Smartideas

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

Planned Giving Language – Words to Use and Avoid in Your Legacy Fundraising

There are two languages in fundraising – donorese, and organizationish. And, as often happens when people speak two different languages, miscommunication happens, and it obstructs… Read More


Why RFM Fails at Populating Fundraising Caseloads

Many nonprofits use RFM as a means to fill their fundraising caseloads with supposedly qualified prospects – people who have a good chance of becoming… Read More


Want More Gifts of Assets? Get the Wealthy to Talk about Their Wealth Assets

One of the most overlooked secrets to getting wealthy people to commit to a major gift is to simply get them talking about their wealth…. Read More


The Best Caseload Size for Gift Officers – A New Formula

What is the ideal caseload size for gift officers? A quick internet search serves up a classic example of the term ‘conventional wisdom.’ Nearly every… Read More


Why Major Donors Give – How to Tap into Their Motives and Inspire Transformational Gifts

So many nonprofits seeking major gifts keep doing what they’ve been told by the so-called experts, consultants, and traditionalists. Ask, ask, ask. Keep your metrics… Read More


Why Fundraiser Turnover Is So High

Fundraiser turnover is an epidemic. And that’s not just our opinion or an attempt to be dramatic. Actual researchers used that label to describe the… Read More


The problem with participation rates among fundraising shops in higher education

I think colleges and universities should STOP worrying so much about DONOR PARTICIPATION RATES and become much more concerned about QUALIFICATION RATES. Just think about… Read More


6 Causes of Poor Caseload List Quality for Major Gift Prospects

If you’re a major gift officer, brace yourself, because this article might rile you up a bit. We’re going to expose some of the reasons… Read More


3 Donor Related Fundraising Challenges Keeping Your Revenue Down

Major gifts fundraising faces many challenges. That’s not news, and those challenges come in many forms, from many directions. But donor related fundraising challenges often… Read More


4 Strategies to Get More Meetings with Major Donors

Major gifts fundraising is about relationships. You know this, and it’s an easy truth to recite in a job interview. But actually developing positive two-way… Read More


Donor Identity Questions – Teasing Out Values, Beliefs, and Motivations

Donors give because giving enhances some aspect of their identity. They give for many other reasons too, but their final critical decisions regarding which organizations… Read More


Private Foundations – What to Do About the REAL Competition That’s Beating Your Nonprofit

Your competition is not other nonprofits. Yes, perhaps there are a few others similar enough to your mission to cause a handful of donors to… Read More


How to Get Your Team Excited about Cold Calling Supporters

Cold calling, for many fundraisers who dislike it, sits right up there with public speaking, which some surveys have found people fear more than dying…. Read More


5 Reasons Why Nonprofits Should Pursue Gifts of Assets over Cash

You can have it easy, or you can have it bigger. But rarely can you have both. That’s the nature of major gifts fundraising. What… Read More


9 Powerful Insights into Your Major Donors from Donor Survey Data

When gift officers try to reach out to supporters recently added to their caseloads, it’s usually tougher to get them to respond. This is true… Read More


Top 10 Reasons to Enroll in the Donor Story: Epic Fundraising Ecourse with Dr. Russell James

Need help convincing the ‘powers that be’ to pony up the cash for the best and most valuable online fundraising eCourse on the planet? Even… Read More


Fundraising Impact Questions that Define Victory for Donors

As a gift officer meeting with donors and supporters, you face a great number of scenarios within different stages of the major giving process. For… Read More


This Research-Backed Legacy Giving Strategy Avoids the Topic of Death

What’s the hardest thing about bringing up legacy giving with an aging and loyal donor or supporter? Death. Focusing on that tends to trigger the… Read More


5 Questions to Help Identify Your Best (and Potentially Most Transformative) Major Donors in a Sea of Prospects

Some gift officers have dozens of prospects in their caseloads. Others have over a hundred. Dunbar’s number aside, we all know it’s impossible to maintain… Read More


Restricted Giving: Why Your Organization Should Offer More Options

Restricted giving doesn’t sound like a good thing, just from the sound of it. The idea of restricting anything, especially giving, doesn’t seem like it… Read More


Unlock Bigger Gifts – 3 Types of Questions that Position Major Donors for Maximum Generosity

Why do too many major donor prospects not give, or give far less than their giving capacity? One of the main reasons is because they… Read More


The Top Fundraising Enemy Standing Between Gift Officer and Donor

Major gift fundraising is hard work. It’s about growing a relationship between donor and gift officer, as they work together to advance the donor’s hero… Read More


6 Ways to Reframe or Lower the Costs of Giving a Major Gift

Like any other donors, wealthy donors want to give. But when wealthy donors give, it’s usually a major gift, meaning it’s a big number. And… Read More


Why Tax Deductions for Major Gifts Matter to Wealthy Donors

A basic marketing precept is to “know your audience.” As a major gifts officer or fundraiser, your audience is wealthy donors. How well do you… Read More


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