Smartideas

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

Product Updates: Stewardship Series Effort and Online Will Tool Add-on

Stewardship Series Effort When it comes to legacy gifts, many organizations spend a large chunk of their time focused on uncovering hidden gifts or closing… Read More


Top 10 Free Resources Thanks To Dr. Russell James

Nearly ten years ago I made a new friend. It started out with an error. I wrote a blog post about the link between childlessness… Read More


7 Major Gift Fundraising Benchmarks You Really Need To Know

Before we begin. The 2020 Major Gift Benchmark Study asked people working in nonprofit organizations (n=580) what they consider to be a major gift, how… Read More


THE WAY FORWARD: PART 3 OF 3 FOR MARKETING MAJOR AND LEGACY GIFTS IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA

This is part 3 of 3 in a series. For the first post, go here and for the second post, go here. 5. Engage and offer,… Read More


THE WAY FORWARD: PART 2 OF 3 FOR MARKETING MAJOR AND LEGACY GIFTS IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA

This is part 2 of 3 in a series. For the previous post, go here. 3. Kill self-doubt Some in your organization might be saying… Read More


The Way Forward: Part 1 of 3 for Marketing Major and Legacy Gifts in the Coronavirus Era

1. Don’t Panic It’s the first rule of crisis management. When we panic we make bad decisions. Many of us have been facing closures, lockdowns… Read More


A pep talk for fundraisers like you!

We are going to get through this, and history proves it. For many of us, this is not the first economic downturn we have seen… Read More


3 Simple Fundraising Metrics for Nonprofits (and How to Calculate Them)

Google search “fundraising metrics” and you’ll find plenty of blog posts and articles. In fact, you’ll come across too many. It can be overwhelming to figure out… Read More


A Glossary of Key Fundraising Terms, Jargon, and Vocabulary You Need to Know

Every profession has its fair share of jargon. Fundraising, and nonprofits in general, are no exception. Fundraising terms, acronyms, and jargon are as varied and… Read More


Two Examples of How to Cultivate Your Donors (Even When They Aren’t Your Donors)

There’s a theme to major and legacy gift fundraising. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to uncover it. It’s the importance of relationship building…. Read More


Only 43 Percent of Organizations Met Their Major Gift Fundraising Goals in 2019

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that major gift fundraising is of the utmost importance. Whether it be reports from Giving USA,… Read More


Major and Legacy Gift Fundraising Is Changing… Blame Robocalls.

Relationships building is part art, part science. And, as we all know, raising major and legacy gifts is all about building meaningful relationships. Over the… Read More


How to Project Your Planned Gift Potential

“I owe a great deal of thanks to the person who invested in planned giving 15 years ago.” I was sitting in the crowd at… Read More


Donor-advised Funds Are Misunderstood, Bound to Be Regulated, and Not Going Anywhere

“Have you read this one?” “Zach, hold on I didn’t even finish the other articles you sent me yet.” I guess I was being a… Read More


Here’s what I learned about leadership in 2019. I hope it helps you!

In the age of Fundraising Climate Change, leadership at nonprofits is needed more than ever. However, what I learned last year is that leadership is… Read More


MarketSmart’s “How-to” Guide for Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)

Click here for the free comprehensive guide for donor-advised funds. Trends come and go, but donor-advised funds are forever. I’m not quite sure that’s the… Read More


What Does Thanksgiving Have to Do with Fundraising? A Surprising Amount.

“You can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” I wasn’t frustrated. If anything, I was disappointed. “How could I forget that quote?”… Read More


5 Online Year-End Fundraising Stats You Can Use to Help Craft Your Campaign

This guest post on year-end fundraising stats is from Nathan Hill at NextAfter. Every development professional understands the importance of year-end fundraising. The key to… Read More


5 Ways You Can Get Meetings with Major Donors (Even When They Won’t Answer their Phone)

I hear the following all the time when I ask fundraisers about their efforts to land meetings with major and legacy donors: “I tried calling,… Read More


How Important Is Training for Fundraisers? Very.

This time of year is filled with tricks and treats. The end of October seemingly always has something in store for us, whether it be… Read More


3 Things You Can Learn From $58B in Donations

If you had $58B, you would be among some interesting company. $58B represents more wealth than Larry Page and Michael Bloomberg, but not enough to… Read More


The 80-20 Rule is DEAD!

It’s no longer 80-20 but, rather, 70/.7 According to our research, tons of nonprofits spend most of their fundraising budget on efforts focused on acquiring… Read More


Introducing, Louis Diez— The Checklist Guy for Fundraising Excellence

Some people really know how to be givers. You know what I mean don’t you? From time to time all of us come across people… Read More


How to Improve and Develop Process at Your Nonprofit

Developing process is tricky. In the world of for-profit businesses there are myriad books, webinars, and even conferences you can attend to help you become… Read More


Get smarter with the SmartIdeas blog

Subscribe to our blog today and get actionable fundraising ideas delivered straight to your inbox!