Login
Last week I wrote a post that ruffled some feathers. I do that from time to time. It’s probably because everything I think, write and… Read More
Recently one of my staff reminded me of this article written by Zach Shefska (one of our staff at MarketSmart). He wrote it back during… Read More
The flow chart below makes me very uncomfortable. Here’s why: Science and experience have led me to realize that a donor’s objective is usually, first and foremost,… Read More
Consider this. “Consider” is a very powerful word for fundraising. “Would you consider a gift in the amount of $25,000 to help fund this project?”… Read More
Every marketing channel needs to be optimized and employed properly. Sadly most fundraisers are using email the wrong way. Email should NOT be used primarily… Read More
What follows are the 4 things you need to know in order to close more gifts faster: 1. Who has the capacity to give 2…. Read More
Unlike populist fundraisers (who treat everyone the same), engagement fundraisers aim to find and build relationships with “first class passengers”— people who are willing to “pay”… Read More
The HIPPO is the highest paid person in the office at the time when a decision needs to be made. HIPPOs tend to be far… Read More
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I coined the phrase “engagement fundraising” in 2013. Here’s my first rant on… Read More
Great volunteer opportunities and experiences are essential for your nonprofit (as discussed before). Here’s what the data shows your high net worth volunteers are looking for! Having… Read More
Donor Advised Funds… There are plenty of people who don’t like ’em. They say that they are holding pens for dollars that should be distributed… Read More
Each year my amazing staff grab the best, most popular blog posts from the prior year to create a book for our readers. At last, the… Read More
For those of you who are new to the field, Mal Warwick played a tremendous leadership role in fundraising and direct marketing. In his book… Read More
Here are 14 things you must know about your donors if you want to raise major and planned gifts (13 of which can be obtained from… Read More
Thanks to scientific research, we now know conclusively that giving to others makes us feel good about ourselves, which in turn, makes us happy. But… Read More
After reading that headline, did you feel a sense of urgency? Sorry to trick you but I wanted you to see what it felt like… Read More
One day a long time ago I was in a board meeting talking about raising money and a member said the following: “The only time… Read More
A longstanding misconception has been spread around for too long. Your planned giving web pages don’t need to be updated “with the latest tax laws.”… Read More
Life stories are like fingerprints. No two are alike and everyone has them. All of our life stories are filled with challenges that must be… Read More
1. Make sure the intern cares about your mission 2. Have the intern view videos, read reports and talk to program staff (and beneficiaries) so… Read More
A well-known speaker once led the opening presentation at the ACGA Annual Symposium right in my backyard— Baltimore, Maryland. In his presentation, he mentioned that… Read More
The word bequest sucks when it comes to generating planned gift revenue. Stop using it. Here’s why: No one uses this word with their family… Read More
Recently one of our beloved clients critiqued something we thought she should do by saying, “Well if I saw that envelope I’d throw it in the… Read More
Here are the top 10 reasons why donors like taking donor surveys: 1. They want to be perceived as (or see themselves as) a helpful… Read More
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.
Subscribe to our blog today and get actionable fundraising ideas delivered straight to your inbox!
