Philosophy/motivation

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

What's Wrong with Fundraising?

I was thrilled when I first saw Dan Pallotta’s TED Talks presentation.  I thought to myself, “Finally!  Someone said it!”  And, I wondered why it… Read More


Why call it moves management?

I don’t like the term “moves management”.  Why?  Because it focuses on you and your organization.  It’s about your moves. Sure, it uses alliteration so it sounds… Read More


Do fundraisers donate to charity?

I’m not sure if this is the type of post that will get people riled up or not.  But I’ve been wondering (from a marketer’s… Read More


Does your organization deliver quality?

  About quality…   Quality is the cornerstone of growth. Quality is expected— from your donors, non-donors, workers, volunteers, board members and everyone else. Quality… Read More


What about "you"? YOU IS IMPORTANT!

You are the reason for the existence of this blog. How you feel is tremendously important. So please let me know what you think. Share your… Read More


Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is missing something… and you might be too

I must be crazy to criticize Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.  After all, he built a multi-billion dollar company from scratch and I’m just a… Read More


3 great quotes from Fundraising Yoda (for Star Wars fans and fundraisers)

  If you want to keep your fundraising more light-spirited.  Let the force be with you! Fundraising Yoda is a terrific voice you can follow… Read More


Do you want something "for" your donors or "from" your donors? The answer could mean everything to your mission.

I love LinkedIn groups.  By joining, you can learn from some amazing people for free! Recently Howard Freeman, CFRE [Senior Campaign Director at Young Life,… Read More


The 7 faces of philanthropy simplified

I finally got around to reading a terrific book titled The 7 Faces of Philanthropy (Prince & File). Boy am I sorry I waited so… Read More


Simply the simplest (and no-cost) way to market bequests.

Ask your volunteers to plan a gift! This is really very simple.  More and more seniors are volunteering these days.  In fact, Philanthropy News Digest… Read More


DMAW, their MAXI Awards, and a big “fail” for planned giving

  At the 2013 Bridge Conference last week, you could walk through a wonderful “museum” of award-winning direct marketing fundraising packages. They were neatly on… Read More


Stop puffing out your chests… the donor is awesome— not you.

Too many nonprofits are too focused on themselves. “Look at us!” “Here’s what we did.” “Aren’t we great?!?”  “Now give us some money to do more great… Read More


Why call it moves management?

I don’t like the term “moves management”.  Why?  Because it focuses on you and your organization.  It’s about your moves. Sure, it uses aliteration so… Read More


Why an emphasis only on counting planned gift disclosures is misguided.

In planned giving marketing we are told to spend a lot of time trying to get people to disclose the fact that they included the… Read More


Another idea to think about before you write your fundraising copy

Carol Pollack from Planning and Endowment Consulting had a great idea to add to yesterday’s post.    


Before you begin to write your fundraising copy, print this out

….Just a cute reminder.  Print it out and hold it in front of the mirror.      


Trillions and trillions of dollars.

Between 2000 and 2050 $12 trillion is expected to go to charity in the form of bequests. That’s $12 TRILLION! Or, 12,000 X ONE BILLION…. Read More


The 80/20 rule still applies… if you'll apply it.

In commercial business, we call it the 80/20 rule. 80% of your revenue and/or profits will come from 20% of your clients. It’s the same… Read More


An example of a real-world thank you that worked!

We needed a display for our booth.  We needed it quick.  We got it on-time and it looked fabulous! Then we got this nice, personalized,… Read More


Start with the end in mind.

Begin by deciding where you want to be.  Goals and strategies come before tactics every time. If you don’t know where you’re going… you’ll end… Read More


The rope theory of life.

Everyone gets a rope. Some are shorter than others.  Some are thicker than others.  Some have notches.  And others are a little bit slippery. Each… Read More


Seven neat planned giving marketing quotes

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” – Martin Luther     “A… Read More


Stop whining and do something!

Warning:  This could sound like a political post.  I’m not sure if I’m on the right or the left politically.  Sometimes I agree with one… Read More


Follow-up to the post about being disliked…

If you don’t know Seth Godin, you should. Here’s a post that is much better than mine about being disliked. When it comes to marketing,… Read More


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