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One of the most enjoyable aspects of major-gift fundraising is getting to build relationships with donors. But often nonprofits squander the opportunities given to them by not doing any research. Before we get started, a word of warning: The goal of research isn't to snoop. We're only going to look at publicly available information, but it can still feel intrusive. Your integrity is always worth more than the biggest donation a person might give. Always.

Fundraising copywriting is a craft. And like other craftspersons, we copywriters begin our training by learning some fundamental prewriting techniques designed to help us organize our thoughts so we can transcribe what's in our heads onto our documents. But, also like other craftspersons, as time goes by and we become more proficient and confident, we tend to skip those basic practices and jump straight into the job.

Say you’re launching a new political campaign or organization. What’s the first way people will try to find you? They’ll go to their trusty search engine and type in your name. It’s critical that your official website shows up in the first page of results, in the top few choices above the fold if possible. How do you make that magic happen? Here are some search engine optimization tips that will help you land at the top of the heap.

The Environmental Working Group was in the middle of an all-out push to raise money when it made a disconcerting discovery. The nonprofit realized that all the fundraising emails it sent to people who used Google’s Gmail service, one of the most popular email providers, were going straight into supporters’ spam folders, not their inboxes.

As big email service providers continue to wage war on spammers, nonprofits are getting caught in the crossfire. The solution, as the Environmental Working Group found out, is a good old-fashioned email house cleaning.

Here are nine ways that your nonprofit can continually create magical content that will have your supporters clamoring for more on social media and all your other content marketing channels: 1. Figure out the why. 2. Tell stories. 3. Use video. 4. Create infographics. 5. Showcase impact. 6. Be transparent. 7. Improve and upgrade boring print content. 8. Less is more. 9. Respect the channel.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

It doesn’t matter how many foundations, individual donors, local and regional governments, and other funders believe in your organization and can donate financial support to it if those donors can’t find you and put you on their radar. Researching grants and prospects is the first step in the process, and navigating the upper levels of major-gift fundraising often requires a different approach than individual gift campaigns.

Recent tweets from folks you should be following.

My first Google Hangout happened last month courtesy of Marc Pitman, founder of FundraisingCoach.com and a member of the FS Editorial Advisory Board. He was gathering some of his fellow contributors to “The Essential Fundraising Handbook for Small Nonprofits” and invited me to join them for a conversation. (Check it out at here.)