by Marc A. Pitman | Aug 14, 2020 | 1. Research, 2. Engage, 3. Ask, 4. Love (Stewardship)
For decades, we've known that face-to-face meetings were the best way to raise major gifts. Talking directly to people. Taking them on a tour of the project. Being in the same space as the donors. Meeting face-to-face is so important, most major gift officers' job...
by Marc A. Pitman | Jan 31, 2020 | 4. Love (Stewardship), Fundraising Secrets
Do you have a system for expressing gratitude? For telling your nonprofit's donors how grateful you are for their support? In my weekly coaching email, Fundraising Kick, we've been looking at systems we use in fundraising. Using a system allows you to make a decision...
by Marc A. Pitman | Sep 25, 2019 | 1. Research, 2. Engage, 3. Ask, 4. Love (Stewardship)
Did you read the "Outspoken Donor" article in a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy? I didn't like it very much. But some of the donor's experiences with fundraisers are chilling. For example, she says: "Development officers sometimes think that because you gave money to...
by Marc A. Pitman | Aug 29, 2019 | 2. Engage, 4. Love (Stewardship), Fundraising Secrets
So many fundraising problems can be solved by interacting with donors. Getting to know them. Asking about their interests. Learning their stories. I call it "seeing donors in their natural habitat." But if you've had years and years of only focusing on your nonprofit...
by Marc A. Pitman | Jul 15, 2019 | 3. Ask, 4. Love (Stewardship), Question Marc?
Private coaching clients have been emailing me the doom and gloom articles on the latest Giving USA report. Giving was up about $3 billion but when adjusted for inflation, giving was down in 2018. This should grab our attention. But not for the reasons you think. In...
by Marc A. Pitman | Apr 9, 2019 | 1. Research, 2. Engage, 3. Ask, 4. Love (Stewardship), Fundraising Secrets, Internet & Social Media
Nonprofits love sending email. It doesn't take all the printing time of direct mail. And it costs less. But what if your emails aren't getting to your list? In the last few weeks, Google and Yahoo have tweaked their algorithms - the systems they use to determine if...
