Major Gifts play a predominant role in non-profit fundraising success.
Would you believe that a single thank you note to a group of donors brought in an extra $450,000 to FOOD FOR THE POOR?
Watch now and see how Executive Director, Angel Aloma, did it!
Blockbuster Fundraising offers this as the first great 2017 Fundraising Tip for YOU! Watch this video and then read 20 QUESTIONS, THE DONOR COMMUNICATIONS TEST for more great tips and “AHA” moments!
http://www.aherncomm.com/20-questions-free-downloadable-test-re-best-practices-donor-communications/
Make your December Emails count big with these 4 tips!
Make them Personal! Inspire you donors! Integrate these emails with your year-end theme. Laser focus on your year-end ask!
Lots more for your email year-end success!
Wondering if your year-end appeals are going to possibly get trashed? Yikes! Watch and learn from a major donor what gets them trashed in his home and office! Just in time for your last few year-end communications!
Major Gift Donor Cultivation is an area always of extreme importance and never more so than at year-end. What can we do to build an even better relationship with our major donors right now?
Roy Jones and Andruw Olsen have written a book entitled “Rainmaking: the Fundraisers Guide to Landing Big Gifts” that all development peeps will learn from!
How you build and cultivate trust with major donors is strategic because there are always so many organizations after the same monied donors so you need to realize that they ned special care.
Major donors need to know that you honestly and truly value your relationship with them because of who they are not because of the number of zeros in their account.
How do you show this in tangible ways
Step 1, and you’ve heard it before practice active listening.Go back and refer to everything that you’ve learned about active listening and hone in those skills.
Step 2, pour yourself into the relationship serving your major donor at every opportunity and be honest and transparent in all your interactions. That is imperative as you’re building this wonderful relationship. You need not only to seek to hear them but you want to understand and empathize with the things that they share with you, the stories that they tell you. It’s very important to the relationship that you do hear them and even more important that you remember what they tell you.
As you’re building this relationship remember that it is not about you. They look forward to hearing from you but this relationship is about your donor and helping your donor to accomplish great things with their wealth. You’re simply there to help make this possible for your major donor.
Step 3, last but certainly not least if something goes wrong you have to notify your major donor immediately and provide solution options.This is so important! It’s like being a stockbroker when things are good, call, when things are bad, call immediately!
Olsen and Jones point out you’re not just a fundraiser with major donors you’re really a matchmaker! youtake compassionate caring people and you match them up with a worthy successful program to create a philanthropic partnership that really helps improve the community.
Watch the video for more details.
Major Gift Success, does your organization have it?
Is there anyone more important to a Development Department than a great Major Gifts Officer? And what if you have a small shop and you don’t have the luxury of an MGO and have to do it all by your lonesome? Yikes, these 5 steps are for you!
And do you have time now by year-end for these 5 Major-Gift steps to make a real difference? Amy Eisenstein, who authored the book “Major Gift fundraising for the Small Shop” says yes and outlined these 5 steps in a bloghttp://www.amyeisenstein.com/5-steps-raise-major-gifts-for-year-end fundraising/
Main thing is don’t overlook major gift fundraising now, you do have time! Here’s what to do:
1. Run your database reports and know who your largest and most loyal major gift donors are. Develop a list of 10 to 20 (more if you have a larger shop) that you can reach out to over the next few months (by year-end).
2. Pick up the phone and call these selected major donors. Before you call, review all your notes about these donors and check with board members or staff that might know them also.
3. Make yourself available to meet with them. These major donors come first and you must sit down with each, face to face, with a personal presentation geared exactly to their interests in yor programs and tailor your ask to that interest.
4. Say “thank you” often and relate it back to previous gifts and the impact those gifts had for your cause.
5. Ask for a specific git. Determine the specific project and the specific ask before your face to face meeting.
Watch the above video for more information on ajor gift Fundraising in time for year-end!
