Smartideas

Straight talk about major, mid-level and legacy gift fundraising to help you be a better fundraiser

Why people WON’T give you money

Today, instead of talking about what makes people give, let’s take a look at what thwarts giving. You can find examples of communications that depress… Read More


Buckle up, fundraisers—hyperinflation and other factors are likely to change everything very soon

I sincerely hope I’m wrong. After all, I’m no economist. But it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to ignore the storm clouds gathering… Read More


Are you doubling down on a low-dollar fundraising strategy?

A few years ago a client told us she was being asked by her leadership to consider cancelling her MarketSmart subscription.  She said that during… Read More


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


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


Top 10 reasons you should take the new Donor Story: Epic Fundraising online training course with Dr. Russell James

Top 10 reasons you should take the new Donor Story: Epic Fundraising online training course with Dr. Russell James You’ll understand the secret reason people… Read More


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


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: They do not want fundraisers from other… Read More


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


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


10 Ways to Deliver Value to Your Major Donors and Planned Giving Prospects

Find ways to release dopamine and/or oxytocin in your supporters’ brains. Oxytocin creates intimacy, trust, and builds healthy relationships. It is essential for creating strong… Read More


The top qualification and prioritization data points you should consider before you reach out to your supporters to build a caseload

We surveyed a few hundred fundraisers to find out what they felt were the most (and least) important data points for qualifying and prioritizing major… Read More


Isn’t it time you leveraged technology so you can be the fundraiser you always wanted to be?

Let technology do what you don’t do well. Everyone knows that technology has been the key for innovation in the private sector. But the nonprofit… Read More


What to do when a supporter notifies you that they left your organization in their estate plan but won’t take your calls

I know, it’s frustrating. You want to thank them but they won’t respond to your outreach. First things first. There are a bunch of reasons why… Read More


16 Simple Things Your Best Donors Want

Here’s my list of essential major donor needs that you must aim to fulfill: Your best donors want you to do the important work they… Read More


Are you ready for the 24/7 donor?

Accenture – the world’s largest consulting firm – says that we’re in the era of the “nonstop consumer”. According to their website, “A customer’s path… Read More


Top 10 Reasons Why Gift Officers Won’t Make Outbound Calls to Donors

The reasons why fundraisers won’t make outbound calls to donors are because they are: FEARFUL: They fear rejection. CONFUSED: They don’t know what to say…. Read More


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


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


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


Why most of your marketing should appeal to donors in the WHY stage of the consideration continuum

Instinct. When I first started helping nonprofits raise major gifts for less, I instinctively knew that the traditional planned giving web content most vendors supplied… Read More


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


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


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


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