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In most cases, for most nonprofits… NO! You don’t need to buy a planned giving website. Here’s why: For decades, nonprofit leaders and staff have… Read More
Frustration! Recently I was visiting a customer and one of the fundraisers was very frustrated. Thanks to our system, lots of donors disclosed that they already left… Read More
Trust is the cornerstone of all meaningful relationships. Fail to build trust and you’ll fail to get the gift. It’s that simple. Build trust… Read More
High-capacity donors aren’t altruistic. They want something from you just as much as you want something from them. At a high level, most simply want… Read More
Unsuccessful fundraisers don’t understand qualification. They don’t recognize its power. They wait for the next wealth screened list. They fiddle with it in Excel or… Read More
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 in between your marketing/communications and… Read More
Some nonprofits seem to care about ‘having’ a legacy society far more than they care about the donors in them. There’s lots of evidence supporting my… Read More
There’s a new addition to the MarketSmart Dashboard thanks to your feedback. Watch the short tutorial below to get started. We’ve also got an important… Read More
Employ donor surveys. Provide valuable engagement offers using the information you learned from the surveys (that way your offers will elicit responses— since you now… Read More
First, what are we really talking about when we say moves management? Wikipedia says, “moves are the actions an organization takes to bring in donors, establish relationships,… Read More
A different frame of reference. Every once in a while someone comes along to change things. They say a few words differently or help you… Read More
Nonprofits tend to get addicted to transactions they generate mostly by aiming marketing toward potential supporters with low-capacity. I call it ‘spray and pray’ marketing… Read More
Engagement fundraising (a phrase I coined many years ago) is powerful. I’ve been talking about this for about 10 years (ever since I revamped my… Read More
1. Competition is fierce and everywhere. Nonprofits don’t only compete with other nonprofits. They also compete with private sector businesses and Uncle Sam (the tax… Read More
This is part 2 of 3 in a series. For the previous post, go here. 3. Kill self-doubt Some in your organization might be saying… Read More
Generous donors are your organization’s most valuable asset. They’re the sole reason nonprofits like yours can continue their good work. No matter your organization’s size,… Read More
When it comes to “hot” topics in the nonprofit sector, none may be more prevalent than donor-advised funds (DAFs). You seemingly can’t go to any… Read More
Welcome! You’re about to learn A LOT about donor surveys. At MarketSmart, we’ve spent the past 10 years conducting donor surveys for our hundreds of clients…. Read More
“You can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” I wasn’t frustrated. If anything, I was disappointed. “How could I forget that quote?”… Read More
Welcome! If you’d like to learn about marketing for IRA rollovers, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a Director of Development at a… Read More
Brace yourself. This is a long post because there’s a lot to be said. I wrote it because digital will-writing tools are popping up to… Read More
Engagement calling, not cold calling! About 1 1/2 years ago I introduced the concept of Engagement Calling as the best way to land appointments with… Read More
Confusing? Too often planned giving newsletters are written by lawyers and the lawyers at nonprofits think they are just dandy. However, most of your supporters… Read More
This was a super-fun interview on The Giving Back Podcast. But if you don’t have time to listen to it, here are some notes my… Read More
Feeling like your job is getting harder because donor expectations have changed and competition for the charitable dollar is growing?
Finding that the old orthodoxies and conventions espoused by so-called experts in online echo-chambers and at conferences don’t work anymore?
Want to help more people make impact by facilitating their acts of philanthropy but feel like too many obstacles keep getting in your way?
Then this book is for you.
Engagement Fundraising was developed from the perspective of a donor who discovered firsthand that the impersonal, spray-and-pray approaches of his beloved charity were not only offensive but also wasteful and ineffective. So he took action. And now, you can too.
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