Imagine your major gift effort taking off and soaring to new heights!
It’s a dream that could come true for you. You can become an expert. You can master Major Gifts.
True, there’s not a lot of help available, but I want you to soar. That’s why I developed Mastering Major Gifts
What is Mastering Major Gifts?
Mastering Major Gifts is a comprehensive 7-week, online course.
I’ve spoken at conferences, board retreats and training sessions, coached, and written books on raising major gifts. Thousands, just like you, have already benefited from these efforts.
Mastering Major Gifts draws all this experience, research, feedback, and results together to provide a mastery level course. It’s a simple step-by-step curriculum, easy to follow, and as close as your favorite online device.
Results are what matter. Here are a few recent successes:
- Sarah successfully solicited and received her first ever $100,000 charitable gift annuity!
- Brenda secured her theater’s first ever sponsors at $10,000 and above.
- John surprised himself when, using one simple tip from my course, he secured two 5 figure gifts for the very first time!
The amazing results you dream about are these students’ reality. It’s great to see participants take flight! And I want you to take off too.
Your Chance to Win a Scholarship!
This year, not one, but TWO scholarships will be awarded for Mastering Major Gifts.
- One lucky person will get a scholarship to Mastering Major Gifts.
- Another person — someone who has already taken the course — will get their purchase price fully refunded.
We’ll announce both scholarship recipients next week. Now is YOUR chance to get Mastering Major Gifts free!
Here’s how to enter:
Just answer one short question. In the “Comments” section of this post, answer this question:
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
(If you’ve already taken the course, instead tell me how it’s helped you raise more money or how it has benefited you and your organization.)
Winners are NOT selected at random!
This isn’t a random drawing — my team and I will personally read each comment and award each scholarship accordingly. The more compelling the entry, the better the chance of winning.
Next Monday, January 15th we’ll announce and congratulate our two recipients.
If you’re one of our winners, you’ll get complete access to the membership area of Mastering Major Gifts. Then over the course of 7 weeks, you’ll learn the secrets of raising major gifts right from the comfort of your own home or office.
I’m eager to read your entry and hear what you have to say. So, don’t delay … enter your comment now!
Post Update: (And an Additional $348.00 in prizes)
Important Update: In addition to giving away Mastering Major Gifts, we’re also giving away the following to our two winners:
- A one on one, 45 minute coaching session with Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE ($300 Value)
- Copies of two published books, Raising More with Less and Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops ($48 Value)
Enter below in the comments — simply answer this question:
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
Hi Amy,
Your generous, free e-newsletters have helped so much and, as a staff of 1 for grants/fundraising/communications/etc, I always take the time to read your posts. I have been successful in meeting my budget goals each of my almost 5 years here, with grants and donations, but 90% of our donors are small (half donate $99 or less per year) and we could do so much more to help low-income working families leave unsafe rentals and become homeowners, if we had a Major Gift program. I have been urging our ED and Board Presidents (the third in 5 years) to begin a Resource Development Committee for major and new donors. Our Board, most of whom are retired have been on the board for 10-20 years, has not been a fundraising board, but we have recently added 4 new “business” people to the Board and are enforcing the term limits so that our longtime board members will be cycling off the board this year. The new Board members signed on with a very specific job description which includes donating/fundraising and we will be starting the Resource Development Committee within a month or so. I’m pulling together a list of possible projects, donor reports and more to launch the committee but I know that your course would provide excellent coaching during this exciting time!
Thanks for reading my request!
Amy,
I am a development professional looking to grow my fundraising experience and develop a strong foundation that will allow me to propel organizations forward as prominent and productive entities in the community. I am currently in the running for two Director of Development positions at small non-profits that are looking to grow their donor-base, enhance their donor stewardship practices, and increase their gift sizes.
I have been working in the background of development for over seven years, supporting top fundraising professionals by curating best-practice focus professional development curriculum, planning major events that support their development, and soliciting sponsors for these events. I also have a focus on multigenerational family philanthropy and am looking to grow my expertise in this area.
I am in the process of positioning myself to enter into the realm of direct fundraising, specifically as it relates to major gifts, and would find your course immensely beneficial to help me cultivate tactical fundraising and solicitations skills. I am very fortunate to have a mentor guiding me through this process, and this course would beautifully complement the professional transition that I am embarking on.
Many thanks,
Anna
1. The course will provide valuable day to day practical tips to be effective in major gifts fundraising.
2. The course will enhance confidence and remove a perennial doubt among fundraisers whether their job is to be metrics-driven or should focus on building relationships
3. The course will have practical examples of successes from others in the field that could be used in similar situations.
I think the course would help us focus on major giving rather than event planning as well as reduce our reliance on miscellaneous grants in the budget.
Your course will not only provide expertise, but it will keep me focused AND accountable. It’s so easy to get distracted with other activities and tasks. I need someone to keep me on track so I can bring in the large gifts my organization needs to fill the meal gaps so many in my state are experiencing. Thank you for this opportunity!
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
Major gifts is an area in our agency that has not been properly developed or planned. Taking a systematic approach to this important development function will help!
(oh, oh, oh, pick me, pick me, pick me) :o)
I have gone through different webinar’s on fundraising. By far, Amy’s was the best. SImple, to the point and very actionable. And so far it has worked! Taking a further in-depth course could only increase my chances of doing a better job. Thank you, Amy!
I believe that this course will help us to diversify our funding streams, and to add an important tool into our toolbox that does not currently exist. As a nonprofit in a city with little to no corporate presence, it is important for us to dig deeper into existing donors that have more capacity to give, as well as finding those that have not yet connected with our organization that may have an interest. I’m hoping to learn a lot!
I believe Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money because major gifts are the centerpiece of fundraising-you just need a mentor to figure it out! All the time fundraisers spend on events (and even grantwriting) end up having such a lower ROI when you take into consideration upfront costs for goods, services, and staff. Raising major gifts is a much better way- it’s donor centered and focused on building the relationship, and it can have a great return. It can bring back the joy in giving!
I’m a young professional serving as the Development Director of a local nonprofit. As someone who has only been in the workforce for a few years, my experience in asking for major gifts is minimal. There are a few things that hold me back, but my age is something that stands out as a barrier. I think a large part of this barrier is in my own mind–always wondering if generations above me are taking me seriously.
That being said, I think this course would help me gain a confidence that would override my insecurity of being too young to ask for big gifts. I agree with Amy’s belief that having a mentor in this field is one of the best things you can do to improve, and I think this course would give that wisdom and guidance I’ve been looking for.
I appreciate being considered for this scholarship!
Mastering Major Gifts is going to help raise my awareness of the opportunities available which will open the door to wealth for our cause. I know this by the first sentence on this page, “Imagine your major gift effort taking off and soaring to new heights!” The message here is clear of what to expect, although I do not know exactly what content will be taught, I am sure that the key skill in this course of development for the potential or current major gift officer is ‘creativity’ and that is what I am excited about enhancing by taking in this course.
For 20 years, I have worked as an Employment Specialist for Mainstay helping jobseekers with disabilities match with awesome employers. Just in the last five years, as a donor development team of one, I have taken our donations from $0 to $65K per year. Last year, we received our first gift of stock, our first $20K and completed new big asks for a special project. I feel I am at the point where Amy Eisenstein’s Mastering Major Gifts would take our incredible program to new heights. I wanted to say “unimaginable heights,” but that would be wrong because I totally see it. Amy’s positive approach and expert guidance would be the Vitamin B12 shot we need!!!
Hi Amy,
This course would be so valuable to me, and my organization! We’ve been around for over 12 years, but less than 7% of our annual income is made up of individual donors. I think this is due to a few things: we haven’t had the staff bandwidth to cultivate individual donors, all of our programmatic work is international (we provide legal aid to refugees in the Global South), and sometimes it can be hard to translate our story and mission in a way that’s personal for individual donors (refugees are often seen as “others”, or perhaps the problem seems so large it’s hard to know how to help).
I joined my organization a year ago to run our development team, and while we’ve done a great job putting in some systems and processes for increasing our individual giving, I could really really use some formal training in Major Gifts. My background is more on the government/institutional funding side, and less with major donors. I know your course will give me the training I need to significantly increase our individual donor base!
And, this is absolutely critical for us. I need to diversify our funding as soon as possible. Unfortunately, after many years of being funded by the U.S. Government for our work in Latin America, last summer we lost a 1.2 million USD grant that we were expecting to receive (over 1/3 of our overall budget). I was hoping to pay for your course, but our budget is so incredibly lean this year b/c of the unexpected funding loss.
Thank you for your consideration. And best of luck to all of my fellow fundraisers!
I need help getting over my fear of asking.
A scholarship for a course like this could revolutionize our fundraising. After a complete Development overhaul in our organization about 1.5 years ago, we have just begun focusing on major gifts. We have a fantastic base of potential major donors, but I would definitely benefit from learning how to organize my portfolio and make the ask. I was a practicing lawyer 1.5 years ago before I took on the Development Director role with my organization, and I think one of the things I lack the most is the confidence that I “know what I’m doing in this field.”
I know mastering major gifts will help me raise more money for my organization because it will teach me to use the skills that i already have and help me identify and develop the skills i need to be successful in major gifts. It will also teach me the measurable steps I need to take to be successful time and time again in different scenarios. As a person in a 1 person small shop dedicating time to any one initiative is always difficult, But each year I try to pick one that will be the focus and 2018 is major gifts. I hope to benefit from your course if chosen to win.
Thanks,
A scholarship for a course like this could revolutionize our fundraising. After a complete Development overhaul in our organization about 1.5 years ago, we have just begun focusing on major gifts. We have a fantastic base of potential major donors, but I would definitely benefit from learning how to organize my portfolio and make the ask. I was a practicing lawyer 1.5 years ago before I took on the Development Director role with my organization, and I think one of the things I lack the most is the confidence that I “know what I’m doing in this field.”
I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money because it would show me how I can be more strategic with what donors I engage and how to cultivate relationships with them so they would become lifelong friends and partners. I would also benefit greatly from the years of experience Amy has in the field of fundraising — it would be like upgrading from a hot air balloon to a Boing 777. I would still have to navigate it, and do all the work, but it would get me to my destination that much quicker!
