Rod Taylor is co-founder and President of New River Communications, a direct response fundraising agency based in South Florida. Rod oversees all accounts with a specific focus on results analysis and strategic planning for such prominent nonprofit organizations as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Cross Catholic Outreach, the Hole in the Wall Gang, Camillus House, and Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, among others. Before co-founding New River Communications in 2000, Rod served as Chief Fundraising Officer for Food for the Poor, one of the largest international aid organizations in the country. Prior to this, he was a Vice President with Grizzard Communications Group in Atlanta. Before beginning his career in the nonprofit marketing field as public relations director for The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County in 1989, Rod worked as a journalist for the San Antonio Express News.  Rod’s fundraising philosophy is informed by his experience as a journalist. “The most important truth I’ve discovered in twenty years of fundraising for nonprofits is simple. Tell a good story and people will respond. ‘People give to people, not organizations’ is a cliché but it’s very true. If you can take the donor or prospect inside a life that has been changed – pull them in and make them care, you’ll get a gift.” Rod has been a frequent speaker at industry events including the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference and various Direct Marketing Association conferences.