Major Gifts Survival Tips

5 Ways To Keep Focused

In spite of the tough economy major gifts are still out there and available to fundraisers who are focused. Donors are pulling back from new philanthropic ventures as they try to protect their top 3 to 5 charities. They want to keep giving as they realize many nonprofits are facing severe operating challenges. Here are major gift fundraising survival tips:

• 1) Check your list of all major gift donors from the last 2 fiscal years – are you in their top 3 priority list for charitable giving? If you don't know, go out to meet everyone on the list and ask.


• 2) Is your board giving to its maximum potential? Spend time to research their giving in the community, their networth, and their understanding of your mission. Then interview each pboard member to help set the pace for giving in a tough economy.


• 3) Challenge grants work for your annual fund as well as for capital campaigns. Find a lead donor to challenge your other major gift donors to respond right now.


• 4) Position your organization with your major gift donors and prospects. Repackage any newspaper stories and mail them to your donors. Set up an email newsletter with once-a-month case stories of how your organization benefits your community.


• 5) Take extraordinary steps to thank and steward your current donors so they feel special and more committed to your organization. Ask board members to make thank you calls. If you're a school, have faculty make thank you calls and students send thank you notes (the more authentic student-funky the better). If you're a hospital, have physicians and nurses call to say thanks or volunteers send personal notes.

The bottom line: it's no longer business as usual. Fundraising is going to take more time and more money to raise the same amount of money. Make your major gifts program high-touch and high impact.

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