Expert insights. Personalized for you.
It’s no longer 80-20 but, rather, 70/.7. According to our research, tons of nonprofits spend most of their fundraising budget on efforts focused on acquiring low dollar donors. Yet they only make up 7% of all donation revenue year after year. MORE
Click here for the free comprehensive guide for donor-advised funds. Trends come and go, but donor-advised funds are forever. I’m not quite sure that’s the quote, but I think it goes something like that. MORE
Relationships building is part art, part science. And, as we all know, raising major and legacy gifts is all about building meaningful relationships. Over the past few years, the strategies and tactics nonprofits employ to raise major and legacy gifts has evolved and changed, and with good reason. MORE
“I owe a great deal of thanks to the person who invested in planned giving 15 years ago.”. I was sitting in the crowd at the 2019 ANA Chicago Nonprofit Conference, listening to the presentation titled “Retaining Your Sustaining Donors” when my ears perked up. MORE
I hear the following all the time when I ask fundraisers about their efforts to land meetings with major and legacy donors: “I tried calling, but they didn’t answer the phone,” they say. So what’s really happening here. MORE
If you had $58B, you would be among some interesting company. 58B represents more wealth than Larry Page and Michael Bloomberg, but not enough to surpass Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos. MORE
Brace yourself. . This is a long post because there’s a lot to be said. . I wrote it because digital will-writing tools are popping up to help your supporters facilitate their planning conveniently online. That’s creating both opportunities and challenges for fundraisers. MORE
Recently I saw a question posted on a discussion board that was inspired by a blog (NOT mine) titled: WHY YOU NEED TO HIT YOUR DONOR’S MAILBOX FIRST THING IN 2019. The question was: Planned/legacy giving marketing – when do you mail? Here’s the response I posted. MORE
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field. MORE
In case you’ve never heard of it… The Fundraising Report Card is a little application I had my staff build a couple of years ago. MORE
This email wasted my time and annoyed me because… I don’t know this person. I don’t know this organization. I didn’t give her or them permission to email me. I have no connection whatsoever to this cause or this organization. MORE
This guest post on year-end fundraising stats is from Nathan Hill at NextAfter. Every development professional understands the importance of year-end fundraising. MORE
If you’ve ever hoped for a digest of my best posts, today is your lucky day! Each year, my staff review the data to determine which posts were viewed and shared the most. Then they pull the copy from the most popular articles to create a brief, easy-to-read digest. You can get it now, for free. MORE
The power of convenience as an influencer and motivator of outcomes is enormous and should never be underestimated. Ours is a culture of convenience; we expect it in every area of our lives. Amazon.com is growing and profiting because it provides astounding levels of convenience to its customers. MORE
Here’s my list of essential major donor needs that you must aim to fulfill: 1. Your best donors want you to do the important work they can’t or won’t do. Your best donors want you to give them the credit and praise for your achievements. They want to be the hero in the story, not you. MORE
There’s a theme to major and legacy gift fundraising. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to uncover it. It’s the importance of relationship building. At the root of every major or legacy gift made there’s an intimate and undoubtedly deep connection between a donor and the organization. MORE
Google search “fundraising metrics” and you’ll find plenty of blog posts and articles. In fact, you’ll come across too many. It can be overwhelming to figure out what fundraising metrics your nonprofit should track and measure. MORE
“You can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”. I wasn’t frustrated. If anything, I was disappointed. How could I forget that quote?” I thought to myself. I was sitting in our CEO’s office. MORE
Direct mail is NOT dead! However, ‘ spray and pray ‘ direct mail should be! Long live one-to-one, highly relevant, personalized communications— including direct mail letters! Direct mail letters are powerful because, when done right, they make donors feel good. MORE
I think most campaign feasibility studies leave a ton of money on the table. Here’s a hyper-simplified description of how it usually works. You hire a consultant. Together, you conduct the feasibility study and review the results. MORE
What would you do with $2.5 trillion? Retire? Buy a beach house? Travel the world? Develop a marketing strategy for Charitable IRA Rollovers? Probably not the latter). The options seem limitless, and, in fact, they most certainly are if you were to come across that much money! MORE