Dear Amy,
I need a mentor. Your promise of mentoring me through the process of identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors gives me hope that I can become a successful MGO. I’m a new MGO — hired because of my history with non-profits, my extroversion, and my aptitude for connecting people with causes. I’m a great listener and a thoughtful conversationalist. I’m a mature woman who’s returned to work in my 50s after staying home with children. And yet, my greatest fear is asking for a major gift. This fear derives from a profound sense that I’m not doing this the right way. I received little training in my job, and no offers from senior staff to mentor me in any way. And I want so badly to figure this out. I subscribe to your newsletter. I attend webinars and read blogs. I have a shelf of “How to Books” — and yet I have a sustained doubt that I’m going about this the right way. I’ve cobbled together templates from across the web. I’ve done as much as I can without a budget. I want to do my best, and I know I have the potential for greatness but I need help. I imagine your course will provide the tools, theories, and practical, time-tested activities to effectively raise major gifts. This is why I think your course will help me raise more money — for this and any future organization I hope to work for.
Dear Amy and staff,
I am the Director of Development at Open Arms Christian Ministries. Open Arms is a non-profit providing safe homes and educational environments through a group home for girls; training and licensing foster parents and placing children in homes; and through an educational center. I believe that mastering major gifts will help us raise more money for two reasons:
1) Organizational readiness. I am the first Development officer of Open Arms, which is a medium size non-profit in a rural area of Indiana. In 2012, the Open Arms’ board were entertaining the possibility of closing the doors. I began in May of 2012 with no experience and no education in the area of development. The first two years became a time of rebuilding and building. Due to poor past management and having no one to cultivate donors there was a significant drop in the donor base and giving. The fairly new executive director and I worked on rebuilding relationships with past and current donors. We began building the development department by gaining knowledge through taking classes, workshops, hiring a consultant, etc.
The next two years we experienced growth. We added another full-time employee in development and two part- time employees. By the end of 2016, the donor base (including in-kind giving) increased by 63% and our monetary giving increased by 52%. With the strong relationships built within the community, the amazing Open Arms development team feels we are primed and ready go to the next level.
2) Increased need = increased strategies. There are approximately 23,000 foster children in the Indiana system every year. With the opioid crisis ravaging Indiana so is the increase need for foster homes and services to take care if its children. We need to step up our game. We need to take care of more children. Our donors are already invested in serving these hurting children and youth. Now is time to learn how to unlock their giving potential.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sheila
I think participating in your course, Mastering Major Gifts will change the trajectory of how fundraising is accomplished to meet the goals of the Westminster Rescue Mission. Our mission is life transformation for men battling substance abuse addiction and providing food for the most vulnerable populations in our community. I see your course as being “transformational” for how we function as a small development shop (1 1/2 staff.) I agree that a mentoring relationship is key to accomplishing Major Gift asking which is very much like our recovery program staff know a mentor is key for our clients who desire life transformation to reach, meet and continue to strive to be their very best self. This scholarship opportunity is something our organization will never be able to fund so receiving it would truly be the best blessing we can receive in 2018!
As the sole development person on a small team, I rely heavily on free resources to supplement what I have learned in graduate school and in the field. I am currently working on developing our major giving program and I believe this program would provide me with the tools necessary to get our program off the ground. Thank you so much for the consideration!
I have been in my position for 5 years straight out of college. I have mostly learned everything on my own, through purchasing books and following amazing blogs, like this one. I have yearned for some type of formal training or a mentor. I know that this would be a game changer for my organization and major gifts is something we are not doing well and I know we have alot of potential in our database. I work at an organization that provides day services for adults and children regardless of ability to pay. We provide services for people who can not get help anywhere else due to lack of funds or severe disability. I know that Intergenerational Care is going to grow and grow and we want to be a part of that and share our model with the world. However we are often so bogged down by just trying to keep the lights on that we are not spending enough time growing this model of care that has so many benefits for adults and kids.
Please consider this fairly green fundraiser and this amazing organization for this scholarship. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Hi Amy,
This is a very generous offer, thank you! In reading all your e-mails and viewing your videos, I am confident that this course will provide me with additional practical examples and best practices of successful major gifts fundraising examples from you and other leading experts. I would love to have an additional arsenal to implement and a toolbox for extra hands-on applications. Thank you!
My organization, Communities In Schools of Greater New Orleans, has had a significant leadership change in the past year. The long serving President (what we call the ED) left and we have a new President. Many of our past donors gave because they were connected to the former President, so we are at a place where we need to grow our gifts from our pool of loyal donors, as we know that some past donors at higher-levels may fall off with the leadership change.
In addition, I am new in the development director role and this is my first time serving as a development director. For the past three years, I worked in advancement at a community college under a seasoned leader, now that I am in my first leadership role in development, I need to expand my skills in order to serve my organization to the best of my ability. I have support from our President and board, but I am a one-woman development office and coaching from an expert like Amy would be invaluable to me and to the kids that we serve at Communities In Schools.
Amy Eisenstein’s materials are always spot-on in building relationships with PEOPLE. I would love to dive deep into her Mastering Major Gifts course because I know she’ll teach from beginning to end how to approach our wonderful donors, how to meet their needs, how to steward those relationships and how to offer them the opportunity to become major life-changers through their support. I know Amy will teach a long-term approach and that’s what I need at this point in our organization. After five years, we’ve established a good donor base, invested in a great infrastructure of technology and tools, and our annual appeal is doing well. It’s time for Major Gifts and I’m ready!
Dear Amy and Team:
Most mornings, you can find my team and I devouring your newsletters followed by a quick treadmill break mid day where I listen to every podcast I can find that you’ve been a guest on. At least 2 evenings during the week, I’m watching your quick youtube videos and in the car on the way to at least 20 of my recent first meetings with major donors, I listen to the audio of “What to say in your first meeting with a major donor.”
Frankly, you are my go to.
Like the rest of us, I found myself in development, fell in love with it, but have been learning as I go (with your help). Our organization cannot afford for each of our development officers to enroll in your Mastering Major Gifts Course, and I wouldn’t want to personally enroll and cause any negative feelings, but if I were to be chosen for this scholarship, I could share the tools learned with my team. The impact of your course on our development office and ultimately on the 1.3 million children living in the Central Valley and relying on us for the best quality pediatric care, would be life-changing.
Regardless, of being chosen or not, my team is grateful for the time you put into elevating and empowering the work of countless nonprofits. Thank you.
Hi Hannah – Thanks for sharing and for your kind words.
Great news… whenever an organization invests in MMG, it’s for the benefit of the entire team! All of the fundraisers on staff can participate, (as long as they are willing to share a login and PW) in addition to the ED/CEO, and videos can also be shared with board members. If you’d like to enroll with multiple logins and PW’s, we have discounted options for group registrations.
I am the ED of the local Symphony here in town, we have a budget of just under $350K. We have a very supportive community that loves and support the arts – but many feel that support is just in buying concert tickets. Ticket revenue, while an indicator of loyalty of our Subscription base, only covers 40% of our expenses. We run a number of Outreach/Arts Education programs, as well as a number of Scholarships, Instrument loan programs, a Summer Music Camp, and a large Youth Orchestra. I believe our message and impact has greater potential, particularly with our many longtime donors and subscribers. Our entire community is touched and impacted by the success of our programs, our students, and community – regardless of the donor’s musical aptitude.
Until this time, I have run an annual campaign tied to our Subscription sales, but I strongly believe that there is great potential in our community, if I just had the tools to make this happen. I’ve followed your Blog for a few years, and feel as though you are describing me and our organization to a T. We are bumbling along haphazardly – with a “hope” strategy (I “hope” someone donates) vs. a solid strategic plan, and in my mind, I am just spinning my wheels. I am working on my Board to recognize the value in this kind of training, but as with most NP, they have sticker shock and don’t understand, or have the confidence that our community would respond favorably to a Major Gifts initiative, or that this program would pay for itself with just one major gift.
Help me show my Board that working smarter, with the right tools can be effective, and the ROI will come back in spades.
Hi Amy & Team!
Our school has been incredibly reliant upon our Annual Fund and Annual Gala to raise money. Two and a half years ago we successfully completed a multi-million dollar expansion campaign. The thought was, the donors who were engaged and were able to support the school in that way were candidates for future major gifts. However, that has not yet happened. In fact, many of our donors who gave during the campaign have reduced their annual giving. We are in need of developing a sustainable major gifts program from the ground up through our newer parents. Your course could be that breakthrough for us so we can catapult our school to the next level, allowing us to create more opportunities for children who couldn’t otherwise attend our school due to financial implications, as well as to add/enhance programming across all levels.
Thanks for the opportunity!
Service Dogs, Inc. provides Service Dogs free of charge to people living with a mobility or hearing disability. I made the commitment to them after 20 years in the business sector to come help them get to the next level management wise and financially. Why am a I sharing this? Because my resolve was greatly increased when I suffered a stroke in June. SDI did nothing but support me and my recovery – an investment in the future they stated. Well, time for me to make a better investment in my future with them and utilize every resource to ensure that I Master Major Gifts. I am surrounding myself with information and strong people to support our Mission and to ultimately support those same people who I now am able to better relate to. I am hearing impaired and suffered right side paralysis, but I’m still here… for their future and mine.
I hope you pick not just me, but our organization and all of the people present and future whom we can make a significant impact.
Because in order to build effective and mutually beneficial relationships, one must focus on being the best both personally and professionally. This means striving for personal development and growth in ways a Major Gift Officer never thought feasible. For example, weekly I make every effort to find ways to creatively connect with our donor base and build additional value with our brand and mission. This is conveyed and shared with prospects, friends, and donors of our organization. Becoming a master at these skills and techniques will allow me to master the art of seeking Major Gifts which is an outcome for “Futures Worth Fighting For” at Valley Children’s.
Our board for Concordia High School has been used to pointing to our development director and me and saying, “Go raise the money.” We are trying to transition from an events based fundraising to focusing on major gifts and trying to figure out how to get the board to understand their role in fundraising and friend raising. I believe this course could be vital in changing the fundraising trajectory of our school!
For me, this course will take me to the next level of my fundraising. When I first got into fundraising I worked in the development department of my college. I had never done fundraising before, I have the personality for it but not the training/education. That job only lasted a year as the college merged with another school. I had found my passion and love fundraising, but every job I applied for was looking for a degree and 5 plus years experience. Four years have past and just recently, a non-profit I work for asked me to do fundraising for them. Yes! Here is my opportunity to get back into this awesome career. So I am asking you to seriously consider investing in me so that I can help change the world. Thank you.
