays a critical part in helping organizations to achieve their goals. The goals of The Fund Raising School include promoting the understanding of fundraising and defining it as a multidimensional discipline; focusing on how fundraising is a function and process of management; providing the tools and techniques needed to commence successful fundraising; and making participants advocates for fundraising. The Fund Raising School has designed a curriculum that achieves results as more than 84 percent of graduates have increased funds within a year of completing the course.

"We take pride in offering strategic marketing and fundraising plans based on the needs of our clients and we continually look for the best methods and tactics to provide the highest return on investment for those clients," said Brian Renda, CEO, Brickmill. "Knowledge is power and by having the entire company attend The Fund Raising School, we are now better able to serve the needs of our clients through a more in-depth understanding of the current fundraising climate. Everyone is looking to offer a truly integrated approach and we are committed in becoming the leader in offering such insight for our client base."

About Brickmill

Founded in 1975, Brickmill is one of the largest full-service marketing and creative agencies in New England, and was recently listed on Business NH's Top 100 Private Companies list for the second year in a row. Organizations collaborate with Brickmill to create an integrated fundraising and marketing vision with services such as brand design & development, interactive programs, direct marketing, advertising, event branding, public relations, and more. These services empower a worldwide clientele from non-profits to B2B, including University of New Hampshire, Paralyzed Veterans of America, North Shore Animal League, Habitat for Humanity, Defenders of Wildlife, KANA Software, Guideposts and others.

For more information, call 800.535.3863 or www.brickmill.com.