“I’d like to meet you to update you / tell you what we do / tell you what we’ve been doing , etc.” ” I’ve had fundraisers approach me this way. It’s all about them and their organization. MORE
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field. MORE
In case you couldn’t tell from the title of today’s blog post, we have some exciting news to share with you! MarketSmart is the newest member of The Giving Institute. MORE
No one likes getting cold calls and you probably don’t like making them. MORE
Sadly, I’ve witnessed all of these but I truly believe #1 is the worst. Here are my top 10 traits of terrible fundraisers that drive major donors away: . Showing up late; 9. Failing to do something that was promised; 8. Talking about how great they are at raising money; 7. MORE
Developing process is tricky. In the world of for-profit businesses there are myriad books , webinars , and even conferences you can attend to help you become a “process” master. Yet, when it comes to nonprofit organizations the literature is fewer and farther between. MORE
Alignment. Have you ever met someone for the first time but felt like you had known them forever? Like you had a mysterious connection instantly? That’s how I felt when I first met Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (from Veritus Group) in Philadelphia years ago. MORE
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 should be doing something else; 9. They are poorly trained (or not trained at all) and, therefore, don’t know how and when to do it; 8. MORE
Filter by Digital Body Language. Digital body language is integral to understanding how supporters are engaging with your organization online. You can now filter by certain activities, such as microsite engagement, cultivation email engagement, recency of digital engagement, notes, and more! MORE
I wish I didn’t have such a “clickbait” title. Even I’d think twice before reading a blog post that suggests it can make you more effective at everything… But, before you press the back button or open a new tab, please hear me out. MORE
Where we were. MORE
She told me others would say I was unprofessional. I was asked to lead a roundtable discussion at a conference recently. So I did. And afterward one of the attendees approached me as I got a cup of coffee in the sponsorship expo room. MORE
Greg interviews Erin Troia about her “Engagement Fundraising” experiences. Erin recently finished reading an advanced copy of Engagement Fundraising and tried out some of the concepts she read about in the book. Learn more about MarketSmart at [link]. MORE
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 I make 35,000 decisions a day?” You might find yourself pondering. MORE
Every profession has its fair share of jargon. Fundraising, and nonprofits in general, are no exception. Fundraising terms, acronyms, and jargon are as varied and valid as any other industry. As professionals in this field, we certainly have a wide-ranging glossary of phrases at our disposal. MORE
This time of year is filled with tricks and treats. The end of October seemingly always has something in store for us, whether it be a new costume fad, wacky weather (too hot, or too cold), or the general “all hands on deck” push to execute year-end fundraising strategies. MORE
At MarketSmart, we don’t close sales and we don’t close deals. When it comes to how to ask for a gift, you’ll see there’s a parallel with how we conduct sales, and how nonprofits should raise funds. MORE
Leadership is NOT about ‘managing’ people, bossing them around, or being a tyrant and it ISN’T about showing people how great YOU are either. Instead, it’s about helping coachable people that have passion and character become great. MORE
“Have you read this one?”. “Zach, hold on I didn’t even finish the other articles you sent me yet.” ” I guess I was being a bit overwhelming. Okay, yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just there is SO much out there on DAFs right now. It’s hard to keep up.”. MORE
Something about the term moves management has always made me feel uneasy. When I first heard the phrase I figured it was all about managing the moves fundraisers make to get donors to move forward in the decision-making process, and I was right. MORE
OUT: Making donors feel bad , twisting their arms, telling them to give ’til it hurts and shaming them. IN: Making donors feel good , treating them like people (not ATM’s), partnering and giving them the value they want. MORE
Some people really know how to be givers. You know what I mean don’t you? From time to time all of us come across people who simply want to help others without seeking anything in return. Don’t you agree? That’s how I found Louis Diez. MORE
This is a first! I’ve never had anyone write a guest post for my blog. But when I saw what Daphne Powell was doing to grow relationships with her donors, I reached out to her to see if she might consider telling you her story. MORE
iMarketSmart
MARCH 4, 2020
Google search “fundraising metrics” and you’ll find plenty of blog posts and articles. In fact, you’ll come across too many. It can be overwhelming to figure out what fundraising metrics your nonprofit should track and measure.