Master Major Gifts will helps us raise more money by giving us the tools we need to connect more fully with our current and prospective donors. Rather than working in the dark, your program will give us the focus and guidelines to more effectively and efficiently expand our very small development office.
Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money because it will give me the confidence, the tools, and the impetus I need to build my skills and to methodically tackle this daunting, but vitally important, part of fundraising. While reading Amy’s blog posts and watching the videos are both extremely helpful, it is not like committing to a step-by-step 7-week course, which is a quantum leap forward. The course will help me stay on track and reach my goals. Ultimately, it will ensure that the organizations that I help now and in the future will be better able to to ease suffering and to achieve their important visions.
Amy,
Your newsletters, posts and other information have been very helpful. Like many, I am the only person involved in Development in my organization. I am the Director of Development for a small non-profit, with a board in transition and not equipped or willing to either Ask or make Introductions. And, like many of my colleagues, there are unrealistic expectations put on the sole development person.
I know that for our sustainability, I need to make some drastic improvements in our financial picture and Major Gifts is the best way to do that. I have been in my position since September 2017 and my goal was to hit the ground running in 2018. Mastering Major Gifts would allow me to do that, as I intend to put my due diligence into the course and be successful.
I am working on some grants, with the one engaged board member who writes grants for a living, but adding Major Gifts would sweeten the pot and diversify our sources of support. We find that events are not where we should put big budget dollars.
I love what I do and feel strongly about our mission. Mastering Major Gifts would allow me to raise up my organization to a level of sustainability and quench my desire to see our mission grow and flourish, creating healthy, life-affirming communities.
We are also in one state, with some affiliates in a surrounding state. Because there is no other model like ours, the goal to go nationwide with our model has been part of our strategic plan and announced at our Fall Gala., where we also announced a name change to better reflect our work. This would be so very helpful as we move forward.
All of the entries here are so inspiring, it must be difficult to choose two to bestow such a gift.
Each day at the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County we work to inspire our kids to set ambitious and achievable goals for themselves. For 2018-2020 the Club’s leadership has set ambitious and achievable development goals, rooted in major gifts. As the conductor for our RD efforts, the Mastering Major Gifts Course would provide a ripple effect, I would serve as the vessel to inspire, inform. guide and celebrate our (first ever) Major Gift team. I am excited to transform our RD work, with you and Mastering Major Gifts as our “coach” using your tools, tips and resources in real time to reach our goals, for the benefit of the children, tweens and teens we serve. I have been a “follower” since I was introduced to you at the BGCA National Conference in June 2017, I integrate materials from your posts into our monthly board RD reports and in our RD Strategic Planning session for our board retreat this Saturday! It would be my honor to Master Major Gifts with you.
I am in a small one-person Development Department. I am officially the Special Events Manager, yet expected to raise money for our Annual Campaign including attaining Major Gifts. I have not had much experience with raising Major Gifts–this course could and would help me attain my goal of approaching new potential donors for larger gifts, as well as tapping in to our existing resources and smaller donors. I believe that I could turn some of our smaller loyal donors into larger Major Gift donors–with better knowledge of the best way to approach a potential Major Donor. According to my sister-in-law who has been fundraising for almost 40 years–it is a delicate yet exciting dance that can result in a Major Gift and loyal supporter for your organization!
Amy,
I enjoy reading your posts and you encourage me in my field of fundraising. I need organizational skills and directives to accomplish my personal goals. I feel too many times, I get distracted by the many calls that come through my desk, so, if I have a set agenda to accomplish, it should give me more direction and freedom towards my fundraising goals. I have been fundraising for 15 years at Covenant House Michigan,. I am always open to learn new tools that will expand my fundraising efforts. We serve homeless youth ages 18-24. I am hoping to engage our donors to embrace the fact that they are part of the Covenant House Michigan family,
Carolyn Millard says
January 11, 2018 at 12:17 pm
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Amy,
I enjoy reading your posts and you encourage me in my field of fundraising. I need organizational skills and directives to accomplish my personal goals. I feel too many times, I get distracted by the many calls that come through my desk, so, if I have a set agenda to accomplish, it should give me more direction and freedom towards my fundraising goals. I have been fundraising for 15 years at Covenant House Michigan,. I am always open to learn new tools that will expand my fundraising efforts. We serve homeless youth ages 18-24. I am hoping to engage our donors to embrace the fact that they are part of the Covenant House Michigan family,
Third time’s the charm! This is my third time applying for a scholarship since there’s no way I could take the class without one. I believe that my effort is emblematic of my perseverance, commitment and passion for fundraising, for my organization and for my determination to master major gifts. Please pick me so I can stop applying and finally take your class!
With over 20 years’ experience in the nonprofit field one would believe that I would have the confidence to raise major gifts but that wasn’t true for me. Every time I would think about asking for Major Gifts or even think about launching a Major Gifts Program I would literally become anxious and shut down.
The old noisy tape would play in my head, “They don’t want to talk to me! What am I going to say? I don’t know how to do this! How much do I ask for a gift? I am going to fail!” With my doubts, fears and anxieties as my coach, I was left discouraged and my organization that I cared deeply about was losing tremendous opportunities to serve more people. I needed a new coach!
The greatest gift provided to me through Mastering Major Gifts with Amy E is confidence! One little word that can have a profound impact. I lacked confidence when it came to raising major gifts so I sat myself on the sidelines unfortunately by doing so I also sat my organization on the sideline. Amy’s coaching calls, easy to use step by step program and the abundance of top notch resource tools has provided the confidence needed to raise major gifts. I have a new tape that plays and the tools to operate a very successful Major Gifts Program.
“I can raise major gifts!”
“I build relationships with our donors that deepen commitment and foster trust!”
“I have the tools to help determine the best ask amount.”
Before the course was completed, our organization received several major gifts which more than quadrupled our initial investment!
Whether you are seasoned professional or new in the field of Development, Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money!
I believe that Mastering Major Gifts will give me the nuggets of information that I need to obtain the grants needed to further our service to the youth. It’s not always the most obvious information that can catapult you. It’s usually the unknown, most simple of things that is most helpful.
As a Development Director (with no support staff) for a small nonprofit that is poised to raise major gifts, but has not tapped into its potential base yet, a step-by-step approach with strategies tested by real-life research that has been proven to work is exactly what I need to raise more money. I know there is a ton of potential in our donor rolls, but there has never been a strategic push to raise major gifts from our prospects before. I am ready to implement a major gifts program but I’m not exactly sure how to begin, or the steps to follow and frankly, it is a bit intimidating. I have worked in nonprofits for more than 20 years and have mastered a considerable amount of professional skills, but major gifts is one area that I do not have experience in and it is the one skill I most need right now. Being able to approach our board with a major gifts strategy that has been vetted and proven to work would be a game-changer.
The small nonprofit I work for provides crucial services to our local community, serving the most vulnerable, and I want to be able to deliver the best major gifts strategies that I can to ensure our programs continue to thrive. I know this course would allow me to do just that. As I mentioned, we have a great list of prospects for a major gifts push, and with some guidance, I know I’ll be able to raise more money for this nonprofit.
Amy Eisenstein is my favorite fundraising expert. I read every email from her that I receive. Amy’s free major gifts webinar was so helpful and I find myself referring to my notes frequently. I have no doubt that Amy’s expertise in this more in-depth course would be extremely valuable. The way Amy breaks down information into digestible chunks makes things easy to understand and less intimidating. I also love that Amy sees fundraising from a big-picture viewpoint; for example, I was so impressed that she mentioned in the webinar about the inherent value in retaining development staff as a way to positively impact fundraising results. Staff retention is an issue that is often overlooked by nonprofit leadership in my experience. I know that Amy really gets what it’s like to work for a nonprofit and that I can trust her advice. If I am selected, I will put the information to good use immediately. I am ready! I have developed a fund development plan, have gathered together our metrics, and have convened a fundraising committee made up of some well-respected community contacts… and I’m ready to take the next step in launching a major gifts program that will succeed! Thank you for this opportunity as working for a small nonprofit means a small salary and my personal and professional budget is limited to say the least!
We are a small but mighty national nonprofit focused on accelerating research into multiple sclerosis. Our organization does many things so well except for raising philanthropic funds, particularly major gifts. I firmly believe that it is our approach, not our mission or impact, that is hindering our efforts and I am committed to fixing this. Your emails and the resources that you provide have given me so much fodder for success already and I’m certain that taking your masterclass would provide incredible insights, actionable ideas, and a rich base of knowledge for me as I embark upon this unknown territory! I am wholly committed to learning, absorbing, acting, improving, and doing it again (lather, rinse, repeat) until successful.
Thank you so much for your consideration and for the great value you have already brought to my work.
Sincerely, Sara
Oh, I forgot to mention that if I get a scholarship I would not have to pay in US funds which would save me about 30%! And if Trump repeals NAFTA it will be even worse!
Uhh…but then starting this July we can just export our soon to be legal marijuana to you guys to balance it out maybe. (Thanks Justin!)
Am I rambling…?
Ok, seriously I have planned a new Major Gift program and am presenting it to our board on January 24. So, if approved I will definitely need an “accountability partner” to keep me in line i.e. that would be you!
Gracias!
Hi Amy, why do I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money, well I think its not just about raising money but about helping donors understand that helping others will enrich their lives and how their money is facilitating other to overcome their situation. I want to learn to be able to express my thoughts clearly and effectively so organization can continue delivering services that improve the quality of life of the people they serve.
Hi Amy,
Our organization, Neighborhood Falmouth (NF) uses a volunteer corps to help Seniors age in place when they can no longer drive, and/or struggle with managing some simple, everyday tasks involved in living at home. It’s a beautiful organization that is changing lives for Seniors and their families while creating community within our already wonderful community.
Here’s how MMG will help me (I’m a one-person office) raise more money:
1) During NF’s early years a variety of generous donors (many being friends of our founders) made annual gifts of $2,500 and higher. Over time, several of these donors have died, and I have not cultivated new “major donor prospects” to replace them. (UGH!) By putting new prospects into the mix and keeping them engaged, we will keep the flow of donations consistent even as older donors age or die.
2) While I am a successful general fundraiser, I have never mastered Major Donor fundraising. Don’t tell my board, but I’m scared and intimidated of phoning and meeting very wealthy people, and bothering them (I read your email. I still worry!) I am SO SICK of being scared. (and I have a good personality. Willing to take risks. Was even a stand up comedian in my youth! I KNOW I can be good, maybe great at this!)
