Are you doubling down on a low-dollar fundraising strategy?
A client recently told us she was being asked by her leadership to consider cancelling her MarketSmart subscription. She said that last year, during Q4,… Read More
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.
Apr
14
2019
Apr
07
2019
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
Apr
05
2019
Why fundraisers should take some lessons from stockbrokers
I stumbled on an article written for stockbrokers (financial advisors) that I found interesting because it recounted the top three reasons why clients leave: Poor… Read More
Mar
31
2019
3 tips for your fundraising career
1. Always add value. The best way to ensure that you have a job all the time is to make it a point to consistently… Read More
Mar
29
2019
Imagine This…
Did you have a grandmother or elderly aunt, uncle or friend? I did. Imagine if I sent mine letters and emails every once in a while. Imagine that… Read More
Mar
27
2019
Thanking vs. Appreciating
Mechanized thank you’s. I’ve been thinking that, perhaps, too many organizations have turned thanking into an automated obligation. They realize it’s something they’re supposed to… Read More
Mar
22
2019
What is 3-to-1 Major Gift Fundraising?
Let’s face it, your supporters want something in exchange for their cash. But, sadly, many nonprofits don’t give. This compelled me to come up with… Read More
Mar
20
2019
Beware of the fundraising Illuminati
The Illuminati is the name given to real and fictitious secret society groups claiming special knowledge or enlightenment. In the nonprofit sector, such groups of… Read More
Mar
15
2019
You Can’t Marry Your Donors After the First Date
Donors build relationships with nonprofits the same way they build relationships with people. Slowly! Step 1: Meet through friends Step 2: Chat a bit Step… Read More
Mar
13
2019
Today I think I’ll take a victory lap. Will you join me?
I get things wrong all the time. Back in 1993 when I quit my first ‘real’ job in the newspaper business I predicted printed newspapers… Read More
Mar
11
2019
The 8 Components of Engagement Fundraising
There are eight components of my innovative fundraising methodology: 1. Accepting the Pareto principle We’ve called it the 80/20 rule, but it’s more like the… Read More
Mar
08
2019
12 questions to ask yourself to avoid disrespecting your supporters
In the for profit world they call it customer service. All of us get frustrated when we feel slighted or disrespected. Yet, sadly, nonprofits are… Read More
Mar
06
2019
Will You Become an Engagement Fundraiser?
For the sake of donors, volunteers, advocates, and members everywhere who want to change the world but need an organization bigger than them to get… Read More
Mar
04
2019
The Top 3 Reasons Spray-And-Pray Fundraising Communications Fail
The traditional spray and pray marketing communications tactics just don’t work. Here’s why: 1. They are Irrelevant In this day and age, people get bombarded… Read More
Mar
01
2019
The 6 most read parts of any major gift letter
I’m always a bit baffled when I see fundraising letters that fail to take into consideration the following. After all, research by Professor Siegfried Vogele has clearly proven… Read More
Feb
27
2019
You Don’t Need Data, You Need Actionable Intelligence
You have plenty of data. That data probably includes donation recency, frequency, and monetary value. You might also track involvement information (participation in events, volunteerism,… Read More
Feb
25
2019
How You Can Build Relationships With More Hi-Value Supporters at Lower Costs
Your job is tough! If you’re like most fundraisers, you’re already working hard. You don’t have enough time, you’re pulled in too many directions, and… Read More
Feb
22
2019
6 reasons why some donors prefer to stay anonymous
In case you’ve ever wondered why some donors prefer to stay anonymous, here are 6 proven reasons why: 1. They do not want fundraisers from… Read More
Feb
20
2019
Follow This Example To See How Automated Cultivation Can Work To Meet Donor Needs.
If you were a fundraiser at my alma mater seeking a donation from me for a new building, a progressive campaign might look like this:… Read More
Feb
15
2019
10 Ways to Use Body Language to Close More Major Gifts
Almost 50 years ago, Albert Mehrabian figured out that our words matter least and our body language matters most in face-to-face communications. His landmark… Read More
Feb
13
2019
4 types of supporters that self-qualify their interest in being in your portfolio/caseload.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I think donor surveys are great for qualifying and prioritizing your supporters… Read More
Feb
11
2019
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
Feb
08
2019
5 thoughts that might lead your supporters to feel donor remorse
Here are some of the thoughts crossing your donors’ minds while you’re asking them to support your cause: Will they say thank you or just… Read More
Feb
06
2019
What The Heck Is Progressive Profiling And Why You Need To Do It?
It’s about their timing, not yours. Fundraisers, as well as their organization’s leadership and board members, need to come to terms with the fact that… 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!