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 2, 2020
Leadership is NOT about ‘managing’ people, bossing them around, or being a tyrant and it ISN’T about showing people how great YOU are either. Instead, it’s about helping coachable people that have passion and character become great.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
Every profession has its fair share of jargon. Fundraising, and nonprofits in general, are no exception. Fundraising terms, acronyms, and jargon are as varied and valid as any other industry. As professionals in this field, we certainly have a wide-ranging glossary of phrases at our disposal.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
There’s a theme to major and legacy gift fundraising. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to uncover it. It’s the importance of relationship building. At the root of every major or legacy gift made there’s an intimate and undoubtedly deep connection between a donor and the organization.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 5, 2020
Relationships building is part art, part science. And, as we all know, raising major and legacy gifts is all about building meaningful relationships. Over the past few years, the strategies and tactics nonprofits employ to raise major and legacy gifts has evolved and changed, and with good reason.
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 29, 2020
“I owe a great deal of thanks to the person who invested in planned giving 15 years ago.”. I was sitting in the crowd at the 2019 ANA Chicago Nonprofit Conference, listening to the presentation titled “Retaining Your Sustaining Donors” when my ears perked up.
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 20, 2020
“Have you read this one?”. “Zach, hold on I didn’t even finish the other articles you sent me yet.” ” I guess I was being a bit overwhelming. Okay, yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just there is SO much out there on DAFs right now. It’s hard to keep up.”.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 18, 2019
This guest post on year-end fundraising stats is from Nathan Hill at NextAfter. Every development professional understands the importance of year-end fundraising.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
I hear the following all the time when I ask fundraisers about their efforts to land meetings with major and legacy donors: “I tried calling, but they didn’t answer the phone,” they say. So what’s really happening here.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
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 I make 35,000 decisions a day?” You might find yourself pondering.
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 22, 2019
If you had $58B, you would be among some interesting company. 58B represents more wealth than Larry Page and Michael Bloomberg, but not enough to surpass Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos.
iMarketSmart
DECEMBER 5, 2019
Click here for the free comprehensive guide for donor-advised funds. Trends come and go, but donor-advised funds are forever. I’m not quite sure that’s the quote, but I think it goes something like that.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 26, 2019
“You can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”. I wasn’t frustrated. If anything, I was disappointed. How could I forget that quote?” I thought to myself. I was sitting in our CEO’s office.
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 29, 2019
This time of year is filled with tricks and treats. The end of October seemingly always has something in store for us, whether it be a new costume fad, wacky weather (too hot, or too cold), or the general “all hands on deck” push to execute year-end fundraising strategies.
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 25, 2019
Where we were.
iMarketSmart
JUNE 6, 2018
She told me others would say I was unprofessional. I was asked to lead a roundtable discussion at a conference recently. So I did. And afterward one of the attendees approached me as I got a cup of coffee in the sponsorship expo room.
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 17, 2019
It’s no longer 80-20 but, rather, 70/.7. According to our research, tons of nonprofits spend most of their fundraising budget on efforts focused on acquiring low dollar donors. Yet they only make up 7% of all donation revenue year after year.
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 1, 2019
Some people really know how to be givers. You know what I mean don’t you? From time to time all of us come across people who simply want to help others without seeking anything in return. Don’t you agree? That’s how I found Louis Diez.
iMarketSmart
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Developing process is tricky. In the world of for-profit businesses there are myriad books , webinars , and even conferences you can attend to help you become a “process” master. Yet, when it comes to nonprofit organizations the literature is fewer and farther between.
iMarketSmart
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
I wish I didn’t have such a “clickbait” title. Even I’d think twice before reading a blog post that suggests it can make you more effective at everything… But, before you press the back button or open a new tab, please hear me out.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 23, 2018
Greg interviews Erin Troia about her “Engagement Fundraising” experiences. Erin recently finished reading an advanced copy of Engagement Fundraising and tried out some of the concepts she read about in the book. Learn more about MarketSmart at [link].
iMarketSmart
MAY 30, 2018
Sadly, I’ve witnessed all of these but I truly believe #1 is the worst. Here are my top 10 traits of terrible fundraisers that drive major donors away: . Showing up late; 9. Failing to do something that was promised; 8. Talking about how great they are at raising money; 7.
iMarketSmart
SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
Filter by Digital Body Language. Digital body language is integral to understanding how supporters are engaging with your organization online. You can now filter by certain activities, such as microsite engagement, cultivation email engagement, recency of digital engagement, notes, and more!
iMarketSmart
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
What would you do with $2.5 trillion? Retire? Buy a beach house? Travel the world? Develop a marketing strategy for Charitable IRA Rollovers? Probably not the latter). The options seem limitless, and, in fact, they most certainly are if you were to come across that much money!
