5 Best Practices For Writing Emails to Major and Legacy Donor Prospects
1. Be truthful, no tricks! Ever! You cannot build relationships upon lies. Not even white lies. 2. Be relevant. To do that, you must consider… 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.
Nov
20
2020
Nov
18
2020
Is donor qualification more important than donor identification?
Identification. If you are a major or legacy gift fundraiser, you’re probably responsible for a group of donors on your caseload or portfolio. The collection… Read More
Nov
13
2020
How to Reach Out to Your Major or Legacy Gift Prospects Using LinkedIn
You know major gift fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint. But your boss wants results now. So you screen your list for wealth. Or… Read More
Nov
03
2020
Dr. Russell James’ Top 10 Ways Your Supporters Can Give Wisely Before the Year Ends
I’m very thankful that Dr. Russell James has graciously shared 10 smart ways your supporters can give wisely before the end of this year. He… Read More
Oct
30
2020
If you want to hear how the best major gift officers succeed (and fail) in fundraising… look no further
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
Oct
26
2020
Top 10 Capital Campaign Mistakes Revealed
Can you add to this list? 1. Failure to conduct a feasibility study 2. Failure to pay attention to the results of the feasibility study… Read More
Oct
07
2020
Finally, the true cause of high fundraiser turnover!
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field. As reported in The Chronicle of… Read More
Sep
30
2020
The worst way to start a conversation with a donor.
“Did you get the [information, brochure, or letter] I sent?” Has anyone really had great success starting an outreach call with this question? In my… Read More
Sep
23
2020
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
Aug
31
2020
Product Updates: August 2020
Here’s a roundup of some major updates we’ve made to your MarketSmart Dashboard thanks to your feedback. Be sure to refresh your Dashboard once you’ve… Read More
Aug
31
2020
Why you should use nostalgia to promote more giving
I recently stumbled upon a neat paper titled Nostalgia: The Gift That Keeps Giving. Here’s a summary: Overview 1. Nostalgia is a very personal, social emotion that… Read More
Aug
28
2020
Here’s What Supporters “Buy” When They Donate to Charity
I think buying and donating are the same. Here’s why. When I give money to a charity, I am buying: A chance to be moved by… Read More
Aug
26
2020
Top 3 reasons why major gift or legacy gift officers don’t have enough face-to-face meetings with donors
I hear a lot of people complaining about gift officers not meeting with enough donors. Usually, these complaints come from people who don’t really do… Read More
Aug
24
2020
Too much major and legacy gift fundraising is focused on HOW when it should be focused on WHY.
What the heck am I talking about? Major gift fundraising communications (especially legacy gift marketing) tend to focus too much on showing supporters how they… Read More
Aug
21
2020
How to understand your donor’s consideration process so you generate more major gifts
First things first. Too often fundraisers, board members, and nonprofit leaders spend way too much time thinking and talking about their organization’s or their employee’s… Read More
Aug
19
2020
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
Aug
17
2020
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
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
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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