3) Our board has not been given the leadership and support to play a role in fundraising efforts. The time has arrived to begin this work in earnest so that NF can fund long-range plans that will continue to move the organization into the future. I’m ready to use my pride in NF and my “more the merrier” ethos to grow NF and help Seniors have the final few years that they hope to have. Independent, and at home, if at all possible.
4) Finally, I’ll get help with one of my biggest road blocks: How to structure a case statement that tells a prospective donor what a difference they can make, when our organization relies almost entirely on volunteers. (More money can’t buy more volunteers. it’s a puzzle.)
I love reading about everyone. And I hope you choose me/NF. Thanks mucho!
While I work for a municipality, limited resources are afforded for Resource Development. My many duties include working with a number of local CBOs and NFPs as to Fundraising, as well as NFP Planning and Management. Public and private grants and annual public event Sponsorships have become increasingly more competitive with decreasing results. My fundraising efforts range from local Youth Programs to Energy Efficiency, Ecology, Senior Citizens, Transportation and Public Safety. As a single-person RD office it is difficult to meet most of the local needs for an ethnically, culturally and economically diverse community of 104,000 residents within 30 square miles . I read your postings regularly and try to apply what I can glean from them. I have also been researching websites to learn how to access Donor Advised Funds and Private Charitable Trusts, without any positive results yet. I have tried to propose the development of official Policies and Procedures as Resource Development, as well as the creation of Community Fund, which has yet to garner internal support. I am a long-standing member of AFP NJ and also work with CFNP NJ in planning for its Annual Conference. I also actively participate on a number of NFP Boards, as well as the local Public Housing Authority.
Dear Amy and readers!
Wow, there are some great appeals being written here. Though it would be awesome if I were to be selected, I hope it is ok if I add a slightly different angle to this message. I’m hoping that someone else reading this might like to pair up for some peer-to-peer mentoring!
I was in Amy’s workshop session a the AFP conference in 2017, and I’ve watched the online videos (amazing resources), but I’m struggling with the follow through and accountability as part of a balancing act with my other responsibilities like events, grant writing, annual campaign, etc. If you are in a similar situation and would like to buddy up and support and consult with each other through a weekly phone call, video chat, or meet-up, please reach out to me at duran@hiller.org.
For reference, I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area and at a mid-size nonprofit Museum. Open to connecting with someone of a similar or totally different experience!
And now back to the contest… it would be wonderful to be selected particularly for the mentoring and coaching that accompanies the program. Great idea! As you can see I’m eager to take Amy’s strategic approach to major gift fundraising to the next level.
Thank you,
Rebecca
Rebecca – Have you joined my facebook group, Major Gifts for Nonprofits: https://www.facebook.com/groups/354974371523448/?ref=bookmarks You could also ask for an accountability partner in that group. I hope someone responds!
Mastering Major Gifts would be immensely helpful with my career. I am a one person Development Team for a Rescue Mission. Major Gifts are the revenue stream I have the hardest time with. Grants and direct mail is where most of our revenue is drawn from and major gifts are a anomaly here. I NEED HELP!!!
I believe Mastering Major Gifts will help me in not only learning how to raise major gifts but also in being able to discuss major gifts intelligently in interviews with prospective employers. Indeed, taking this course would show I am committed to my profession. I am currently unemployed (I was laid off when the board of directors chose to lay off all non-program staff when encountering a short-term cash flow issue), and my competition for positions tend to have more experience in major gifts.
I recently moved to AL. This move afforded me the opportunity to live closer to family and allowed me to stay within the BBBS network of affiliates. Unfortunately, AL is unknown to me and the agency has plenty of room for financial growth and diversification. So major gifts are not only hard because of lack of experience but also because of lack of community knowledge. At least having the full knowledge base would be such an asset (that I could share with my staff and Board) as we’re making those connections and opening those doors.
Throughout my career as a fundraiser, I have worked primarily in a clinical environment. Recently, the health system I support purchased a hospital and is rapidly expanding to meet the needs of patients throughout our service area. Because we are now fundraising for a hospital and there has been such a rapid rate of change, I feel that this course will be essential in my growth as a Gift Officer. We have put a strong emphasis on our Major Gift work and see it as vital to the success of our foundation.
I’ve worked in Development for a number of years, but my current position is the first time I’ve been responsible for everything, individual giving, events, grants, and major gifts. I’ve read a lot of literature, participated in webinars, even participated in your Major Gifts Challenge.
I’ve raised a few gifts, but I’m still not doing the work needed on a regular basis. I have a bit of a block, a little bit of fear, and need a mentor. Please help!
As Director of Advancement for an independent, coeducational elementary school for students in grades PreK3 through eighth grades, I am tasked with providing 20% of the revenue stream through initiatives such as fundraising, grants, and major gifts. Because of the relatively small nature of the community and limited staffing, I seek ways to maximize efficiency in raising monies.
I believe that Mastering Major Gifts will (1) provide me the tools for identifying major donor prospects within our pool of donors, (2) coach me on soliciting major gifts, (3) show me how to keep retention rates among our existing donors high, and (4) give tips on how to enlist the Board in their fiduciary role in fundraising. Ultimately, the course will help me optimize my efforts in raising major gifts.
Amy, we have become a product of our own success in a few ways! We set out 5 years ago with a 3-year goal to become a No Kill Community. We achieved it in the first year and are celebrating our 5 year anniversary of being no kill in 2018!
The caveat is – we’ve done it and we’ve sustained it. Grant funding agencies don’t see our shelter as one in dire need anymore. Our live release rate is so good, they are focusing their dollars to communities with low live release rates (and that’s ok!)
We have expanded beyond shelter operations into outreach, education, and a groundbreaking statewide initiative which we hope ends unnecessary euthanasia of healthy animals in the entire state. We cannot stop now!!
I am our only major gift officer and the pressure is on!! With the limited grant funding and our desire to continue serving our community, I have to produce. And, that means MANY more major gifts!!! I was denied an off-site educational opportunity because of budget cuts, but I need the education to help keep this organization up to the standards the community has come to expect. Help me take at least a little bit of weight off my shoulders! 🙂
Amy’s course helped me with three things:
1- refining why I am doing this important not for profit work
2- how important my not for profit work really is
3- to raise 3x more money than in any past year!
Amy is a kind teacher, never shaming, always striving to give more.
I need help to bring major donors together to finish a ten-year long effort to Save the Northfield Depot, a 1888 historic icon in our community. We have completed about two thirds of the restoration work and have raised about $350,000, and we need to raise another $350,000 to complete the job.
Then . . .
We can launch the Northfield Center for Non-Profits (NCNP) in the restored Depot! Your course will give me the capacity to help lead the effort to build the coalition of major donors to both complete the renovation and launch the NCNP! What a wonderful way to facilitate the work of all of our community agencies!
Last year I earned my Certificate in Fundraising & Development from Rollins College and the Edyth Bush Institute. It was a worthwhile program and I gleaned much-needed knowledge on fundraising. However, the program just touched on major gift work, and one of the items that I learned is that most money is raised through major gifts. After working in various development positions at the same nonprofit sanctuary for the past ten years, I was just promoted (last week) to the Director of Donor Relations, Now is my time to shine and major gifts are the key, not only to my success but the success of our sanctuary and it’s longevity. I believe that the Mastering Major Gifts program will provide me with the needed information, guidance, and confidence to raise major gifts.
Hello Amy!
For the sake of my organization and the incredible tool you are so generously offering…I’m going to take a huge risk and admit out loud, for possibly the first time, that I am Vice President of Development and Communications….who has never actually made an ask for Major Gift. (Oh man – the cat’s out of the bag!) Throughout my career, I’ve mastered every other element of fundraising. Annual Appeals? Easy. Grants and Foundations? Walk in the park. Corporate relations? Cultivation? Stewardship? Events?? In my sleep! But utter these two tiny words within earshot – Major Gifts – and I immediately break out in a cold sweat and bury myself in whatever distraction I can find. (Let’s work on our dashboard some more!)
The truth is, our organization is starting virtually from scratch. My role was vacant for two years prior to my coming on board, and we spent the past 1.5 years rebuilding and reconnecting. We’ve done a dynamite job re-engaging lapsed donors and have literally quadrupled our annual fund over the past year. That was the easy part.
Now, we are staring down the barrel of the rubber meeting the road and we need to engage our donors in a way they’ve never been engaged before. We’ve just introduced the concept of Major Gifts to our Executive Team for the first time. This is an organization new to the entire world of Major Gifts.
We’re a young, scrappy, and hungry team, and we will be building our major gifts program this year. Having you in our corner with Mastering Major Gifts would catapult our confidence and set us up for success in a very big, very organization-altering way.
Thank you again for offering two incredibly lucky organizations this amazing opportunity. We are grateful to be considered.
I like what you have to share. It seems you have experience and are genuine about helping non-profits such as ours. And major gifts is the best way to fundraise period! But I could really use your help. I hope that I win!
I am relatively new to the field of development and largely self-taught. I am also a development shop of one (plus help from my Executive Director). We recognize the importance of major gifts but also know how little we know about pursuing them and establishing a major gifts program. It would be wonderful for me to work with someone with your experience so I can build my organization and strengthen myself as a professional.
Hi Amy,
I would love the opportunity to get your support in successfully raising major gifts this year. I work for the Sierra Club of BC on beautiful Vancouver Island. It’s rewarding and sometimes painful work as we are up against enormous and powerful industries. I regard climate change to be THE defining issue of my generation – and I have the possibility of making a global impact. British Columbia is home to some of the most carbon-rich forests in the world. Yet our province is currently cutting this old growth forest down FASTER than the Amazon or Asia. The pressure I feel is not from my Executive Team, it is from a deep sense of urgency and grief for the loss of this spectacular ecosystem, and humanity’s impact on the planet.
Less than 2% of charitable giving in Canada goes to environmental causes, yet a healthy environment is the basis for all other indexes of life. Our organization faces a unique challenge of being confused with either the National “Sierra Club Canada” or the USA “Sierra Club” and we are often excluded from applying for grants because funders think that we are somehow part of these other organizations. (We license the name, but are completely separate in funding, governance, staff and geographic area of work.)