How do you get those Major Gifts? Let’s look at advice from the book, “Rainmaking: The Fundraisers Guide to Landing Big Gifts.” It’s written by major gift experts Roy C Jones and Andrew Olsen.
Today we focus on 13 ways you can engage your major donors to deepen that relationship.
This is so timely with Facebook LIVE and video streaming and zillion of phone videos so have fun! I think your donors will love this and the key here is personalization! Don’t record a generic message that can be sent to all donors, record a message to specific donors calling them out by name. Perfect, don’t you think?
It’s human nature to want to be needed and major donors are no different, in fact they love to know that you need them and need their support You’re not begging, you are asking and they appreciate it. They appreciate it even if they can’t say yes every time because they like to know that you feel that they’re there for you.
Remember to check out this book, “Rainmaking: The Fundraisers Guide to Landing Big Gifts.” Roy Jones and Andrew Olsen have crammed so many good ideas into this dynamite 119 page paperback
Do you know how to raise major gifts? Do you have a major gift year-end fundraising plan? Stay tuned for a proven process that will work for you!
In our countdown to 2016 fundraising success, this week we are concentrating on major gifts. Nobody’s more successful at major gifts then Veritus Group and we’re giving you a quick peek at a major gift process that will make you an outstanding major gift fundraiser.
Veritus writes that major gift fundraising is not rocket science ut do point out major gift fundraising is hard work! but you already know that I bet!
Okay, here is a process for you to follow.
First, cultivate the right donors. Get out your database records and pick the top 25 (more if you’re a bigger shop) and work with this group now until year end. Important point is that you don’t have the time now to chase unqualified donors! Stay focused!
Second, have a revenue goal for each donor on your list. Know their passions and interests and review their giving patterns. Serve your donor’s interests and get prepared!
Third, ask for a face to face meeting with each of your donors on your list. You need to be able to look them in the eye and get a true sense of their dreams and desires in conjunction with your organization’s mission. Match your ask with their desires.
And, forth,yes, now is the time to ASK. You are prepared, have a revenue goal in mind for this donor and are prepared.
It is now time to thank your donors, thank them immediately and often! Report back to your donors and let them know that their gift has been put to use and the wonderful impact their gift will have, the difference it will make to better a life.
There you have it, an easy process that will work well if you work the process so let’s get started. Get those reports out and pick your top 25 and good luck!
Watch the video for more information.
Major Gifts donors have questions for you! They want to know all about you!
Major Gift Fundraising is the focus is the topic today with only 88 days left for 2016 Fundraising! We’re counting down this week to year-end with best of the best tips for Major Gift focus! What you should know and what you can do NOW to make a true and significant difference in your fundraising results! Watch Blockbuster each day for a new tip now and through Dec 31st. Find out more about Joy & Blockbuster Fundraising at www.blockbusterfundraising.com
This week we are talking about major gift people your major gift people since we all know that nearly ninety percent at least eighty-seven percent of gifts
come from individuals that makes our individual donors extremely important and our major donors even more so.
Let’s look at what major donors what questions do they have what are they looking for from you.
Donors now more than ever want to trust your organization! They want to know where you’re going to use the money, will it be wasted? Will you let them know that their gift
has impact? They want to trust you
When you’re thinking about your major gift peeps you need to know that women are your number one demographic! Sixty-four percent of all charitable gifts are made by women
so you definitely want to look at your prospect list look at your donors and reevaluate the capacity of the women! Go see them, meet them, they are a fun group major donors.
Major Gift donors are thinking more in terms of legacy; they’re thinking in terms of their gift to you being an investment to achieve good achieve, good that reflects on what they care about
they believe that you are going to help them make that good happen!
Did you know that major donors if they volunteer are going to give more to your organization so my tip to you would be to work closely with your volunteer
manager and make sure that you know who the volunteers are. As development director reach out and know them individually and know their what they
care about most and get a sense of their capacity and really work on a very good relationship as they’re very meaningful to your organization.
