Erica Waasdorp, President, A Direct Solution

Author. Presenter. Blogger. Monthly Donor Expert. Consultant.

Erica lives and breathes direct response and fundraising and can be considered a Philanthropyholic. Building partnerships and trying to find the best solution for members and donors and thus clients’ needs are what Erica does best. Her multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience are of added value to those clients interested in raising money internationally and her experience in monthly giving has given her an edge for those clients who are ready to embark on this way of giving.

Erica Waasdorp started A Direct Solution in December of 2003 with more than twenty years of experience in direct marketing, from both sides of the desk, on the client side and the agency side. She has since worked with numerous non-profit clients on and off-Cape as well as internationally.

A Direct Solution provides part-time fundraising executive support to organizations and manages events, writes grants and focuses on annual fund campaigns and monthly giving. In addition, ADS supports clients with request for proposals for outsourcing of their activities. Finally, Erica Waasdorp and her agency develop and execute training sessions and presentations to small and large nonprofit groups.

Before starting her own business, Erica was Vice President Fundraising at DMW Direct, a direct response fundraising agency in Plymouth. She was responsible for new business development, strategy and tactical execution. She helped her clients raise millions of dollars, acquiring and retaining thousands of their donors and members as well as starting and building sustainer programs.

On the client side, she was with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for seven years, last as Marketing Manager of Planned/Committed Giving. She raised $18 million a year (increased from $5 million) and directed acquisition, donor, monthly giving, major-donor and planned-giving programs in seven countries: US, Canada, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and South Africa. Her upgrade strategy for the monthly giving program in the UK won IFAW and their telemarketing agency the Gold UK DMA award and the Gold FEDMA Award in 1998.

Prior to working at IFAW, she worked with several companies in the Netherlands, including Readers Digest, Kluwer Academic Publishers and Reed Elsevier Seminars. Erica Waasdorp has a Marketing degree from Limburg Business College in the Netherlands as well as a degree in Public Relations (from the Dutch Public Relations Association NGPR) and Advertising from the International Advertising Association (IAA). Besides English, Erica Waasdorp speaks four other languages: Dutch, German, French and Spanish.

Erica Waasdorp writes, edits and advises various direct-marketing and national and international fund raising publications. She has written various articles about monthly giving, international fundraising, fundamentals of fundraising, writing and answering RFP’s and many more.

Erica Waasdorp is a Certified Master Trainer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and sought-after webinar presenter. She has spoken at a multitude of nonprofit conferences, ranging from fundamentals of fundraising, to international fundraising, to direct mail and monthly giving. Audiences included : Association of Fundraising Professionals, National Catholic Development Conference, the Boston Foundation Giving Common, the Bridge Conference, DMA Nonprofit Federation, Washington, DC, the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association, New York, New England Museum Association workshop, the New England Association for Health Care Philanthropy (NEAHP), the Massachusetts AFP Conference in Boston, AFP chapter meetings in Washington DC, Phoenix, AZ, Kansas City, MO, Midland, TX, New Orleans, LA, Richmond, VA, Treasure Coast, FL, Boston Fundraising Summit, Philanthropy Day on Cape Cod, Philanthropy Partners of the Cape and Islands and more.

In addition, she presents regular webinars for audiences nationwide and internationally via Charity How To and many others. Erica Waasdorp is an avid blogger on #monthlydonormonday, Nonprofit Pro and she is very active in the fundraising and her own community.

She served as Publicity Chair for the 100th Anniversary Committee Cape Cod and Islands Boy Scouts, is a member of the Cape Cod Women’s Association, Direct Marketing Fund Raisers Association, Women in Development of Greater Boston, DMA Non-Profit Federation, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Association for Direct Fundraising Counsel (ADRFCO), now part of the Nonprofit Alliance.

Most recently Erica served on the Board and Education Committee of the Philanthropy Partners of the Cape and Islands (formerly Planned Giving Council of Cape Cod). She is recognized in the National Association of Professional Women and Biltmore Who’s Who. Finally, Erica Waasdorp was Co-Chair for Philanthropy Day on Cape Cod 2007, 2008 and co-chaired the 2007 DMA Nonprofit Federation Conference in Washington DC. She served on the Planning Committee for Philanthropy Day on Cape Cod, the DMA Nonprofit Federation in Washington DC, the Bridge Conference in Washington DC 2009 and 2010 and the National Catholic Development Conference in 2013.

Erica Waasdorp published her second book in May of 2021: Monthly Giving Made Easy. Her first book came out in the Fall of 2012: Monthly giving. The Sleeping Giant, available as paperback and e-book. In May 2015, she co-authored the DonorPerfect Monthly Giving Starter Kit, followed by the Monthly Giving Marketing Kit early 2016. She created the Monthly Donor Road Map, e-books Top 7 Questions on Monthly Giving and the Monthly Donor Retention Play Book and othe resources. From 2013 through 2018 she served as the US Ambassador to the IFC Congress, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Erica lives with her husband and cat Mientje on Cape Cod, MA and they regularly visit their two kids and three grandkids. They love to dance, play golf and travel. Erica is a straight shooter at golf and has recently started learning how to play pickleball.