I also struggle with getting caught up in the tasks of annual giving, managing our database, and simply making sure our donors get thanked on time. I know that the answer to these problems is Major Gifts. Here’s the most important part: I know that I work best when I hold myself accountable to someone else. Right now, I only have myself, and it is all to easy to prioritize other seemingly “urgent” tasks.
I would personally benefit from your guidance, and I know that our forests – ancient trees that have been alive for thousands of years – would benefit from my ability to prioritize major gifts.
Thank you for considering this application, and thank you so much for the generous free advice that you have already bestowed upon us. You are truly an inspiration.
Hey Amy,
After a few years of working in other capacities I was asked if I could start raising money as we were struggling to find growth and new donors. It’s been an extremely steep learning curve. I definitely have the passion to succeed, however I lack the knowledge and skills to do my job effectively. Our organization also lacks time and finances to help me get the support and training needed. We definitely follow a model of letting employees sink or swim. I feel that I have persevered to learn how to swim, but still lack the resources and skills to do it well.
I have struggled to plan and prepare for meetings, and I often go into them not having a solid understanding of what the plan should be. There are hundreds of questions I have in my head that leave me without knowing what my goal is in a meeting. This often leaves me to play it by ear and ask for money if they have shown interest in our work during the meeting. I have found alot of success in increasing our monthly support and finding smaller gifts from events. However I have yet to receive any major gift over 10,000.
Based on the comments that I have seen, and what the 7 week course provides. I am confident that this course would give me the skills and resources to help us help more families in need.
I am confident that Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money. I started my first major gifts fundraising position August 2017 and I adopted a modified version of Amy’s 52 gifts in 52 weeks template. This decision and my daily actions resulted in me influencing 20 new/increased gifts in 20 weeks (ending Dec 31). I leveraged all my skills and experience gained in 15 years of annual campaigns and combined it with being in daily action to engage with donors. While I’m grateful for the results and I’m clear I did my best… there is a rather gap in my major gift experience, tools, systems, perspectives I need to truly succeed long term. If I succeed, my organization empowers more women to work!
My new role in major gifts is in human services/non-government welfare, vs. annual campaigns in higher education and medical research so I’m dealing with a completely different donor, in a different genre of fundraising. My Executive Director is new to nonprofit (comes from corporate) and is a fantastic leader in many ways… she’s a willing student of fundraising, a natural fundraiser in the way she engages with our community and we work well together. However, I’m clear I need mentorship and it needs to come from outside the organization. I feel a heightened sense of urgency to produce funds and a group fundraising program that gives me the daily structure, systems, tools and perspective for success is just what I need to move ahead elegantly, powerfully and immediately.
I willingly took a significant pay cut to work in this field and my professional development budget is undefined (probably maxed at US$200). Until I have tenure and consistent track record in achieving goals with my organization, it’s unlikely my professional development funds will increase. I will save for this out of my personal budget but I’ve crunched the numbers and even though you offer multiple pays, I will need to wait for a later intake.
If you select me for a full scholarship, I will engage fully and be an earnest and inspired contributor to Mastering Major Gifts community. I am in the right job, at the right time, with the right people. I hope and trust that working with Amy is in my immediate future!
Amy, thank you for your rich content and for consideration my request for scholarship!
Mastery is the sum total of wisdom, experience, discipline and practice. It applies to the way we understand and then relate to, and then allow the other’s innate good will and wish to confer benefit on the world and society become gifted through you. A course that defines and explicates this, like yours, is a sine qua non for anybody fortunate enough to be a facilitator – otherwise called a ‘fundraiser’. That course: Mastering Major Gifts.
Hi Amy,
So I get a lot emails in my inbox everyday (I know, what a shocker!). Some are good, some not so good, and a lot that I punt right to the trash folder. But when I see Amy Eisenstein’s name in the subject line, those are the emails I take the time to open. Here’s why:
Two years ago I was exhausted and seriously considering leaving non-profit work altogether. I was tasked with raising major gifts with the organization I work for, an amazing group of people who care for the most desperate and broken people on the streets of our city. But I was floundering. I spent chunks of my week writing grants, combing through our donor database, printing letters, and generally stuck behind my desk. I wasn’t working out of my strengths and I wasn’t meeting with the remarkable men and women who gave to our work. The turnaround happened for me when I came discovered the major gift challenge and Amy’s blog.
Suddenly I had a wealth of tips and insights for making calls to donors, getting in front of donors, and really being with who I needed to be with: the people who give generously out of their passions. It was like a switch had been flipped and I found myself enjoying Monday mornings, eager to come into work and see the life changing resources flow into our work. And boy did they ever flow!
This past year I had a chance to ask for and receive three (yup, THREE!) six- figure gifts for a transforming program we were launching for the homeless in our city. Retention increased on my portfolio of donors and my mind (and heart) are full of meaningful interactions with donors from this past year.
But as the calendar flipped to 2018, I began to think…what now? How can I build on last year? Where do I go from here with donors who have taken steps closer to our work and those we serve? The hard truth is that professional development dollars don’t exist in our org’s budget, or if they do they are ear-marked for key front line staff training (some of which can be life or death).
I had planned to squeeze every last drop of experience and insight that I could from your blog posts, webinars, etc, but I know that the Mastering Major Gifts course would be that much more intensive. I don’t want to muddle along another year trying to fumble into asks and interaction. I know that NOW is the time, at the start of the year to get the training that I need to better connect with, inspire, and partner with our donors in fulfilling their passions. The need is pressing too. The winter is brutal, the challenges facing the homeless are real and crushing, and if their lives are going to change then I have to help bring in the gifts that will make that possible. That’s why I want to raise more major gifts with the Mastering Major Gifts course.
Robin
Why I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money?
1. Because it is a solution that works! It is provided by a person that had been there, so there’s no better way to learn.
2. Because I want to make this to work for my organization. I will apply my passion to raise major gifts so I can support and reach more people, because a better health means a better life!
Amy and Staff,
I live in Japan, a Japanese national, and vice principal in a private school. This last year, I’ve been developing a system in our organization to “Ask” for major gifts, something very new here in Japan, and not heard of in the private school sector.
As you may be aware of this, fundraising has never been a culture here in Japan. There are basically no consultants, no books and no courses on fundraising. The word “Fundraising” hardly exists here. However, Japan is changing rapidly, and only in the last less than 10 years, are you seeing books on fundraising, and courses being held. (probably less than 10 books in the market on fundraising) With no “tools” here, i basically get all my information from Homepages, blogs and books from the US.
I’m very interested in this Course. First, because this would be so valuable to me and my organization in
raising money to enhance and stabilize our financial situation and make an impact through education.. Secondly, I’m very interested to see if the technics, process, and theory in the US would apply to Japanese and their culture, and if not how we adjust. Lastly, I feel like a “pioneer” here, but truly believe that there is potential here regardless to differences in culture because we are all human and want to change the world for the better.
I’m very new at this, but have a vision and passion for making a better community (world) through education, and giving donors with vision and passion like me a chance to do so as well. I believe that “giving” is the most valuable currency, and the only thing that makes you richer.
Our organization has been a part of the community for 40 years, so there are quite a few people that know and love the organization. There isn’t a major gifts plan in place or anything official that has been developed. As the new director and new to the community, developing a plan is key and I’m not sure where to start.
Major gifts is really important to the future of the organization because we have been receiving funds from a couple of public entities whose budgets are being drastically reduced. We need to be able to fill these budget shortfalls and major gifts are the most sustainable option long-term.
I would love to participate in this program to help ensure the long-term future of the organization.
Dear Amy,
Thank you for your generous scholarship offer; the two winners will receive a great gift!
For years I had been looking for a job that had meaning and purpose. I worked many years in the finance sector in many unfulfilling roles. After years of wondering if I would ever find my dream job, last year I was fortunate and I finally found it! I was offered the job of Director of Advancement for an amazing organization helping families reach their financial goals. I was thrilled with the opportunity to ask donors to help make an investment in our organization. There was one minor problem – I had NO experience in development and this was a new role for the organization. I had no one to “coach me” in understanding the nuts and bolts of a major gift program, and I felt woefully unprepared to succeed. Your course provided a wonderful foundation, with practical step by step guidance on how to build a healthy and sustainable major gift program, and understanding the various pieces necessary to succeed in this role. Thank you for sharing your time and expertise. While I have yet to close a major gift, I know in time this course will pay in dividends so that we can continue to help many more amazing families.
Thank you, and your team, for taking my post into consideration for this amazing scholarship opportunity.
Sincerely,
Carolina
Amy and Staff,
I live in Japan, a Japanese national, and vice principal in a private school. This last year, I’ve been developing a system in our organization to “Ask” for major gifts, something very new here in Japan, and not heard of in the private school sector.
As you may be aware of this, fundraising has never been a culture here in Japan. There are basically no consultants, no books and no courses on fundraising. The word “Fundraising” hardly exists here. However, Japan is changing rapidly, and only in the last less than 10 years, are you seeing books on fundraising, and courses being held. (probably less than 10 books in the market on fundraising) With no “tools” here, i basically get all my information from Homepages, blogs and books from the US.
I’m very interested in this Course. First, because this would be so valuable to me and my organization in raising money to enhance and stabilize our financial situation and make an impact through education.. Secondly, I’m very interested to see if the technics, process, and theory in the US would apply to Japanese and their culture, and if not how we adjust. Lastly, I feel like a “pioneer” here, but truly believe that there is potential here regardless to differences in culture because we are all human and want to change the world for the better.
I’m very new at this, but have a vision and passion for making a better community (world) through education, and giving donors with vision and passion like me a chance to do so as well. I believe that “giving” is the most valuable currency, and the only thing that makes you richer.
The opportunity to take a course in Mastering Major Gifts is an opportunity to learn how to connect the heart of our mission to the heart of the donor, and that is exciting and inspiring! We have been running our nonprofit with 100% volunteers until about six months ago. For years we tried all sorts of fundraising approaches, but when I happened upon the instructional videos and materials you offered without charge and began applying some of the strategies, our fundraising took off. What you taught us made the difference between starting over every year and building on a firm foundation for sustained fund development. We are now poised upon an opportunity we don’t want to squander. With a staff who is ready, willing and able to learn and apply your time-tested strategies, I believe we will expand our nonprofit’s budget in the best way possible–with a major gift program. We know have donors in our circle of support that are just waiting for the opportunity to connect more deeply with our mission and programs. Mastering Major Gifts is just what we’ve been waiting for!