A couple of years ago, Gail Perry who is a real Major gifts thought leader and has a highly thought of Major Gifts Academy of a couple of
years ago she wrote about major donor trends and she pointed to the strength that financial founcations have today. Gail Perry suggested that you have a financial adviser on your
board or on your development committee as they can give you added strength of being able to make contact with these big foundations that have so much philanthropy dollars under management.
to help make those big gifts possible for your organization.
You also want to get strength through what Gail Perry calls big data. Her suggestion here is clean up your database as much as possible and add as much data as you
can about your peeps, their interests in your activities and then start exploring what big data or predictive modeling can do for your donor base.
You really want to make sure that you are making your baby boomers happy because baby boomers are definitely the major donors today. They are giving forty-three percent of
% of the total money given to nonprofits and listen to this! 49-percent want to know the strength of your financials before donating! They’re a great group they want to trust you and
and believe in you and if they do and if you’re transparent they will be there for you and they’re a strong group with super strong support possibilities.
Last but certainly not least you know that you have some very special donors that are there for you through thick and thin! They’re really your guardian angels so
please take plenty of time during this last quarter of the year to reach out to them! Thank them, make them feel just as special as they are because they
really do make it possible for you to do great things!They are your very special partners!
Only 89 days left of 2016 fundraising! Are you ready? Get ready with daily tips from Blockbuster Fundraising. We continue daily tips with Major Gift focus this entire week and today we move forward with Moves Mana
gement! Don’t miss your chance to spend a few minutes each day to get a tip that will inspire and cheer you on to greater success with your 2016 fundraising! Find out more about Joy & Blockbuster Fundraising at www.blockbusterfundraising.com
Moves Management is the Success Process in Major Gifts. Our information today covers moves management and the countdown is on as we have 89 fundraising days left in 2016 if you’re counting and I am ! Counting down with daily tips for you everyday now until and including Dec 31st!
This week we’re concentrating on major gifts and when you talk about major gifts you’ve got to talk about moves management. David Dunlap who is the creator of the system says the moves concept focuses major gift fundraising on changing people’s attitudes so they want to give more to your organization so let’s figure out how to do that.
David Dunlap says that Moves are about Cultivation, Planned Cultivation moves that are mission directed. Moves must be important enough and passionate enough so that the donor regards this as a wonderful giving opportunity to your organization.
Of course as you already know you must know something about the donor before this visit, this move visit, and cultivation must be according to a plan and be mission directed. You know exactly what you want to accomplish from a move in the moves management plan.
Some examples of moves: a behind-the-scenes tour of your facility or an invitation to a small special event. How about an insider’s newsletter or an invitation to lunch or dinner with you the development director or the executive director or perhaps a board member? And lastly an invitation to give feedback on your latest event or last project as donors love to give their opinion is a fine move.
Cultivation is the bedrock of all major gift fundraising activity but you must have a plan, you must have a clear goal in mind. The moves management process strives to keep cultivation activities focused and goal-oriented.
Get out your paper and pen because here are some things to consider while preparing for your cultivation visit:
Number one, ask yourself, what is the best possible outcome and the minimum acceptable outcome? Two, review key points that you’re going to cover during this visit. Three, list a small number of benefits of the project which you believe will have appeal to this major donor.
Determine what you will ask your donor to do, agree to and lastly list anticipated questions and your responses. Remember questions are a good thing, you just want to make sure that you have a great response.
Here are your steps to get started:
1. select 10 to 25 of your best donor prospects
2. gather research on each donor
3. develop a strategy for each donor with definite gift amounts and gift opportunities
4. plan your next few moves
5. implement moves and
6. Review moves and Track Your Progress!
How many moves do you have time for by December? If you had a whole year ahead of you, you might have five to ten moves but right now you have to do this between now and YEAR year-end to make your major gift in major success so 3 moves for each donor would be a good goal! You can do this! Good Luck!
is there still time in October to make a major move for your Major Gifts program?
