Why QUALIFYING donors might be the silver bullet you’ve been looking for
First, there’s a lot of talk about donor retention these days. Don’t get me wrong. I believe it’s critically important…
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35 amazing ways to engage and involve your donors and supporters
If you’re stuck wondering how to involve your supporters with your mission, look no further. Here are 35 ideas from…
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3 simple ways fundraisers can improve their LinkedIn profiles to land more meetings and raise more money
Most fundraiser’s LinkedIn profiles are screwed up! They look like resumes, not invitations. After all, are you trying to raise…
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4 forces primarily responsible for making people charitable
According to the author of a book titled WHO REALLY CARES, Arthur C. Brooks, there are 4 forces in American life…
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Why Your Giving Tuesday Efforts Will Succeed Or Fail
Our sector is, once again, awaiting the results of Giving Tuesday without much thought about what value WE are giving…
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5 Best Practices For Writing Emails to Major and Legacy Donor Prospects
1. Be truthful, no tricks! Ever! You cannot build relationships upon lies. Not even white lies. 2. Be relevant. To…
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Is donor qualification more important than donor identification?
Identification. If you are a major or legacy gift fundraiser, you’re probably responsible for a group of donors on your…
MoreHow to Reach Out to Your Major or Legacy Gift Prospects Using LinkedIn
You know major gift fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint. But your boss wants results now. So you screen…
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Dr. Russell James’ Top 10 Ways Your Supporters Can Give Wisely Before the Year Ends
I’m very thankful that Dr. Russell James has graciously shared 10 smart ways your supporters can give wisely before the…
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If you want to hear how the best major gift officers succeed (and fail) in fundraising… look no further
A different frame of reference. Every once in a while someone comes along to change things. They say a few…
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Top 10 Capital Campaign Mistakes Revealed
Can you add to this list? 1. Failure to conduct a feasibility study 2. Failure to pay attention to the…
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Finally, the true cause of high fundraiser turnover!
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field. As…
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Are you a dictatorial boss or a dynamic nonprofit leader?
I think too many nonprofit leaders don’t really know how to lead. Instead they just boss people around. Having a…
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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…
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How to understand your donor’s consideration process so you generate more major gifts
First things first. Too often fundraisers, board members, and nonprofit leaders spend way too much time thinking and talking about…
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7 Data Points That Prove ‘Fundraising Climate Change’ Is Real And Happening Now
What’s in a name? In my book (titled Engagement Fundraising) I briefly described the changes affecting nonprofits and their fundraising…
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Why major and legacy donors think your fundraising communications stink!
First, it is not all your fault. Well then, can we blame it on leadership? Leadership should share the burden…
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Top 10 Reasons Why Fundraisers Might Be Uncomfortable ‘Making The Ask’
Let me know what you think about my top 10 reasons why some fundraisers might be uncomfortable making the ask: 10.…
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3 simple steps to break your transactional, spray-and-pray fundraising addiction
Nonprofits tend to get addicted to transactions they generate mostly by aiming marketing toward potential supporters with low-capacity. I call…
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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…
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9 hard truths your fundraising operation needs to face in the post-pandemic era.
1. Competition is fierce and everywhere. Nonprofits don’t only compete with other nonprofits. They also compete with private sector businesses…
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BENJAMIN CASE WEBINAR RECORDING
How to Solicit Major Gifts of Assets… Virtually (Using Video-Telephone Apps) It seems like everything has changed. Yet,…
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7 big ideas for raising ‘major gifts of assets’ right now from Dr. Russell James
A couple of weeks ago, my longtime friend Dr. Russell James presented his top recommendations for fundraisers to consider especially…
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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…
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