I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise money because it will start me off on the right foot creating a major gifts program, and cut down on the learning time from developing and starting the program to raising large gifts. It would also help just getting a donation program off the ground.
In my country (Austria) there is no such thing as a “culture of Major Gift fundraising” (or only very little of it)
but nothing compared to the states. (reeeeally nothing! i know the numbers 😉 )
I will import all the precious Know-How, your providing, not only to raise more money for 1, but many (hopefully all) NGO’s in the country!
*crossing fingers*
Greetings
PS.: oh, yes, almost forgot the answer: …. because learning from the best always does!!!
I work for a small university with limited budget so it seems like staff development is on the back burner. When I started as a Major Gift Officer, I did not have a mentor and I really think that would have helped me. I have done “okay” in raising major gifts but know that I could do so much better. I read your weekly emails and also come away with something that helps me. We will be going into a comprehensive campaign and I want to play a significant role in the success of that campaign.
I have been following your blog and newsletters for about a year now, and can say your resources have been some of the most helpful to us as we navigate building out our individual donor program. Our nonprofit started as a corporate foundation, and has since separated to become our own entity. Given our start, we did not have a need to fundraise to individuals during the first 5-7 years of our lifecycle, but that is no longer the case. While individual donors represent the smallest portion of our overall fundraising portfolio, we do have a sizeable number of major givers (in the five to six figure level) that I know we are not properly taking care of. Additionally, we have grown the number of individuals we having given almost 150% in the past two years. While getting new donors hasn’t been necessarily challenging, retention has been. I know that these courses would help us take care of all of our donors big and small.
In addition to the comments previously mentioned, we are also in the beginning stages of setting up a giving policy with our board. One is not currently in place, and I know it will be a necessity as we go out to attract new major donors. This conversation started after I watched one of your webinars, and I would love the opportunity to learn more about putting this policy in place and how to “sell” it to our board.
I was recently promoted to a manager within our department tasked to oversee our grants program and our individual / major gift program. Given grants is the largest part of our fundraising portfolio, it undoubtedly gets more of my time and attention. I would love the opportunity to take the course to be more educated on major donor best practices and strategies to be able to better care for the donors who have so graciously entrusted resources in our organization.
Hello Amy! Thank you for the opportunity to compete for this awesome gift!
I’m an AmeriCorps VISTA working at an urban farm park in Arkansas, that teaches people how to grow their own food, grows food to share with those at risk of food insecurity, and recovers around 2000-5000 pounds of edible healthy food each week to redistribute to homeless shelters and food pantries. I’ve only been in this position since August, but the farm has been feeding people for six years – WITHOUT paid staff or any kind of major donorship. I’m frankly amazed that they’ve been able to pull it off, but they are deeply committed (as am I!)
The original VISTA who was to hold the position of fundraiser had to leave the program right at the beginning, so fundraising has fallen to me. I’ve really not done much of this AT ALL, and I’ve been struggling by with various free webinars and library books. (Did I mention they have NO budget for this kind of learning?)
I believe your Mastering Major Gifts classes will help me build sustainable capacity for this great organization, and help them to end hunger in our region.
Thank you for considering me!
As someone new to the fundraising space, Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money by training me to know how to approach major gift donors. Crater is a small community based hospice and I want to ensure that their mission carries on with my assistance.
Mastering major gifts will help our organization raise additional funds by providing a different perspective on development for a small organization. Unfortunately, our group has become a little “stale” by looking back to old ways to compete.
Our commitment to our constituents is strong, our growth goal for this year is the same level to our current and new donors and volunteers.
Your consideration is appreciated.
Amy and Team,
The generous sharing of your tips and trick in the weekly emails have been such a help to our organization. We are a small staff and have limited resources but definitely see the need to go after Major Gifts. Your course would help to lay the foundation for an ongoing Major Gift program for our organization. I believe your course would have an epic impact on our fundraising. I so appreciate how you address all the fears and common pit falls and offer real solutions to overcome them. I also appreciate the level of accountability this program would implement. A change in mindset so we take action instead of sit on the sidelines wishing we could do more.
Thank your for the support!
Your advice has always been spot on. I read everyone of your emails. You have responded to questions from our team! Meals by Grace is on the brink of creating big things to make sure children are happy not hungry. We are expanding our operations to include an aquaponic farm to provide fresh fish and vegetables. Your help in expanding and growing our Major Gifts would be so helpful!
I have taken basic classes on fundraising and want to step up my game.
As a non-profit consultant specializing in fundraising and communication, it’s extremely important for me to know I am delivering the maximum result for my clients. Mastering Major Gifts would empower me to optimize fundraising for diverse small to mid-sized nonprofits, giving me a certainty that I have not walked away from the proverbial table with money left on the table. Cultivating supporters and donors is at the essence of any nonprofit’s development strategy; The Mastering Major Gifts course would advance the art and science of donor cultivation through a highly effective Major Gifts strategy.
Amy,
As the founder & CEO of my organization, H.O.P.E, Inc. I grew it from the ground up. I had no nonprofit experience, didn’t know donors, never wrote a grant; but I had a dream to help low-income single parents working to obtain a college degree with rent & childcare, along with other supportive services. It had taken me 10 years to get my bachelors as a single parent, and I knew many who dropped out because of financial hardships.
I took a zero donor database to a now 247 donor database, and an operating budget of $100,000 with a small major gifts program, but I want to have a REAL major donor program where we get $10,000+ donations from one donor. Yet, I just don’t know where to start or begin. I question if I even know such givers. Our current major donor gives over $1,000 a year. However, since we have great donor retention most of our regular and monthly donors have exceeded that, which tells me we need to change how we view our major donor.
With your help, we can really secure a diverse financial income and really do great things in our community. We can help more single parents! With the little we have raised, we have assisted 45 single parents, seen 29 graduate & increase their income by over $25,000! That’s beating poverty!
In addition, I can stop being a one man shop and employ others. I write every grant proposal, am program director, marketing, everything! In 2016, I lost my husband to cancer and he told me to never stop providing hope. I wrote assistance checks from his hospital bed and never stopped giving hope. With this scholarship, you will give me hope! I will take this course and do great things with it!
Kenita
It will provide the confidence and dedicated time to get started.
I know improving our major gift program will help our Foundation serve our students better and also enhance our community footprint. As a nonprofit Foundation supporting non-traditional students, my goal has been to increase scholarship opportunities for our students and underprivileged adults in our community. I have had limited success matching donors with the opportunity to create targeted scholarships. I KNOW, with improved skills, I could do so much more, especially with regard to helping members of our community for whom a college degree would otherwise be out of reach. Just imagine how the life of a victim of domestic abuse would change for her and her children if she were provided a full scholarship for a college degree in a high demand field. As a one person staff, I need to be highly skilled and highly efficient at raising funds for education opportunities. Although I read all your great resources, I’d love to add to my own self-development efforts and be more proactive about instruction from an expert. Thank you!
The more I learn about raising major gifts, the more I think all donors and potential donors should be handled as though they could be our next major donor. And yet, time and resources are limited. I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me be more discerning when I review our data and lead to more informed decision making and more effective strategies so that we can increase the number of major gifts in our Annual Fund and attract major gifts to our endowment and special projects. I want to learn how to celebrate major gifts in ways that feel meaningful to our donors and impactful for our community so that we nurture a culture of philanthropy and continue attracting those gifts year after year. I have no doubt that major gifts are the key to any fundraising success, and with so many needs and competing causes, the stakes feel higher than ever. I also believe that major gifts take the relationship with those donors to an entirely different level of partnership, investment, commitment, and joy, and I want to be involved in building those kinds of relationships. I hope that Mastering Major Gifts will give me the tools and the confidence to do that.
I took this course in 2016 and it was the best thing I did to expand my knowledge of Major Gifts and to grow the program that I’m responsible for. This course will provide you with all the fundamentals you need to take your Major Gift Program to the next level. Amy explains the process from start to finish and provides excellent examples.. She covers every step from how to identify a major gift prospect, how to steward them, how to get your Board and other volunteers involved, how to approach the prospect and how to make that important ‘ask’. The information that Amy provides is priceless and the resources attached to each part of the course will become the ‘core’ of your major gift toolbox. Since taking the course, I have implemented many of Amy’s suggestions and ideas and our Major Gift Program has grown in revenue generated and the number of prospects!
I work for a small-shop, very niche health-care related public charity. We work to restore quality of life to individuals who have orthopaedic conditions and injuries that prevent them from doing the things they want and need to do – things like moving without pain – whether to work, play or run.
I devour your writings/video posts because you ALWAYS provide a very helpful and “on-the-money” point-of-view with practical advice. In addition, you provide discussions with others whom I admire or have grown to admire (your interview with Seth Godin was a favorite, and one I shared with my Board of Trustees).
Because our mission is not quite “saving lives” or “helping puppies” or “providing art to all”, it can be tough to rise above the “noise” of other nonprofits – locally and beyond – to discuss the need we have that a donor can make possible.
I have begun to raise my sights from the tedium of the everyday (did I mention we’re a small shop?) to look to the potential for transformational gifts. And it is really true that the big money follows big ideas. But, the pathway from the idea to the gift is still circuitous.
Also, developing the “plan” for each potential donor is an area where I still struggle. Not the least of which is that lingering hesitation (that you addressed in your recent post) that the donor may feel I’m bothering her. When, in fact, the donor may be waiting to hear of the opportunity to help.
Would LOVE to embark on these kinds of transformational gifts. Although we’re small, and “niche,” orthopaedic injuries truly can be “quality-of-life”-threatening…… and donors can really help!
Every morning, I arrive at my desk and dig in to work. I think to myself: first I will move forward one of our three major annual events, finish the thank yous, submit the grant applications, respond to Board members, executive staff and program staff and then I will focus on major gifts. Every time I embark on a new task, I think to myself: I should really be calling a donor, researching the donor that just caught my attention, setting up a meeting with a donor and focusing on our major donor prospects. I even have a really good list of prospects and every so often one of them actually sends in a nice gift. I think to myself: I wonder what they would have sent if I spent more time with them?
After reading about Mastering Major Gifts with Amy Eisenstein, I think to myself: maybe I need help with this.
Why do I think Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money?
Honestly, I don’t know that it will. But if Amy’s program is the proverbial “boy walking on the beach”, I sure don’t want to be one of the starfish that gets left out in the sun!
