test forms
Login
Your Role
Challenges You Face
results
Learn
Resources
Company
Smartideas
Helping you qualify, cultivate and prioritize major donors and legacy supporters so you can have fun closing more gifts more efficiently.
Aug
12
2020
Aug
10
2020
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. They are in the wrong job and… Read More
Aug
07
2020
How to ask for a gift: Do you really have to ask?
When it comes to ‘how to ask for a gift,’ you’ll see there’s a parallel between how we conduct sales here at MarketSmart and how… Read More
Aug
06
2020
3 Reasons You Should Be Thinking about QCDs (Backed By Data + A Free Guide)
How many decisions do you make each day? A quick google search yields our answer: somewhere near 35,000. That number may seem intimidating, “How can… Read More
Aug
04
2020
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 it ‘spray and pray’ marketing… Read More
Jul
13
2020
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 (ever since I revamped my… Read More
Jun
22
2020
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 and Uncle Sam (the tax… Read More
Jun
01
2020
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 during the coronavirus era. If… Read More
May
20
2020
Product Updates: Stewardship Series Effort and Online Will Tool Add-on
Stewardship Series Effort When it comes to legacy gifts, many organizations spend a large chunk of their time focused on uncovering hidden gifts or closing… Read More
May
12
2020
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 about the link between childlessness… Read More
May
04
2020
7 Major Gift Fundraising Benchmarks You Really Need To Know
Before we begin. The 2020 Major Gift Benchmark Study asked people working in nonprofit organizations (n=580) what they consider to be a major gift, how… Read More
Apr
01
2020
THE WAY FORWARD: PART 3 OF 3 FOR MARKETING MAJOR AND LEGACY GIFTS IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA
This is part 3 of 3 in a series. For the first post, go here and for the second post, go here. 5. Engage and offer,… Read More
Mar
31
2020
THE WAY FORWARD: PART 2 OF 3 FOR MARKETING MAJOR AND LEGACY GIFTS IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA
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
Mar
31
2020
The Way Forward: Part 1 of 3 for Marketing Major and Legacy Gifts in the Coronavirus Era
1. Don’t Panic It’s the first rule of crisis management. When we panic we make bad decisions. Many of us have been facing closures, lockdowns… Read More
Mar
29
2020
A pep talk for fundraisers like you!
We are going to get through this, and history proves it. For many of us, this is not the first economic downturn we have seen… Read More
Mar
04
2020
3 Simple Fundraising Metrics for Nonprofits (and How to Calculate Them)
Google search “fundraising metrics” and you’ll find plenty of blog posts and articles. In fact, you’ll come across too many. It can be overwhelming to figure out… Read More
Feb
26
2020
A Glossary of Key Fundraising Terms, Jargon, and Vocabulary You Need to Know
Every profession has its fair share of jargon. Fundraising, and nonprofits in general, are no exception. Fundraising terms, acronyms, and jargon are as varied and… Read More
Feb
19
2020
Two Examples of How to Cultivate Your Donors (Even When They Aren’t Your Donors)
There’s a theme to major and legacy gift fundraising. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to uncover it. It’s the importance of relationship building…. Read More
Feb
12
2020
Only 43 Percent of Organizations Met Their Major Gift Fundraising Goals in 2019
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that major gift fundraising is of the utmost importance. Whether it be reports from Giving USA,… Read More
Feb
05
2020
Major and Legacy Gift Fundraising Is Changing… Blame Robocalls.
Relationships building is part art, part science. And, as we all know, raising major and legacy gifts is all about building meaningful relationships. Over the… Read More
Jan
29
2020
How to Project Your Planned Gift Potential
“I owe a great deal of thanks to the person who invested in planned giving 15 years ago.” I was sitting in the crowd at… Read More
Jan
21
2020
Donor-advised Funds Are Misunderstood, Bound to Be Regulated, and Not Going Anywhere
“Have you read this one?” “Zach, hold on I didn’t even finish the other articles you sent me yet.” I guess I was being a… Read More
Jan
08
2020
Product Updates: January 2019
New Product: QCD Effort Raise more money (for less cost!) from qualified charitable distributions Over the past few months we’ve researched, tested, and validated the… Read More
Jan
02
2020
Here’s what I learned about leadership in 2019. I hope it helps you!
In the age of Fundraising Climate Change, leadership at nonprofits is needed more than ever. However, what I learned last year is that leadership is… Read More
Get the book!
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.
Get smarter with the SmartIdeas blog
Subscribe to our blog today and get actionable fundraising ideas delivered straight to your inbox!