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Hiring major gifts officers is hard. First, it’s just not an easy position to fill because there is a lot of turnover. But more than… Read More
Teen Talk Barbie famously stated, “Math is hard.”[1] This may be particularly true in fundraising. Giving is motivated by social emotion. Triggering math, logic, error-detection thoughts can hurt. It… Read More
“I’ve already made all of my giving decisions for this year, so there’s no reason for us to meet.” Here is another common objection that… Read More
If you looked up suggestions for which major gifts metrics and KPIs your organization should be measuring, most of what you’d find would seem fairly… Read More
Gifts of wealth A donation comes from the intersection of motivation and cost. Most of this series focuses on the motivation side. But often the… Read More
If customers don’t see themselves in what you offer, they won’t come in the store. Those that come in are often “just looking’. If a… Read More
In fundraising, a gift results when motivation overcomes cost. Increasing motivation helps. So does lowering cost. These make the gift easier. But sometimes, these two processes conflict. Number problems… Read More
In my previous article, which you can read here, I outlined three challenges wealthy people face when they start exploring the idea of giving away… Read More
When getting started in Major Gifts, don’t be ashamed of starting small. When I first started as a Development Officer in Dallas, I barely knew… Read More
In your organization, it’s likely you have a bunch of people who make five or six figures interacting with people who are worth seven, eight,… Read More
At the heart of philanthropy is story. Story starts with character. Without a relatable character, the fundraising story is dead. To be relatable, the donor… Read More
What’s the only thing better in fundraising than a major gift? A bigger major gift. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you… Read More
This is the fifth and final post that summarizes a series that tackles why storytelling doesn’t work on its own to generate big donations. To… Read More
My journey My career has always focused on charitable giving. This was true in my practice experience, my research, and my teaching. But I’ll admit… Read More
You might want to check out the first post in this series before reading this one. In that post, I told you that telling is… Read More
In case you missed my last post… I wrote about my unease with the storytelling surge in our sector. It made me uncomfortable because I… Read More
First, the surge in storytelling. Five or ten years ago, it seemed like everyone in fundraising suddenly started talking about storytelling. Books were written, conferences… Read More
I say BS. I’ve encountered several people who believe this, and I don’t understand why they teach it to new development professionals. Ultimately, I think… Read More
First: when we talk about cost, we’re not talking about fundraising expenses. That’s not what this article is about. Rather, it’s about the fact that… Read More
I’ve said it before. Fundraising is all about making sure your supporters feel good. Of course, that’s easier said than done—especially when you consider how… Read More
As a Major Gifts Fundraiser don’t you want to fire your employer at times? Here are my top 10 reasons why many do just that…. 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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