The Fundraising Hall of Shame
Here are the worst practices I would enshrine in that hall. No, I am not talking about scams or criminal…
More
Prepare Your Team for Successful Outreach – Here’s What You Need
Making outreach to major donors requires more than pre-qualified prospects. That’s essential, and it’s the reason MarketSmart exists. But even…
More
Is Your Fundraising Guilty of TMI?
It is impossible to develop a single formula for guiding the fundraising process. We humans are too varied in the…
More
Why Qualitative Donor Data Helps Find More Major Donors
Major donor discovery and cultivation depend on far more than quantitative data like wealth capacity and giving history. In fact,…
More
The Key to Consistently Making Your Numbers in Fundraising
It’s funny, but the key to consistently making your numbers is to care more about people than you do about…
More
How To Identify Hidden Major Donors Your Wealth Screening and Prospect Research Will Never Find
For too many nonprofits, the search for hidden major donors often misses a large swath of potential revenue in the…
More
What Fundraising Organizations Can Learn From Trusted Leaders
The most productive philanthropic partnerships are built on trust. Trust is built on shared convictions and candor, not self-promotion or…
More
1 Fundraising Finding: Permanence and Death Reminders
Today’s experiment highlights a key legacy-fundraising concept. Mortality reminders trigger two responses: avoidance and/or pursuit of symbolic immortality. The second…
More
How to Use LinkedIn for Outreach to Major Donors and Prospects
You may not realize it, but LinkedIn is often the most effective social media channel for making initial contact with…
More
The Big Bequest Misunderstanding: Why You Can’t Ignore Your Oldest Friends
Half of all charitable bequest dollars will come from people passing at this age and older: 89. The big wealth…
More
5 Fundraising Stats on Major Gifts of Assets: 2.3%, 60%, 77%, 6X, and 50X
2.3% of household wealth is held in cash and checkable accounts; stop ignoring the other 97.7%. 60% of the largest…
More
Why Your Board and Wealthy Donors Don’t Send You Any Referrals
We all know the value of networking. We also all know that some of your best and most valuable donors…
More