---
title: RKD GroupThinkers Blog | Tim Kersten (2)
description: "Widely regarded as one of the nation’s top direct response fundraising, strategic and creative talents, Tim Kersten brings more than 40 years of experience to his role as Chairman of RKD Group. Prior to joining RKD, he served as Chief Creative Officer and Executive Creative Director at two national advertising agencies and ran his own successful direct response fundraising consultancy for nearly 25 years. \n
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Some of the nation’s largest and most respected nonprofit organizations that have benefited from Tim’s insightful and persuasive communication strategies include the Smithsonian Institution, American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, National Park Foundation, Covenant House, and dozens of others. Tim’s work has been recognized by his receipt of four Direct Marketing Association Echo Awards (gold, leader and two silver from 1986 to 2010) and a prestigious International Caples Award (2010). (2)"
---
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## Tim Kersten
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s top direct response fundraising, strategic and creative talents, Tim Kersten brings more than 40 years of experience to his role as Chairman of RKD Group. Prior to joining RKD, he served as Chief Creative Officer and Executive Creative Director at two national advertising agencies and ran his own successful direct response fundraising consultancy for nearly 25 years.
Some of the nation’s largest and most respected nonprofit organizations that have benefited from Tim’s insightful and persuasive communication strategies include the Smithsonian Institution, American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, National Park Foundation, Covenant House, and dozens of others. Tim’s work has been recognized by his receipt of four Direct Marketing Association Echo Awards (gold, leader and two silver from 1986 to 2010) and a prestigious International Caples Award (2010).
## Featured Post
[Dawn Opel](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/dawn-opel)
## [Your food bank needs two fundraising plans](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/your-food-bank-needs-two-fundraising-plans)
Ask a food bank fundraiser to describe their plan, and you'll usually hear about the annual calendar. Appeals, the year-end campaign, Hunger Action Mont\[...\]
[Food Banks](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/food-banks)
[Read More](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/your-food-bank-needs-two-fundraising-plans)
[Lori Collins](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/lori-collins)
## [Why fundraising's record first half doesn't feel like one](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/why-fundraisings-record-first-half-doesnt-feel-like-one)
Our 2026 Mid-Year Benchmark Report is out, and the top line is genuinely good news: Mid-year revenue reached $1.86 billion—a 10-year high, up 51% over 2\[...\]
[Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/fundraising) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry) [Data & Analytics](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/data-analytics)
[Read More](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/why-fundraisings-record-first-half-doesnt-feel-like-one)
## Recent Posts
### Posts by Tim Kersten
[Read More](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/how-should-nonprofits-handle-fundraising-during-coronavirus-pandemic) OR SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
## [How should nonprofits handle fundraising during coronavirus pandemic?](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/how-should-nonprofits-handle-fundraising-during-coronavirus-pandemic)
All of us are concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On a per...
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Trends](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/trends) [COVID-19](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/covid-19) [Multichannel](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/multichannel) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry)
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## [Tax law and charitable giving: What the experts missed](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/tax-law-and-charitable-giving-what-the-experts-missed)
Chicken Little was wrong once again.
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Digital Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/digital-fundraising) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry)
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## [Survey emphasizes need for a robust mid-level program](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/survey-emphasizes-need-for-a-robust-mid-level-program)
If you glanced at a recent headline at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, you m...
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Donor Retention](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/donor-retention) [Mid-Major Donors](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/mid-major-donors) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry)
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## [How the 2020 election will impact nonprofit fundraising – in a good way](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/how-the-2020-election-will-impact-nonprofit-fundraising-in-a-good-way)
As November 2020 looms, we’re entering perhaps the most charged political f...
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Multichannel](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/multichannel) [Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/fundraising) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry) [Election](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/election)
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## [How nonprofits can help frustrated fundraisers](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/how-nonprofits-can-help-frustrated-fundraisers)
Let’s be honest here. From a day-to-day, in-the-trenches, getting-it-done p...
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Leadership](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/leadership) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry)
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## [The Future of Nonprofits is UX](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/nonprofit-user-experience)
RKD’s Digital team spends a lot of time focused on user experience, or UX.
By [Tim Kersten](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/tim-kersten) | [Strategy](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/strategy) [Multichannel](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/multichannel) [User Experience](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/user-experience) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry)
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