Online will-making tools: My pros and cons.
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
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Helping you qualify, cultivate and prioritize major donors and legacy supporters so you can have fun closing more gifts more efficiently.
Aug
14
2019
Aug
07
2019
Are your letters to major donors and donor prospects any good?
Direct mail is NOT dead! However, ‘spray and pray‘ direct mail should be! Long live one-to-one, highly relevant, personalized communications— including direct mail letters! Direct… Read More
Aug
05
2019
GUEST POST: A Great Idea… Connecting With Donors Through Photo Books
This is a first! I’ve never had anyone write a guest post for my blog. But when I saw what Daphne Powell was doing to… Read More
Aug
01
2019
If you like VERITUS GROUP and you like me… now you can get both together!
Alignment. Have you ever met someone for the first time but felt like you had known them forever? Like you had a mysterious connection instantly?… Read More
Jul
31
2019
At last, the Fundraising Report Card is now 100% free for nonprofits
In case you’ve never heard of it… The Fundraising Report Card is a little application I had my staff build a couple of years ago…. Read More
Jul
29
2019
A perfect example of ‘spray and pray fundraising’
This email wasted my time and annoyed me because… I don’t know this person I don’t know this organization I didn’t give her or them… Read More
Jul
21
2019
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
Jul
16
2019
Why your capital campaign feasibility study could be leaving a lot of money on the table.
I think most campaign feasibility studies leave a ton of money on the table. Here’s a hyper-simplified description of how it usually works. You hire… Read More
Jul
10
2019
A digest of last year’s best blog posts (titled ‘The Best Of SmartIdeas’) is now available… for FREE.
If you’ve ever hoped for a digest of my best posts, today is your lucky day! Each year, my staff review the data to determine… Read More
Jul
08
2019
Here’s what’s missing from moves management.
Something about the term moves management has always made me feel uneasy. When I first heard the phrase I figured it was all about managing… Read More
Jun
25
2019
How to get your donors to respond to you WITHOUT asking them to respond to you
Does polite persistence really work any more? When I first got into sales, my uncle told me that polite persistence was the key to achieving… Read More
Jun
24
2019
Are you a dictatorial boss or a dynamic nonprofit leader?
I think too many nonprofit leaders don’t really know how to lead. Instead they just boss people around. Having a title means you have authority…. Read More
Jun
18
2019
Giving increased .7% but you won’t hear many people celebrating and that’s really too bad
They were wrong. Remember when the Lilly School predicted at least a $13 billion drop in giving due to the Trump Tax Cut (which would… Read More
Jun
17
2019
Why major and legacy donors think your fundraising communications stink!
First, it is not all your fault. Well then, can we blame it on leadership? Leadership should share the burden of blame because fundraisers tend… Read More
Jun
11
2019
Now Available: Executive Summary (PDF) of My Webinar On ‘Fundraising Climate Change’
A few weeks ago I hosted a webinar about Fundraising Climate Change (a term I developed some time ago and included in my book titled… Read More
Jun
04
2019
When you should NOT conduct face-to-face fundraising
Essentially, there are two types of face-to-face fundraising. When fundraising staff, leaders, and board members (or other supporters) meet with highly qualified, major and or… Read More
May
29
2019
Why You Need Tech-Enabled Donor Discovery
For decades, fundraisers have sought a ‘magic box’ to identify the most ideal donor prospects for outreach, relationship-building, and solicitation. Of course they do. Who… Read More
May
21
2019
Engagement Calling Metrics for Lead Outreach Associates Tasked With Arranging Meetings With Major Donor & Legacy Donor Prospects
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 highly qualified,… Read More
May
15
2019
7 Data Points That Prove ‘Fundraising Climate Change’ Is Real And Happening Now
What’s in a name? In my book (titled Engagement Fundraising) I briefly described the changes affecting nonprofits and their fundraising staff. The label I applied… Read More
May
13
2019
Why hardly anyone reads your planned giving newsletter (and what you can do about it).
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
May
09
2019
All About Fundraising Climate Change (And What You Can Do About It)
The world of fundraising is facing a climate change. For years, the environment has been shifting. The storm clouds have been gathering. I’ve been talking… Read More
May
05
2019
18 takeaways from my recent appearance on the Giving Back Podcast
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
May
02
2019
Musical chairs, your donors, and fundraising?
I think fundraisers should recognize that donors are playing a lifelong game of musical chairs. The people you consider to be YOUR donors are circling… Read More
Apr
29
2019
Why treating philanthropists like s#!t is hurting our society.
From bad to worse When I first saw the pictures of the flames engulfing Notre-Dame, I thought to myself, “That’s terrible.” But now, that the… 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.
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