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 2, 2018
OUT: Making donors feel bad , twisting their arms, telling them to give ’til it hurts and shaming them. IN: Making donors feel good , treating them like people (not ATM’s), partnering and giving them the value they want.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 26, 2019
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 26, 2019
Recently a lot of people have been writing about the high level of turnover among fundraisers in our field.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 5, 2018
Here’s my list of essential major donor needs that you must aim to fulfill: 1. Your best donors want you to do the important work they can’t or won’t do. Your best donors want you to give them the credit and praise for your achievements. They want to be the hero in the story, not you.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 23, 2019
The power of convenience as an influencer and motivator of outcomes is enormous and should never be underestimated. Ours is a culture of convenience; we expect it in every area of our lives. Amazon.com is growing and profiting because it provides astounding levels of convenience to its customers.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 20, 2019
At MarketSmart, we don’t close sales and we don’t close deals. When it comes to how to ask for a gift, you’ll see there’s a parallel with how we conduct sales, and how nonprofits should raise funds.
iMarketSmart
DECEMBER 11, 2017
No one likes getting cold calls and you probably don’t like making them.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 14, 2019
Brace yourself. . This is a long post because there’s a lot to be said. . I wrote it because digital will-writing tools are popping up to help your supporters facilitate their planning conveniently online. That’s creating both opportunities and challenges for fundraisers.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 7, 2019
Direct mail is NOT dead! However, ‘ spray and pray ‘ direct mail should be! Long live one-to-one, highly relevant, personalized communications— including direct mail letters! Direct mail letters are powerful because, when done right, they make donors feel good.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 5, 2019
This is a first! I’ve never had anyone write a guest post for my blog. But when I saw what Daphne Powell was doing to grow relationships with her donors, I reached out to her to see if she might consider telling you her story.
iMarketSmart
AUGUST 1, 2019
Alignment. Have you ever met someone for the first time but felt like you had known them forever? Like you had a mysterious connection instantly? That’s how I felt when I first met Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (from Veritus Group) in Philadelphia years ago.
iMarketSmart
JULY 31, 2019
In case you’ve never heard of it… The Fundraising Report Card is a little application I had my staff build a couple of years ago.
iMarketSmart
JUNE 1, 2018
“I’d like to meet you to update you / tell you what we do / tell you what we’ve been doing , etc.” ” I’ve had fundraisers approach me this way. It’s all about them and their organization.
iMarketSmart
JULY 26, 2019
This email wasted my time and annoyed me because… I don’t know this person. I don’t know this organization. I didn’t give her or them permission to email me. I have no connection whatsoever to this cause or this organization.
iMarketSmart
JULY 21, 2019
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 should be doing something else; 9. They are poorly trained (or not trained at all) and, therefore, don’t know how and when to do it; 8.
iMarketSmart
JULY 16, 2019
I think most campaign feasibility studies leave a ton of money on the table. Here’s a hyper-simplified description of how it usually works. You hire a consultant. Together, you conduct the feasibility study and review the results.
iMarketSmart
JULY 10, 2019
If you’ve ever hoped for a digest of my best posts, today is your lucky day! Each year, my staff review the data to determine which posts were viewed and shared the most. Then they pull the copy from the most popular articles to create a brief, easy-to-read digest. You can get it now, for free.
iMarketSmart
JULY 8, 2019
Something about the term moves management has always made me feel uneasy. When I first heard the phrase I figured it was all about managing the moves fundraisers make to get donors to move forward in the decision-making process, and I was right.
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 19, 2018
Recently I saw a question posted on a discussion board that was inspired by a blog (NOT mine) titled: WHY YOU NEED TO HIT YOUR DONOR’S MAILBOX FIRST THING IN 2019. The question was: Planned/legacy giving marketing – when do you mail? Here’s the response I posted.
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