How success and happiness relate to the raising of money
Everyone wants success and happiness in their lives. Sadly, too many people are misled or misdirected by the media and teachers about what success and …
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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.
Oct
03
2018
Oct
01
2018
The 8 core components of engagement fundraising and why you desperately need them
Most fundraising is based on what I call “single shot” strategies. For instance, it’s an event, gala or golf outing. Or, perhaps it’s a mailing,… Read More
Sep
27
2018
Engagement Fundraising in 7 simple bullet-points
Focus- Focus your marketing (especially your expensive marketing like face-to-face meetings) on people who have a lot of money Generate leads- Generate highly-qualified leads among… Read More
Sep
17
2018
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
Sep
12
2018
Why you should worry less about reducing overhead and more about delivering value.
Fundraisers and donors are in a pickle. They have been unfairly subjected to a broken system for decades. It isn’t their fault, but it is… Read More
Sep
07
2018
Is your annual fund tail wagging your major gift dog?
I always find it stupefying when a major gifts team tells me they need to get permission from the direct marketing team or higher up to… Read More
Sep
05
2018
3 big reasons why nobody talks about the single most important fundraising tactic on earth.
Let’s jump right in…. The single most important fundraising tactic on earth is appointment setting. There! I said it! Don’t believe me? The late Jerold Panas… Read More
Aug
27
2018
How are you doing compared to your peers?
Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE (an expert on fundraising, social media, and nonprofits) pulled together these nuggets from my Fundraising Report Card app. For that, I owe her… Read More
Aug
22
2018
15 Reasons Why Colleges and Universities Better Start Raising Money Much FASTER!!!
According to Glassdoor, the following 15 companies no longer require college degrees. I think they are starting to recognize that they can hire smart people… Read More
Aug
20
2018
Why your donor prospects lie to you and won’t accept your outreach
If you’re like me, you hate being sold. You can sense when a salesperson is trying to get you to do something you’re not quite… Read More
Aug
15
2018
Why Response Rates Don’t Matter.
It always frustrates me to hear fundraisers or their consultants concern themselves with vanity metrics like response rates for lead generation efforts. Honestly, I’m tired… Read More
Aug
13
2018
7 ways to make sure your print designs win hearts and minds (not design awards)
Make the fonts at least 12 pt…. 14 point is even better for older eyes. Even though you might feel that it looks chunky, remember,… Read More
Aug
08
2018
9 Tips to Help You Start and Maintain a Major or Legacy Giving Conversation
Before you can even get to ‘the ask’ you’ve got to start and maintain a conversation. Here are some pointers to do just that: Don’t… Read More
Aug
06
2018
Donor target ask amounts offend me
I keep seeing software or wealth screening companies providing fundraisers with target ask amounts. I don’t get it. How on earth can a software provider… Read More
Aug
01
2018
Want a copy of the ‘best of my blog’ book?
Some of you might already know that I’ve got a book coming out this year on September 18th titled Engagement Fundraising. Hooray! You can pre-order… Read More
Jul
30
2018
Fear or fear not… a massive disruption in the fundraising industry? That is the question!
It seems like everyone is saying they are disrupting this or that these days. Lots of people wear it as a badge of honor whether… Read More
Jul
25
2018
Why you should think more than twice about allowing anonymous responses in donor surveys
Sometimes people ask us why we don’t allow donors to be anonymous when taking donor surveys. I guess they actually believe donors want to be… Read More
Jul
23
2018
10 reasons why donors and fundraisers like Rollover IRA giving
We’re getting pretty good at marketing rollover IRAs here at MarketSmart. Here are some of the things we’ve learned as we’ve crafted a value proposition… Read More
Jul
18
2018
Engagement Fundraising Podcast: The reviews are in!
Podcasting is pretty new for me. I’ve never done it before. But I’m thrilled to see the reviews for the Engagement Fundraising Podcast have been positive. Hooray!!… Read More
Jul
16
2018
The difference between wealth screening and wealth appending
First, wealth screening. Over the past 10 to 20 years, wealth screening has become a common practice for fundraising shops. But staff should always remember… Read More
Jul
13
2018
11 reasons why donors and organizations love charitable gift annuities
Why donors like CGAs CGAs help them feel good because they get to make a gift to support a cause they believe in while also… Read More
Jul
11
2018
How nonprofit organizations can provide more value to generate more revenue in 5 simple steps.
In my last post, I tore up the concept of the disappearing donor. I proclaimed that donors are not disappearing. Rather, our sector’s fundraising practices are driving… Read More
Jul
09
2018
The myth of the disappearing donor
Lots of folks think donors are disappearing. While populations in the U.S. and other philanthropic countries are still increasing how can it be that donors… 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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