5 thoughts that might lead your supporters to feel donor remorse
Here are some of the thoughts crossing your donors’ minds while you’re asking them to support your cause: Will they say thank you or just… Read More
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Planned Giving
Helping you qualify, cultivate and prioritize major donors and legacy supporters so you can have fun closing more gifts more efficiently.
Feb
08
2019
Feb
01
2019
10 Ways to Deliver Value to Your Major Donors and Planned Giving Prospects
1. Find ways to release dopamine and/or oxytocin in your supporters’ brains. Oxytocin creates intimacy, trust, and builds healthy relationships. It is essential for creating strong… Read More
Jan
25
2019
Ever wonder about the history of philanthropy and fundraising? Here it is!
This is so cool! You’re going to love it! Thanks to the good people at the National Philanthropic Trust, now you can take a… Read More
Jan
11
2019
Are You Too Busy to Succeed?
As Henry David Thoreau pointed out: “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants! The question is, what are we busy about?”… Read More
Dec
12
2018
Top 3 reasons why major gift or legacy gift officers don’t have enough face-to-face meetings with donors
I hear a lot of people complaining about gift officers not meeting with enough donors. Usually, these complaints come from people who don’t really do… Read More
Dec
10
2018
What to do when a supporter notifies you that they left your organization in their estate plan but won’t take your calls.
I know, it’s frustrating. You want to thank them but they won’t respond to your outreach. First things first. There are a bunch of reasons why… Read More
Nov
30
2018
What Are You Doing to Change?
“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” I don’t know who came up with that quote. I… Read More
Nov
07
2018
How Your Restaurant Waiter Can Teach You About Fundraising
The theory of reciprocity is powerful. And nowhere is it displayed more dramatically than in restaurants every day. Think about it. Your waiter is basically… Read More
Nov
05
2018
16 Simple Things Your Best Donors Want
Here’s my list of essential major donor needs that you must aim to fulfill: 1. Your best donors want you to do the important work… Read More
Oct
31
2018
Here’s What Supporters “Buy” When They Donate to Charity
I think buying and donating are the same. Here’s why. When I give money to a charity, I am buying: A chance to be moved by… Read More
Oct
26
2018
The Definitive Menu of Engagement Fundraising Marketing Channels
We know that it’s not always easy to determine where you should be focusing your efforts (and your dollars). So we developed this nifty little… Read More
Oct
22
2018
Are you ready for the 24/7 donor?
Accenture – the world’s largest consulting firm – says that we’re in the era of the “nonstop consumer”. According to their website, “A customer’s path… Read More
Oct
17
2018
Are you avoiding your donors?
Too often I’ve seen some ‘fundraisers’ do whatever they can to avoid actually talking to donors. “I can’t call ’em yet. I’m waiting for the… Read More
Oct
15
2018
Is your job really to raise money?
Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World wrote: “The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than… Read More
Oct
12
2018
Why you need to think of yourself as a facilitator
Supporters give to satisfy a need. Supporters give because they trust your organization to satisfy that need. Supporters give because they see you, your colleagues,… Read More
Oct
05
2018
My Simplest Explanation of How Engagement Fundraising Works
Engagement fundraising (a phrase I coined many years ago) is powerful. I’ve been talking about this for about 10 years (ever since I revamped my marketing… Read More
Oct
01
2018
The 8 core components of engagement fundraising and why you desperately need them
Most fundraising is based on what I call “single shot” strategies. For instance, it’s an event, gala or golf outing. Or, perhaps it’s a mailing,… Read More
Sep
27
2018
Engagement Fundraising in 7 simple bullet-points
Focus- Focus your marketing (especially your expensive marketing like face-to-face meetings) on people who have a lot of money Generate leads- Generate highly-qualified leads among… Read More
Sep
17
2018
Why you should use nostalgia to promote more giving
I recently stumbled upon a neat paper titled Nostalgia: The Gift That Keeps Giving. Here’s a summary: Overview 1. Nostalgia is a very personal, social emotion that… Read More
Sep
12
2018
Why you should worry less about reducing overhead and more about delivering value.
Fundraisers and donors are in a pickle. They have been unfairly subjected to a broken system for decades. It isn’t their fault, but it is… Read More
Sep
07
2018
Is your annual fund tail wagging your major gift dog?
I always find it stupefying when a major gifts team tells me they need to get permission from the direct marketing team or higher up to… Read More
Sep
05
2018
3 big reasons why nobody talks about the single most important fundraising tactic on earth.
Let’s jump right in…. The single most important fundraising tactic on earth is appointment setting. There! I said it! Don’t believe me? The late Jerold Panas… Read More
Aug
27
2018
How are you doing compared to your peers?
Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE (an expert on fundraising, social media, and nonprofits) pulled together these nuggets from my Fundraising Report Card app. For that, I owe her… Read More
Aug
22
2018
15 Reasons Why Colleges and Universities Better Start Raising Money Much FASTER!!!
According to Glassdoor, the following 15 companies no longer require college degrees. I think they are starting to recognize that they can hire smart people… Read More
Get the book!
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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