Entrepreneurship has a way of slipping unexpected lessons into your week — the kind you didn’t schedule for, didn’t anticipate, and definitely didn’t think you’d be dealing with over your morning coffee. One of those moments landed on my desk recently, wrapped in a website outage and a whole lot of confusion.

Every year, hundreds of nonprofit organizations rush to participate in major giving days like Giving Tuesday or Give Miami Day — but many of them do so without a real plan. They throw together a quick graphic, post a few donation links, and hope for the best. The result? Minimal returns, missed opportunities, and a reinforced belief that these campaigns "just don't work for us."

Engaging a marketing agency can be a game-changer, but only if you approach it with the right mindset and expectations.