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
I think that the MMG program would be terrific for our organization. As a small shop in rural, southeastern North Carolina, we meet many demographic challenges. That being said, we live in an amazingly generous community with the impetus to step up to support the needs of the community. I would say one would be hard pressed to find a community with a more giving spirit. MMG will help us to identify the right path for continuing to cultivate and manage our donor base, while proving us new tools to grow. We are not “afraid” to seek major gifts, but we would greatly benefit from a robust program that gives us a pathway to success.
I am a recent graduate and I am new to the nonprofit sector. I am also a “millennial” which makes me the youngest and least experienced in my field of choice. However, what I lack in experience I more than make up with enthusiasm, passion, and perseverance. Having only been in my current role for a few months there are a lot of things that I had to learn by just jumping in and getting my feet wet. For the most part my work is a combination of my training, research, and natural instincts. Going forward I would like to have a more solid foundation as I seek to serve both national and international communities through the work I engage in. I know that your course would provide me with that much need foundation. Plus I would be able to use the tools taught in your course for many years to come. I pray you choose me as I look forward to learning under your tutelage.
Mastering Major Gifts would provide the much needed insight into “how to” best implement my strategic plan into a dynamic master plan that would guide me to creating a culture of winning donors to become trusting loyal allies and partners who join The National Children’s Cancer Society’s mission to help families making their way through the daunting world of childhood cancer. Because no family should go through childhood cancer alone.
I’ve taken many webinars, conference seminars, and read many articles on Major Gifts and have most of the concepts down, but need help with the execution! I think taking this course would help put everything together and keep me on track to be successful. I have always been interested in Major Gifts but have never had the opportunity to work with donors until now. I work at a school where the director of development position is fairly new and major gifts has not been at the top of their fundraising priorities. I would like to change that and I know your course will be beneficial to everyone in my organization, especially our students who come to us because they learn differently or can not learn in a regular classroom setting. We could do so much more for our students with more funding.
Amy, I hope you will consider me for this scholarship and thanks for all you do for our profession!
I am the Community Relations Director for Meals on Wheels of Syracuse. In 2016, we prepared, packaged and delivered 215,646 meals. The need for meals is growing and the money, from government sources, is flat at best or decreasing. In 2016, we were forced to institute a waiting list for new clients. Imagine telling someone who needs food they have to wait. We opened up our limited funds to pay for some of those people while they wait for government funds but even with that we delivered only slightly over 180,000 meals in 2017. This decrease was not because the need lessened. Seniors and disabled adults who needed our meals fell through the cracks and were not fed.
The only option is to grow that limited fund so that we can actively seek out those that need our help. The only way to grow that fund is with private donations. Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise the money we need to feed those who might otherwise go hungry. The need is there. One in five seniors in New York struggles with hunger. I need the skills to connect those who can help with those who need it.
Thank you for the opportunity to take this course. I am confident that it will make the difference between keeping seniors in their homes and healthy and having those who need help fall through the cracks.
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
Our organization, The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, was founded 17 years ago. Yet two months ago, we hired our first Director of Development, me. While long overdue, The Alliance has been doing the best it can by rallying our local community to support our national organization. During my interviews I told the Founder/CEO I was concerned that more than 50% of our annual funds come from two events that are three weeks apart – I questioned, “What happens when one of these events has to stop? What happens when Alexandra can’t host anymore?”
Then, the unimaginable, yet inevitable happened: one of the event hosts had to cancel the annual fundraiser, only 50 days prior.
So, now what do we do? Well, looking at the silver lining, this is the catalyst we needed to prioritize major gifts. The pressing question became, how can I quickly learn these skills? I recently graduated business school, where I focused on strategy, development, and other methods for business-focused growth. However, there is nothing in school that aided my understanding of donor cultivation and major gifts. That is why I am requesting your help. Actually, I emailed you at the end of the 2017 asking if there would be scholarships available, as with our budget, we cannot afford this class or the AFP conference you will be attending in New Orleans. To see applications available, the same week I learned that the event responsible for almost 25% of our budget had been cancelled, is so uplifting.
I need this scholarship to learn the skills and techniques needed to guide my organization for this year, and the future. If given the privilege to take this course, you would be changing not only my career, but our organization. On a personal level, I truly cannot outline the benefits of having this course early in my non-profit career. For background, prior to business school, I worked in management consulting and then as an independent consultant for non-profits and foundations. Through the years, I have been able to support all aspects of strategic development, growth, and giving – but I have never been responsible for the major gifts and asks myself. With this scholarship, you would be providing me with the opportunity to master something not only critical to my personal development, but more importantly, critical to the livelihood of the organization.
Please consider me, and ultimately The Alliance, for this incredible opportunity. The course and your expertise would be a top priority and every resource would be utilized fully. Utilizing every resource fully also includes being an active member of the community and alumni of your program – sharing stories of success, reaching out for help, and giving back internally however I can. This scholarship would truly be a game changer for us, allowing us to fill a need never felt more greatly than today – we need to cultivate donors and start securing major gifts to continue our work. We need to grow our donor base beyond our local community as we serve more than 15,000 individuals across the country every year.
For more information on what we do, and who we serve, please see below.
The Impact of Eating Disorders on Our Communities
– At least 30 million Americans will battle an eating disorder during their lifetime, with 700,000 cases in
Florida alone
– Eating disorders are devastating, biologically-based mental illnesses that wreak havoc on the lives of
struggling individuals as well as their families and loved ones
– Physicians are not trained on how to identify and manage eating disorders; the majority of medical
residents reported receiving fewer than 5 hours of training in this area
– Eating disorders do not discriminate. Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities,
body shapes, weights, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses
– Full recovery from eating disorders is possible, but unfortunately, only about a third of people with an
eating disorder ever receive treatment
– The National Institutes of Health reports that eating disorders are more common than Autism and
Alzheimer’s disease, more deadly than drunk driving, and more costly than depression and anxiety
Brief Overview of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness
The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing programs and activities aimed at outreach, education, early intervention, and advocacy for all eating disorders.
Founded in October 2000, The Alliance has worked tirelessly to raise awareness; eliminate secrecy and stigma; promote access to care; and support those susceptible to, currently struggling with, and recovered from eating disorders. We create a bridge for those needing and seeking help by connecting people with resources to assist them in recovery.
The Alliance offers comprehensive services, including: educational presentations to schools, healthcare providers, hospitals, treatment centers, and community agencies; free, clinician-led weekly support groups for those struggling and for their loved ones; support and referrals through both our free help-line and comprehensive referral website, http://www.findEDhelp.com; and advocacy for eating disorders and mental health legislation. In August 2017, The Alliance opened Psychological Services, which offers direct, low-cost, lifesaving treatment to underinsured and uninsured adults in our community. Since its inception, The Alliance has offered presentations on eating disorders, positive body image, and self-esteem to more than 290,000 individuals nationwide. Over the past 17 years, we have demonstrated our tireless commitment to making a positive impact on our community.
I landed in my current position, Director of Major Gifts, when the school my children attend approached me for a position they created with me in mind. Talk about pressure! Prior to this position, I was a financial advisor for almost 20 years (you may remember we met once for coffee in Tulsa, OK). My school, Riverfield Country Day School, was on the cusp of launching a capital campaign and as a longtime volunteer and parent, we both thought this would be an excellent position to combine my love of the school with my skills of asking for funds (asking for investment dollars has similar characteristics to asking for fundraising dollars).
In the 18mos or so since I started at Riverfield, we have achieved tremendous growth in our donor stewardship and donor relations plans. Our capital campaign, an $8.2million project, was officially launched in November and we gain traction each day. However, since this position was created and I’m new to fundraising for major gifts, I believe the course Mastering Major Gifts will take our program and capital campaign success to the next level. I’m honored to follow your blog, webinars and Facebook page and often wish our school had the funds to purchase the course. The opportunity for a scholarship to the course is blessing and I wish the absolute best to all the applicants. Moreover, I thank you for the opportunity and for the consistent quality of the ideas and information you share. Thank you!
Our government is broken and our country is being town apart and the organization I work for, the Project On Government Oversight is needed more than ever right now to help hold the foundations of democracy together. We’ve always been a busy organization that works with whistleblowers to expose corruption and explore solutions and this year we’ve almost doubled our staff and are busier than ever. We’re not a large organization and have depended hugely on foundation grants for most of our existence but we need all the help we we can get right now to keep fighting for ALL Americans. I think this course would help ratchet up our understanding of our major donors and help us grow our capacity. The bottom line is our mission needs all the support it can get right now. I hope you’ll consider helping POGO.
Thank you for offering the scholarship to help boost non-profit missions.
HI Amy,
I have been the Executive Director for a child and family homeless shelter for four and a half years. For the first three years, we were a small non-profit helping a few families at at time. This last year, we opened up the first 24/7 Emergency Family Shelter for the first time in the history of our city. It has been an incredible success – we have helped more families than I have ever dreamed of and could have imagined. In one year we went from helping 11 people a month to 222 a month!!! The problem is that by opening this shelter, we have seen the incredible need for homeless families. Just this week, we turned away 19 people, including 13 children in freezing, snowy temperatures. We clearly need a new location and increased services.
I came into this job with no experience of fundraising. It has been a slow go, learning the hard way most of the time. This year I realized that if I am going to be able to see this organization expand the way it needs to expand, I need to make double what we brought in last year. That is not possible without me learning how to Master Major Gifts.
The problem is I have never pursued major gifts and I have NO idea how to move forward. Just last week, I went to one of my donors, who has also been a development director, and asked, “How do I Raise this kind of money?”
We are a small, becoming bigger, need to raise more money soon, non-profit that still has a mentality and budget of a small organization.
Mastering Major Gifts would provide a much needed foundation to help me move forward and raise the money need to help more children with a shelter from the cold and a way back home. We simply do not have the budget for me to take a class like this, but I promise you this, I am hard worker, I will put to practice everything you teach, and will pay it forward and backward if I was selected for a scholarship.
Thank you!
I have been the Executive Director of a small nonprofit for 13 years. Over those years we have increased our revenue significantly, however I have never had any in-depth training in Major Gift fundraising. We have great relationships with our donors but no systematic approach to move them to the next level of giving. We work and live in a small town and we are the largest Philanthropic organization in town. In stating that, other organizations look to us on establishing best practices and I feel that the Major Gifts is an area that we are lacking. So not only would this training be a help to my and my organization but to our entire community.
