New Research: What Drives Big (Estate) Gifts? It’s Not What Drives Smaller Ones
Most nonprofits treat legacy donors as if they are all the same. That is a mistake. Small estate gifts and…
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Abraham Lincoln On Fundraising
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe,” said…
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1 Fundraising finding: Revealing AI use can hurt nonprofit results and relationships (unless you explain why)
AI tools can save time and money. Many teams use them every day. But new 2026 research shows a real…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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