Smartideas

Straight talk about major, mid-level and legacy gift fundraising to help you be a better fundraiser

Using Facebook to market your business? Some basics to help you see if it's right for you.

Set up a business page In addition to your personal profile, you may want to set up a Facebook page for your business. Funny thing… Read More


Still not on Facebook? Here's the first in a series to get you going…

Get on Facebook Facebook.com is fast becoming the global water cooler around which the world gathers to discuss anything and everything. To date, according to… Read More


Still looking for ways to utilize LinkedIn for business?

Research your prospects You can learn a great deal about a person on LinkedIn. For example, wouldn’t it be great if you had a meeting… Read More


Even more awesome ways to use LinkedIn for business.

Join industry and alumni associations These groups offer a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and find new connections. People like to do business… Read More


Some more ways to make the most of LinkedIn.

Generate leads- If you’ve got something really worthwhile to offer – such as a great free report – you could use it to generate leads…. Read More


First post to help you make the most of LinkedIn.

For business, LinkedIn has quickly become everyone’s online resume. But it’s much more than that. If you use it, you’ll find it’s actually a very… Read More


Why blog?

Blogs are free. When tied to your website they offer a more engaging glimpse into your business, philosophies and expertise. A blog is the easiest… Read More


Some neat stats on social media and how it's used by consumers

The great thing about social media is that it’s free. Well… almost free.  Actually it requires a tremendous time commitment in order to create and… Read More


The basics of pay-per-click advertising.

Since SEO requires so much work in order to get high rankings with search engines, you may want to find a better way to get… Read More


Is your bequest language easy to find?

Try this.  Google “planned giving”.  Then go to 3 organization’s websites and try to find the bequest language a donor would need to include in… Read More


Some thoughts about planned giving marketing newsletters.

There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to newsletters for planned giving marketing. A personalized, relevant planned giving newsletter First, can we agree that… Read More


Should we avoid the term "planned giving"?

I think we should avoid the term “planned giving” in our marketing materials and communications. Donors just don’t understand that phrase.  According to Larry Stelter’s… Read More


Pulling the best list to generate leads for planned giving (charitable estate planning) is not easy.

Pulling the best list for planned giving marketing is not easy. Planned giving targets are not the same as major gift targets. They are unique… Read More


Why you should add video to your website.

Moving pictures and words are unbelievably powerful when combined together. That’s why television was the most powerful medium for so long. Videos are easy to… Read More


7 new rules for marketing (including planned giving marketing).

Let’s face it. Marketing has changed. The old rules don’t work today and the Internet has proven to be a powerful marketing tool. Although many… Read More


5 reasons why customers say good-bye to you

Customers say good-bye for 5 main reasons: 1. Intentionally pushed away – If they are unprofitable to serve, then they are not worth pursuing unless… Read More


5 stages of the commitment process for planned gifts

Let’s look at the five-step process individuals take before they reach a decision to leave a gift . 1- Attention Simply stated, you cannot get… Read More


Is your website your most effective marketing tool?

Your website should be your most effective marketing tool for lead generation and education. The days of “online brochures” are gone. At the very least,… Read More


What is a highly-qualified lead for planned giving?

A great deal of confusion surrounds whom you should approach for planned gifts. So let’s begin by defining the types of people you will find… Read More


Add some "ONSERTS" to your outgoing email or mail.

Well you’ve heard about inserts – what about onserts? These work because your best business and best referrals will come from your past customers. Check… Read More


Two types of Twitterers revealed.

An article by Fast Company (https://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/attention-marketers-80-twitterers-are-narcissists) recently summed up an interesting study about Twitter users. They found that there are essentially two types of Twitterers…. Read More


Why some planned giving departments are missing out on bequests.

A friend of mine went to a really large public university.  He heard about our SmartGiftmaker and told me I should call someone at his… Read More


Some neat research for planned giving marketing.

The National Committee on Planned Giving* found: that most donors first make a will at age 44 the average age of their first charitable bequest… Read More


Seven things to consider adding to your website to help generate leads

Your website should be your most effective marketing tool for lead generation and education. The days of “online brochures” are gone. At the very least,… Read More


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