The Four Selfs
I think donors like to qualify themselves, educate themselves, involve themselves, and solicit themselves. I call these the “four selfs” of Engagement Fundraising: Self-qualification Self-education… Read More
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Greg Warner
Jan
16
2019
Jan
14
2019
Automated Cultivation vs. “Moves Management”
I’ve never really felt comfortable with the phrase “moves management.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a process Gift Officers or other… Read More
Jan
11
2019
Are You Too Busy to Succeed?
As Henry David Thoreau pointed out: “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants! The question is, what are we busy about?”… Read More
Jan
09
2019
Are You Ready to Engage?
If you have been following our past posts, you should have a deep understanding of Engagement Fundraising and its fundamental concepts by now. You may… Read More
Jan
07
2019
3 scientific concepts you should understand and use properly to break through the noise and gain your supporters’ attention.
People are busy. They’re also drowning in information, data, marketing, and fundraising communications. Gaining their attention isn’t easy. Here are 3 scientific concepts to help… Read More
Jan
04
2019
Free Webinar: 9 Useful Proven Strategies To Get The Major Donor Visit (Claire Axelrad)
I’m excited to share that Clairification Claire (Claire Axelrad) will be hosting a webinar with us on Tuesday, January 8th at 2 PM EST. This… Read More
Jan
02
2019
Here are my IN’s & OUT’s for 2019… what do you think about them?
OUTS Being disrespectful, interrupting & annoying supporters Spray-n’-pray marketing Show up n’ throw up presentations Treating donors like ATM machines Asking for money (begging) Counting… Read More
Dec
12
2018
Top 3 reasons why major gift or legacy gift officers don’t have enough face-to-face meetings with donors
I hear a lot of people complaining about gift officers not meeting with enough donors. Usually, these complaints come from people who don’t really do… Read More
Dec
10
2018
What to do when a supporter notifies you that they left your organization in their estate plan but won’t take your calls.
I know, it’s frustrating. You want to thank them but they won’t respond to your outreach. First things first. There are a bunch of reasons why… Read More
Dec
07
2018
5 Simple Steps for Fundraising Success Thanks to Marc Pitman
A Welcome Discovery! I came across this terrific little book while I was home, nursing a really bad cold this past week. I bought it a… Read More
Dec
05
2018
Exciting addition to the team!
On December 3rd, we shared an exciting announcement that nonprofit fundraising veteran, Dan Doyle is joining our Fundraising Report Card team! Coming on as Chief… Read More
Dec
03
2018
Imagine: One extra call each day.
I simply love inspirational quotes. Here’s one I recently came across from Thomas Edison. He once said, “The successful person has a habit of doing… Read More
Nov
30
2018
What Are You Doing to Change?
“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” I don’t know who came up with that quote. I… Read More
Nov
28
2018
The top qualification and prioritization data points you should consider before you reach out to your supporters to build a caseload
Recently we surveyed a few hundred fundraisers to find out what they felt were the most (and least) important data points for qualifying and prioritizing… Read More
Nov
26
2018
3 simple steps to break your transactional, spray-and-pray fundraising addiction
Nonprofits tend to get addicted to transactions. Of course addictions are hard to break. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be broken at all. Too… Read More
Nov
19
2018
A bunch of reasons why January is NOT necessarily the best time to ‘hit your donor’s mailbox’
Recently I saw a question posted on a discussion board that was inspired by a blog (NOT mine) titled: WHY YOU NEED TO HIT YOUR… Read More
Nov
14
2018
4 simple concepts that can help you raise sophisticated transformational gifts
I like this blog post written by Greg Ring over at The Giving Crowd. In it, he outlines his Four C’s of Successful Fundraising. Although,… Read More
Nov
09
2018
How to stop over-thinking and start engaging
Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Engagement fundraising is so darn simple too! You don’t need to over-think… Read More
Nov
07
2018
How Your Restaurant Waiter Can Teach You About Fundraising
The theory of reciprocity is powerful. And nowhere is it displayed more dramatically than in restaurants every day. Think about it. Your waiter is basically… Read More
Nov
05
2018
16 Simple Things Your Best Donors Want
Here’s my list of essential major donor needs that you must aim to fulfill: 1. Your best donors want you to do the important work… Read More
Nov
02
2018
How to think about major gifts
Ditto! That’s all I can say when I read Veritus Group’s blog articles. Ditto! These guys (Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels) totally ‘get’ it! For… Read More
Oct
31
2018
Here’s What Supporters “Buy” When They Donate to Charity
I think buying and donating are the same. Here’s why. When I give money to a charity, I am buying: A chance to be moved by… Read More
Oct
29
2018
How I leave voicemail messages that get returned
Generally here’s how I leave messages that get returned: APPRECIATION: I say ‘thank you’ (and I get sort of ’emotional and gracious’ in my tone……. Read More
Oct
26
2018
The Definitive Menu of Engagement Fundraising Marketing Channels
We know that it’s not always easy to determine where you should be focusing your efforts (and your dollars). So we developed this nifty little… Read More
Get the book!
Feeling like your job is getting harder because donor expectations have changed and competition for the charitable dollar is growing?
Finding that the old orthodoxies and conventions espoused by so-called experts in online echo-chambers and at conferences don’t work anymore?
Want to help more people make impact by facilitating their acts of philanthropy but feel like too many obstacles keep getting in your way?
Then this book is for you.
Engagement Fundraising was developed from the perspective of a donor who discovered firsthand that the impersonal, spray-and-pray approaches of his beloved charity were not only offensive but also wasteful and ineffective. So he took action. And now, you can too.
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