Why your job is to get donors to talk to themselves
Your job is not to come up with words and images that will persuade or convince people to give. No!…
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Does fundraising training focus too much on the ask?
Often, I find that major gift (and legacy gift) fundraising education, training, and advice places too much emphasis on ‘the…
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It’s about questions, not presentations
Have you ever found yourself spending hours or even days developing presentations for major donor visits? I think most of us…
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9 ways to be a more human fundraiser
As your supporters get bombarded with more and more messages from advertisers and competitors (other fundraisers) you’ll need to stand…
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7 reasons why wealth screening your donor list might be an incredibly foolish activity
Before you send me angry responses to this headline, know these two things first: What I’ve written is NOT coming…
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3 smart new metrics to measure your fundraising effectiveness
I’ll bet you make lots of calls. You set appointments, uncover needs, make presentations, write proposals and close gifts too,…
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11 best practices for your legacy society communications
When it comes to legacy gifts, most fundraisers spend too much time focused on uncovering hidden gifts or closing more of…
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7 simple steps to qualify your donors
Unsuccessful fundraisers don’t understand qualification. They don’t recognize its power. They wait for the next wealth screened list. They fiddle…
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Donors give when THEY want to give, not when YOU want them to give
It ain’t about you. Unsuccessful fundraisers want donors to give on their timeline, not the donor’s. They think they can make the donor…
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Your main website sucks at raising major gifts – and here’s why
Most nonprofits have very narcissistic websites that promote how great they are and how well suited they are to accomplish…
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Cold calling major donors to arrange appointments doesn’t work – but this method does
No one likes getting cold calls and you probably don’t like making them. That’s why, these days, you need to insert a crucial step…
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Do you care more about your legacy society than the donors in it?
Some nonprofits seem to care about ‘having’ a legacy society far more than they care about the donors in them. There’s…
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Why mistakes are awesome and what to do about them
I know the feeling. A supporter calls to tell you your email or letter spelled her name wrong. She’s pissed! You begin…
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Quality vs. Quantity: Which is better for selecting fundraising prospects?
I’ve always felt that nonprofits spend way too much time and money looking at historical donor data to try to predict…
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The simplest and most effective 5-step major gift and planned gift marketing strategy ever
Employ donor surveys. Provide valuable engagement offers using the information you learned from the surveys (that way your offers will…
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Why you should stop looking for fundraising silver bullets and unicorns.
Many marketers/fundraisers desperately hope to find silver bullets or unicorns. They become enamored by shiny objects that are easy to employ.…
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You’ve got leads (identified major donor prospects) but are they ‘outreach-ready’?
People and vendors in our sector talk a lot about identifying donors, but getting them ready to meet with you is…
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Where are you spending your marketing dollars?
If your organization has 10,000 active donors, it’s very likely they’ll be categorized as follows: A small number will generate…
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3 questions every major donor asks themselves after they give
“What did they do with my money?” “Would my money yield more impact if I gave it to another organization?” “Do they…
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Should you target market financial advisors in order to get more legacy gifts?
It depends. I find myself saying, “It depends” quite a lot these days. But, seriously, the decision to target market…
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Donor retention and donor qualification go together like peas in a pod
Some things just work best when coupled together. Peanut butter and jelly. Toothpaste and a toothbrush. Cookies and milk. Soap and…
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7 steps to decline donations you can’t accept
She was really ticked off because they wouldn’t accept her gift. One of my customers got the following response to…
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When it comes to "moves management," are you concerned too?
First, what are we really talking about when we say moves management? Wikipedia says, “moves are the actions an organization takes to…
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Does Ask, Ask, and Ask Again Really Work?
Doing the same thing wrong over and over doesn’t improve results. I noticed a comment on a LinkedIn post recently…
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