Advice from Major Gift Donors Who Are Also Fundraising Volunteers (part 1 of a series)
by Tom Wilson Major Gifts Guru
I recently served as one of the faculty for PLAN MGO, an immersion training program for major gifts officers. The second day of our classes featured two
Russell
"Rather than just asking for a major gift I always ask people for an even greater gift to our cause – their time.
"Capital campaigns are like sprints. Keep the energy and finish quickly. I don’t like long campaigns.
"Never let a donor pay off a 5-year pledge. By year 2 you need to be meeting with the donor to tell them the impact of their current pledge. In year 3 start gathering ideas from the donor on their future interests in your organization. Year 4 bring back some projects that incorporate these interests with your organization’s plans for the future. Ask advice on how to design the program. In year 5 ask for a new 5-year pledge to fund their new ideas. If they pay the pledge off early, hurry up this process.
"Events – follow up after the event. Touch each person. If you feed ‘em, ask ‘em.
"I see too many times where everyone is scared to call on 'Mr. Big' to get a lead gift. Don’t be afraid. Mr. Big may be wondering why nobody has asked yet. He wants to be included. And, always remember it’s easier to get a $250,000 gift than a $25,000 gift.
"Believe in yourself. Realize all of us are self employed. Sure, some of us get a pay check from a company or nonprofit organization, but we all work for ourselves.
"I always tell people 'give until it feels good.'”
This article is part of a series. To read the rest of the series, please click the links below:
- Advice from Major Gift Donors Who Are Also Fundraising Volunteers (part 2 of a series)
- Advice from Major Gift Donors Who Are Also Fundraising Volunteers (part 3 of a series)
Permanent Link: Advice from Major Gift Donors Who Are Also Fundraising Volunteers (part 1 of a series)
http://majorgiftsguru.com/2009/11/advice-from-major-gift-donors-who-are.html
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