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You know that feeling when you’re talking to someone, and you realize they’ve already made up their mind about you? It happens in dating, in… Read More
I used to be TERRIFIED of scheduling visits. Here are 10 things I did to build confidence in a system that allowed me to schedule… Read More
❌ Average MGO: Shares lots of great information. ✅ Great MGO: Asks important questions and listens. ❌ Average MGO: Has a 10 day outlook…. Read More
❗ THE DONOR BEAT YOU TO THE ASK ❗ We’ve all been there. You’re in the visit. You’ve been planning this for months. It’s finally… Read More
When choosing board members, so many nonprofits gravitate towards doctors, lawyers, and accountants. Why? I think partially because it’s easier to know that they have… Read More
I didn’t know I should be asking this one question when talking to donors: “When would be a good time for me to follow up?”… Read More
Here are Nine Things I Wish I Knew My First Year in Major Gifts 1. Stop talking so much. Ask Good questions and listen. 2…. Read More
NO ONE WILL SAY YES TO A VISIT… I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING! Really? Frequently I’ll talk to someone who is just getting serious about scheduling visits… Read More
DO THIS ONE THING TO BOOK MORE VISITS: The next time someone tells you they don’t want to visit… in other words, they slap you… Read More
Getting started in Major Gifts… better learn to golf! ❌FALSE❌ Of course, if you like to play golf and it works for you, party on…. Read More
Pay fundraisers well, but NEVER pay a commission. I became the highest-paid employee besides the CEO at my organization when I worked in major gifts…. Read More
183 days. That’s how long it took Bob to mail in a check for $25,000 after I asked him for the gift on a first… Read More
One of the great insights Robert Kiyosaki shares in the book Rich Dad Poor Dad is this: Poor people say “we could never afford that”… Read More
“Is now a good time to talk?” This is one of the worst ways to start a call to schedule a visit (unless you know… Read More
A friend of mine recently asked for a $5 Million gift. THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY! But in terms of the money required to make… Read More
If you’re working in major gifts and you’ve never heard this, you might need to alter your approach. Many of you reading this will be… Read More
It took me 16 contacts over a 12-month period to get a visit scheduled with one couple. They then went on to give over $100,000…. Read More
It doesn’t really matter if you go on a visit TODAY. It also doesn’t really matter if you DON’T go on a visit TODAY. But… Read More
“Let’s hire Johnny… He knows everybody!” Here’s the problem: Johnny is an idiot. Let me explain. So many times, organizations want to hire major gift… Read More
“I don’t want to waste your time.” Here is another common objection you will hear when trying to schedule visits. The donor will tell you… Read More
“Major donors like to give in their backyard.” I call BS! One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that many people think that major… Read More
“I was on a mission from God.” I met John the first year I started working in major gifts. John was a retired financial advisor… Read More
This challenge had me angry for more than a week… “Pharmaceutical sales reps have 15 meetings per day. Why can’t you?” Many years ago, I… Read More
I was once at a fundraising event supporting an organization that houses pregnant homeless women. I saw one of the most incredibly generous examples of… Read More
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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