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What is donor qualification and why should you care about it?
iMarketSmart
APRIL 21, 2019
What is donor qualification?
iMarketSmart
Are you doubling down on stupidity?
iMarketSmart
APRIL 14, 2019
A client recently told us she was being asked by her leadership to consider cancelling her MarketSmart subscription. . She told us that last year, during Q4, the organization decided to spend more money on Giving Tuesday and its end-of-year marketing.
How to understand your donor’s consideration process so you generate more major gifts
iMarketSmart
APRIL 7, 2019
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 process for raising major gifts (including legacy gifts).
3 tips for your fundraising career
iMarketSmart
MARCH 31, 2019
Always add value. The best way to ensure that you have a job all the time is to make it a point to consistently try to add value to the lives of all the people with whom you come in contact. Everyone! Always! That includes the waitress, the janitor, and the guy who parks your car.
Thanking vs. Appreciating
iMarketSmart
MARCH 27, 2019
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 do. So, they do it as cost-efficiently as possible.
What is 3-to-1 Major Gift Fundraising?
iMarketSmart
MARCH 22, 2019
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 a simple methodology that I call “ 3-to-1 Major Gift Fundraising.
Beware of the fundraising Illuminati
iMarketSmart
MARCH 20, 2019
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 ‘experts’ exist; make no mistake!
The 8 Components of Engagement Fundraising
iMarketSmart
MARCH 11, 2019
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 90/10 rule when applied to fundraising.
Will You Become an Engagement Fundraiser?
iMarketSmart
MARCH 6, 2019
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 it done, I sincerely hope you’ll consider becoming an engagement fundraiser.
3 reasons why I use curse words (but only one that matters)
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.
16 Simple Things Your Best Donors Want
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.
The Top 3 Reasons Spray-And-Pray Fundraising Communications Fail
iMarketSmart
MARCH 4, 2019
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 with thousands of messages a day. To cut through the clutter communications must be relevant. If they aren’t they’ll be easily overlooked.
You Don’t Need Data, You Need Actionable Intelligence
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 27, 2019
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, board leadership) and interaction information (notes from discussions collected during donor calls and visits).
Engagement Fundraising in Action with Erin Troia (EF-S03-E03)
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].
How You Can Build Relationships With More Hi-Value Supporters at Lower Costs
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 25, 2019
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 you’re constantly swatting flies. Your board is probably breathing down your neck and your boss is probably on your back!
Follow This Example To See How Automated Cultivation Can Work To Meet Donor Needs.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 20, 2019
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: Step 1 – Awareness. The first step might be an offer (seemingly from you) to see if I’d like a digital version of my yearbook from my graduation year.
A bunch of reasons why January is NOT necessarily the best time to ‘hit your donor’s mailbox’
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.
10 Ways to Use Body Language to Close More Major Gifts
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Almost 50 years ago, Albert Mehrabian figured out that our words matter least and our body language matters most in face-to-face communications.
10 traits of terrible major and legacy gift fundraisers
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.
4 types of supporters that self-qualify their interest in being in your portfolio/caseload.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 13, 2019
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 for outreach.
Too much major and legacy gift fundraising is focused on HOW when it should be focused on WHY.
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 11, 2019
What the heck am I talking about?
What The Heck Is Progressive Profiling And Why You Need To Do It?
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 6, 2019
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 donors make decisions based on their timing, needs, wants, desires, and interests, not your organization’s.
It’s too bad that nonprofit leaders and board members thwart risk-taking
iMarketSmart
FEBRUARY 4, 2019
I think too many in the nonprofit sector fear failure. Unfortunately, that paralyzes people. It prevents them from making decisions and thwarts innovation. In most cases it isn’t the fundraisers fault. They want to take risks.
Let’s treat donors like piggy banks, not ATMs!
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 30, 2019
Stay with me on this. Of course, you can’t expect to get money out of a piggy bank unless you first make deposits. That framework has resulted in positive outcomes for eons. That’s why you should treat your supporters like piggy banks! You, the fundraiser, must make deposits first.
Why Your Year-End Fundraising Failed To Generate As Much Revenue As You Hoped
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 28, 2019
If your end-of-year ‘interruption’ marketing results were not what you hoped for, perhaps my prediction about ‘ FUNDRAISING CLIMATE CHANGE ‘ ( in my book, Engagement Fundraising ) is finally coming true.
Top 7 Fundraising In’s and Out’s for 2018
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.
