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No. Sorry. It isn’t. For example, if you search for environmental organizations on Wikipedia, you’ll find the following list: Why should anyone make a major gift… Read More
These days you can’t be average. Average efforts deliver average results. If you want to raise more major gifts and generate planned gifts: Be exceptional… Read More
Last summer I wrote a very thorough post titled: How To Structure and Staff Your Planned Giving Department for the 21st Century. Ever since I’ve… Read More
Tons of writers in major media have been fretting about the new tax law. “Tax bill could turn philanthropy into a pursuit only for the… Read More
Funny thing about fundraising is that it all boils down to this: Making sure that your supporters feel good! I know, I know. In the… Read More
Over the summer I was admonished by an “expert” in the field. I’m used to it by now. I’ve been helping nonprofits (instead of private sector… Read More
“What’s your average?” I found myself asking that question in meetings with clients all the time. What surprised me was that most didn’t know the… Read More
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce the 2017 Major Gifts Fundraising Benchmark Study. The research was led by Melissa S. Brown and supported by the Association of Philanthropic… Read More
Do you know Penelope Burk? I first found out about Penelope Burk when I was running a marketing agency that solely helped private sector companies (not… Read More
Safety in numbers. Not all that long ago, humans lived in tribes and clans for safety. So, today, it’s no surprise that people still maintain… Read More
People are more likely to be persuaded by people we like. So, no matter how worthy your cause is, if your supporters don’t like you,… Read More
You might have known that Oprah was a philanthropist; but did you know why? Most people think they know Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest self-made… Read More
In January, Inside Philanthropy interviewed legendary fundraiser Jerold Panas to discover his secrets of attracting wealthy supporters. Here’s his list: It isn’t about your organization… Read More
Thanks to the Education Advisory Board, we now know what the ideal major gift officer looks like. Their Advancement Forum sought to understand what makes… Read More
I was wondering who might have created the first survey ever. My search led me to Charles the Great, the “Father of Europe.” Apparently, in… Read More
Recently I was reminded of a blog post I wrote four years ago that got a lot of attention. Some of the reactions were not so kind…. Read More
Huh? Sales managers? But we don’t sell anything! Actually, you do! You’re selling value. Any exchange of money occurs because a person sees value in… Read More
Getting a donor to see you might actually be the hardest part of your job. In fact, some fundraisers feel that, once they get the… Read More
1. Dialogue. Major donors expect to be able to have a dialogue with an organization and its staff. 2. Permission. Major donors expect to maintain… Read More
I always hated when my staff sent me an Excel file showing our astounding growth. You might be thinking, “Why would you hate getting an… Read More
Are you confused by that headline? Here’s what I mean: I think it would be interesting for us to test allowing donors the opportunity to decide… Read More
Most money is not cash. According to the Wall Street Journal, people put their wealth in lots of places, but not in liquid assets. The chart… Read More
Recently I was asked the following: “The whole idea of the ‘ask’ is very uncomfortable to me. How can I become more comfortable with it?”… Read More
The flow chart below makes me very uncomfortable. Here’s why: Science and experience have led me to realize that a donor’s objective is usually, first and foremost,… 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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