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Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field. As reported in The Chronicle of… Read More
I think too many nonprofit leaders don’t really know how to lead. Instead they just boss people around. Having a title means you have authority…. Read More
First things first. Too often fundraisers, board members, and nonprofit leaders spend way too much time thinking and talking about their organization’s or their employee’s… Read More
What’s in a name? In my book (titled Engagement Fundraising) I briefly described the changes affecting nonprofits and their fundraising staff. The label I applied… Read More
First, it is not all your fault. Well then, can we blame it on leadership? Leadership should share the burden of blame because fundraisers tend… Read More
Let me know what you think about my top 10 reasons why some fundraisers might be uncomfortable making the ask: 10. They are in the wrong job and… Read More
How many decisions do you make each day? A quick google search yields our answer: somewhere near 35,000. That number may seem intimidating, “How can… Read More
Nonprofits tend to get addicted to transactions they generate mostly by aiming marketing toward potential supporters with low-capacity. I call it ‘spray and pray’ marketing… Read More
1. Competition is fierce and everywhere. Nonprofits don’t only compete with other nonprofits. They also compete with private sector businesses and Uncle Sam (the tax… Read More
A couple of weeks ago, my longtime friend Dr. Russell James presented his top recommendations for fundraisers to consider especially during the coronavirus era. If… Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
“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
“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
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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