How you can email your supporters every single day
You can, indeed, email your supporters every single day. I realize you and your communications team members probably just fell…
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3 reasons why I use curse words (but only one that matters)
She told me others would say I was unprofessional. I was asked to lead a roundtable discussion at a conference recently.…
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The dumb donor’s guide to photo-ops with oversized checks
On Monday I wrote about the oversized check photo-op and posted a link to it on LinkedIn. The post is approaching 10,000…
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Is it time to banish photos of fundraisers and oversized checks?
I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but I have always felt uncomfortable seeing a bunch of fundraisers holding…
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Do email open rates matter?
Nope. Not really. Not much. Instead of asking about open rates, you should be asking more important questions such as:…
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If you're asking yourself whether or not direct mail is dead, then you're asking the wrong question
There’s too much talk about whether or not direct mail is dead. Of course it is NOT dead! I get direct mail delivered…
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4 keys to fundraising success you might be overlooking
1. Humanity – Understanding human beings — really taking a deep, genuine interest in their wants, needs, desires, hopes, and…
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Do you aim your messages at supporters or targets?
Unfortunately just about all of us are capable of conceiving of people as just functions rather than human beings. I…
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Top 3 ways to determine whether or not a so-called expert is worth listening to
Most people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. On social media you’ll find a lot of people posting…
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The difference between goals vs. quotas for major gifts and planned gifts fundraisers
I am a big believer in setting goals with my staff, not administering quotas. When we sit down to set…
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Donors Aren’t Stupid
High-capacity donors aren’t stupid. They know a good ‘deal’ versus a bad one. They know what’s fair and what…
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Is donor retention really where you should focus your time and money?
The market/sector has been ‘flooded’ with people talking about donor retention for many years now. Many of them make money…
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Can charities outflank Apple?
Think about this. The newest Apple iPhone costs about $1,000. In the past, it was about $600. Some 80 million people…
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Here’s a job description for a major gift or legacy gift lead outreach associate
Last summer I wrote a very thorough post titled: How To Structure and Staff Your Planned Giving Department for the…
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Even a broken record can play beautiful music, here's mine…
I’m going to repeat what might now be cliché. You’ve heard this before. But you’ve got to let it sink…
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Engagement Fundraising in Action with Jeff Giannotto and Elizabeth Weiland (Season 2, Episode 1)
0.75x 1x 1.25x 1.5x 2x 0:0020:41 Engagement Fundraising in Action with Jeff Giannotto and Elizabeth Weiland (Season 2, Episode 1)…
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Building awareness for planned giving is easier and less expensive than ever
Promoting planned giving doesn’t have to be expensive. If you have traffic on your website, you have a chance to…
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3 reasons why you need to stop worrying about the darn tax law!!!
Tons of writers in major media have been fretting about the new tax law. “Tax bill could turn philanthropy into…
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Why you need to focus on the most qualified donors
Focus. Because… the world is quickly becoming one that has fewer donors giving more. According to The Institute for Policy Studies…
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Is the person who answers your phones your weakest, lowest paid employee?
Everyone is a fundraiser. Don’t believe me? First, a short story. My dad ran a very large insurance agency. Over…
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Is shaming an effective fundraising strategy?
I was intrigued. A few weeks ago one of my employees (Nicole) forwarded the following email to me from her…
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12 astounding ways engagement fundraising can help you right now
Here are a dozen ways engagement fundraising helps nonprofits all around the world. 1. Focus on your oldest supporters and Legacy Society members…
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End of Year Is Here: Where to Focus Your Attention Right Now
Well, that was quick, it’s already October (Friday, October the 13th to be exact). Where did 2017 go? As with…
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There Are Only Three Ways to Raise More Money
Every nonprofit organization needs more of two things: time and money. Okay, every organization (nonprofit or for-profit) could use more…
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