Top 2 cringeworthy things some fundraisers say to major donor prospects (and what they might want to say instead)
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.
Isn’t it time you leveraged technology so you can be the fundraiser you always wanted to be?
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 23, 2019
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 sector is still mostly employing CRM, email, and social media to build relationships with supporters. .
Cold calling major donors to arrange appointments doesn’t work— but this method does
iMarketSmart
DECEMBER 11, 2017
No one likes getting cold calls and you probably don’t like making them.
The Four Selfs
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 16, 2019
I think donors like to qualify themselves, educate themselves, involve themselves, and solicit themselves. I call these the “four selfs” of Engagement Fundraising: Self-qualification Self-education. Self-involvement. Self-solicitation. Self-qualification.
Automated Cultivation vs. “Moves Management”
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 14, 2019
I’ve never really felt comfortable with the phrase “moves management.”. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a process Gift Officers or other fundraising professionals use for moving donors from cultivation to solicitation. .
Imagine This…
iMarketSmart
MARCH 29, 2019
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 those letters and emails told her how great I was. Imagine them also telling her that I really needed money for my future. Imagine them telling her that she should give me money. Also imagine if my letters and emails told her how she should have left me money in her will because, if she didn’t do that… the IRS would get it.
3 simple steps to break your transactional, spray-and-pray fundraising addiction
iMarketSmart
NOVEMBER 26, 2018
Nonprofits tend to get addicted to transactions. Of course addictions are hard to break. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be broken at all.
Are You Too Busy to Succeed?
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 11, 2019
As Henry David Thoreau pointed out: “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants! The question is, what are we busy about?” ” I’ve seen so many nonprofits fail to succeed simply because they are too busy. Activity is not achievement.
Are You Ready to Engage?
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 9, 2019
If you have been following our past posts, you should have a deep understanding of Engagement Fundraising and its fundamental concepts by now. You may even be contemplating restructuring your team to be more efficient and effective. But the question remains: Are you ready to engage?
3 scientific concepts you should understand and use properly to break through the noise and gain your supporters’ attention.
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 7, 2019
People are busy. They’re also drowning in information, data, marketing, and fundraising communications. Gaining their attention isn’t easy. Here are 3 scientific concepts to help you break through the noise: signaling theory, the mere exposure theory, and the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.
Free Webinar: 9 Useful Proven Strategies To Get The Major Donor Visit (Claire Axelrad)
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 4, 2019
I’m excited to share that Clairification Claire (Claire Axelrad) will be hosting a webinar with us on Tuesday, January 8th at 2 PM EST. This is one you won’t want to miss. Start the year off strong by learning from Claire some great tips on setting appointments with major donors.
Here are my IN’s & OUT’s for 2019… what do you think about them?
iMarketSmart
JANUARY 2, 2019
Being disrespectful, interrupting & annoying supporters. Spray-n’-pray marketing. Show up n’ throw up presentations. Treating donors like ATM machines. Asking for money (begging). Counting numbers of new Legacy Society members. Shaming donors into giving at events that cost a lot.
Here’s What Supporters “Buy” When They Donate to Charity
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 31, 2018
I think buying and donating are the same. Here’s why. When I give money to a charity, I am buying: A chance to be moved by someone’s story in an emotional way. An opportunity to feel I’m not powerless in the face of need and can help (this is especially true during disasters).
How I leave voicemail messages that get returned
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 29, 2018
Generally here’s how I leave messages that get returned: APPRECIATION: I say ‘thank you’ (and I get sort of ’emotional and gracious’ in my tone… without going overboard). It’s important to convey emotion so you sound relatable… human!
Top 3 ways to determine whether or not a so-called expert is worth listening to
iMarketSmart
APRIL 9, 2018
Most people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. On social media you’ll find a lot of people posting and making comments on posts. At conferences you’ll hear speakers babble on about stuff.
Top 3 reasons why major gift or legacy gift officers don’t have enough face-to-face meetings with donors
iMarketSmart
DECEMBER 12, 2018
I hear a lot of people complaining about gift officers not meeting with enough donors. Usually, these complaints come from people who don’t really do much face-to-face fundraising on their own. Instead, interestingly, they manage people who do.
Are you avoiding your donors?
iMarketSmart
OCTOBER 17, 2018
Too often I’ve seen some ‘fundraisers’ do whatever they can to avoid actually talking to donors. “I can’t call ’em yet. I’m waiting for the wealth screening.'” ” “I really should send a letter to first.”
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