Thank you for this opportunity.
First off, thank you for all of your dedicated support to the profession of fundraising, your unstoppable quest for refining best practices, and making your knowledge available to professionals in the field.
The Mastering Major Gifts course, and your support, will help me raise more money because it offers a systematic approach that will help me stay focused and be accountable to myself and my organization to raise the dollars needed to realize our vision.
Just hired this past December, I am the first Director of Development for my organization, a public charter Montessori school in an urban neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. The founders raised significant capital funds through grants and individual donors to renovate a building and open the school. My task is to develop an annual fundraising program that raises operating funds to bridge the $660,000 funding gap between state and county funding sources and expenses. While I’m starting with some excellent fundraising history, I am also setting up systems from the ground up. I’d like to set it up right from the start. The Mastering Major Gifts course will be key in this process.
Thank you again for this incredible opportunity.
If we follow the plan correctly and no major money is raised, then your and my credibility and abilities tank! We don’t do failure!
Dear Amy & Team,
Mastering major gifts will help Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. and myself raise more money for recipients in need by giving me the opportunity to build more confidence for the “ask” part. Not only will this 7-week program enhance my communication skills, but I look forward to learning a professional way to ask for major gifts in terms of learning what to say, and how much to ask for.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit, classified as a Human Services organization that raises, trains and donates medical service dogs primarily to veterans and first responders with disabilities, visible and invisible.
I have a background in event planning, but have just recently entered the nonprofit world as a Fundraiser and Event Planner. I am very used to being given a budget and being able to plan events without the “ask” part. Now I am on the other side of the spectrum and would love to master major gifts to develop and support my nonprofit beyond events.. In turn, I would be able to pass along concepts and ideas that I have developed through this 7-week program to my team that would help benefit those in need.
Mastering major gifts would give my nonprofit the ability to help recipients in need of a lifesaving medical service dog. It costs roughly $22,000 to raise and train one medical service dog. Although, actual costs are closer to $25,000 per dog. We use 22 to represent the 22 suicides per day among veterans. Major gifts would present the opportunity to provide multiple recipients in need.
I know there are more opportunities out there, but not entirely sure on how to progress in that direction. This scholarship will enable myself, and my team to become the major gift masters and overcome any previous obstacles! Through this program I hope to find the right donors to go after, develop correct strategies, and appropriate solicitation concepts. I would love to become more than just an event planner, but an excellent fundraiser with the aid of this program.
Best,
Rachel
I believe that this course would benefit me and any cause that I solicit for. It will provide me the tools necessary from a Guru in the field, that will help me learn how to utilize the skills that I already possess to be able to tap into a small segment of society, who have the means to give major gifts and make a huge difference in society and helping great causes continue to do their work.
I’ve been the Director of Development (1-person shop) for a small, non-profit, private elementary (Pre-K4 – 5th grade) school for almost one year and it became obvious early on that we needed to diversify revenue streams. The school incorporated and received its 501(c)3 designation in 2008. We have a very active and engaged board of directors who support the school with time, talent, and financial resources.
The school’s curriculum is college preparatory and currently serves 170 predominantly African-American students. It is located in an area where the median income is $23,785, 36.3% of the residents live below the poverty line, and the population is 84% African-American and 15% Caucasian according to the 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Of the students currently enrolled, 57% qualify for free/reduced lunch.
An oasis in the middle of a highly impoverished, under-resourced, drug and crime-ridden community, the school received accreditation in 2016 from both state and national bodies. The mission of the school is to educate students academically, spiritually, and culturally and to develop their character in preparation for their pursuit of collegiate degrees. The primary objective is to put our students on a pathway to becoming responsible citizens by helping them understand that leaders change the world for the better. Ultimately the goal for our students is to excel in their academic pursuits so they will have an opportunity for high paying careers and jobs enabling them to escape the vicious cycle of generational poverty.
Funding is received, for our $1.2 million budget, from subsidized tuition, grants, donations, fundraising, and a state-approved scholarship granting organization that provides scholarships for qualifying students who represent low to moderate income households. It was also obvious that a donor development program was necessary for sustainability. So it was decided that a major gift program was the missing piece and would also allow for our continued grow. However, the development and implementation of a major gift program at times appears daunting and overwhelming for a 1-person shop.
I’ve already learned quite a bit from Amy’s posts, emails, downloads, etc., but need to gain knowledge and expertise in a manner that doesn’t interfere with my already full work load. A 7-week online course would be perfect and would allow me to get up to speed quickly. Learning from someone who has “been there, done that” would enable me to avoid mistakes that would certainly occur if I tried to do this on my own. I can’t afford to waste time and this course would provide the tools I need to be efficient and successful. As I’m sure is the case for the other applicants, we also don’t have the funding to pay for this essential training. To win this would literally be an answer to prayer!
Thank you for your consideration!
I am a staff of one in marketing, fundraising and community outreach as well as manage all of our volunteers. This organization has been in business for 27 years but only began fundraising when I came on board three years ago.
We create and maintain clean, safe, healthy, affordable homes for those who need them most. With federal dollars quickly going away, mastering major gifts would allow us to bring in needed money to help us continue to house the very low income.
I have been in fundraising for 11 years. I’ve heard “no” more times than I can count. However, I still celebrate the Yes! every single time, regardless of the size of the gift. I worked for an organization where my donor pool ranged from those employees making barely minimum wage to millionaire bankers. The term “major gifts” is relative to the person and the organization. I say that because, at that same organization, those at the bottom of the pay scale gave more as a percentage of their salary than those at the very top rung. To them, their sacrifice of funds was major.
Although I have years of experience and hundreds of good and bad stories, I need a refresher… an invigorated perspective… some new advice. I absolutely do not want to become stale or fall victim to same donors, different day. What worked last year, will not work this year. HELP!
My situation would best be described as a current student in the Mastering Major Gifts course. I signed up last spring for two reasons. First, I’m the executive director of a small foundation for women and girls and we were in the planning stages of a new program to help lift young single mothers out of poverty. I knew that once the planning was done, I would need to raise all the funds to launch the new program in a very short time. Second, I’ve started the process to take the CFRE exam and needed more continuing education credits.
I made it about half way through the course before having to jump into action and actually start raising major gifts. The course helped me realize that we had several major gift prospects who would likely be interested in supporting our new program. I had about three weeks to raise $36,000, and was able to do so by identifying our most likely prospects, scheduling the one-on-one meetings and making the ask. We received gifts of $15,000, $10,000 and several at $3,000. When I did the exercise in Module 1 to determine what our current major gift was, it was $1,000, so these five figure gifts were a significant improvement for us.
I could go on and on about the success of the program which ran from September to December. We kept in touch with the donors along the way and invited them all to the December graduation ceremony. They all attended, loved seeing the impact of their gifts first hand, and this morning we received another $5,000 gift from one of the donors to help us continue the program for spring.
Mastering Major Gifts helped with our year-end appeal too. We have always tried to treat all our donors equally, but the course helped us see that it is OK to steward and solicit our major donors differently. Our board included a hand-written, personal insert with each year-end letter to our most loyal donors. Our appeal for unrestricted donations is up 55% from last year and it looks like we will make our stretch goal for the first time ever.
It’s hard to overstate how much our organization has changed in the last nine months. I’m entering 2018 with less stress than previous years because the fundraising pressure has changed. Meeting with individual donors is fun. I found that many of them are waiting for us to make that invitation. I enjoy hearing their stories and finding ways to connect them to our mission. I also look forward to completing the last modules so I can sit for the CFRE exam later this year.
We certainly have gotten our money’s worth from Mastering Major Gifts, but a refund would help us invest in additional professional development for our staff and board.
The time is ripe for my organization to execute a Major Gifts strategy. Though we have a large pool of loyal donors, we’ve never tried to ask anyone to increase their gift. In spite of our small size (a staff of 4), we have the right people in place and our board is involved, too–it’s time to take action! While I have some ideas about where to start, it would be wonderful to work with a professional to develop a solid strategy based on our particular circumstances. Though I participate in as many webinars and trainings as I can, I still wonder what if my plan will create maximum impact. I’m excited to have a great year and would love to work with you, Amy.
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
I am less than a year in to my role as a Major Gift Officer at a small, private, liberal arts university. While I have opportunities to listen to webinars and attend local professional development opportunities, the Mastering Major Gifts comprehensive course allows me to put into practice the topics being taught. Being able to apply what I am learning each week would make the learning more impactful.
My goal in raising major gifts for my university is not for me to become popular or rich with bonuses and promotions but to have an impact on the students being recruited and attending our university. The tools I can take from this course will allow me to perform my job better which helps our university in our mission of serving students who will become tomorrow’s health professionals, teachers and business leaders.
Being a small, private, liberal arts university currently struggling with budget issues, a scholarship to be able to complete this course is the only way it will happen for me.
Thank you!
The opportunity to follow systematic, actionable steps in creating a Major Gifts program is very exciting. I spent much of the past year and a half “learning” my job and where we stand in our development strategies. We have been very event-heavy in the past and my executive director (as well as myself) are very interested in moving away from spending staff time on events and instead developing the relationships with donors that will keep them committed to our cause. Our board of directors recently took a board training on fundraising and their role, and although they are insecure regarding the “ask”, it seems they are on board with other roles including prospecting, cultivating, acknowledging and nurturing the supporters of our organization. If I can learn more about all of these pieces, to share with them, and then be the “ask” master of our organization, I feel like that team work will go a long way in creating long-term, committed donors.
I had registered for this course last spring and not gone through all of the modules yet. Since we have established our accountability groups, I have felt a stronger inclination to move forward on the MMG program and am looking forward to these first two months of the year as foundation months for building a Major Gifts program in 2018. Coupled with the accountability group and the monthly calls with Amy, I am resolute in my personal success in this program and excited about the funding possibilities for my organization.
Thank you Amy, for creating this program and teaching us a systematic way to benefit our causes!
Good afternoon Amy and the team!
I hope you are all doing wonderfully 🙂 I believe that Mastering Major Gifts will help me raise more money for three reasons:
1. I live in Montana and, because of our large geographic area and the rural nature of our state, we have limited training opportunities to hone our fundraising skill set. Just last week, I drove for 3.5 hours one way to a training because I didn’t know when (# of years) I would again get the same opportunity. I believe that working with you will help me learn the skills and a deeper understanding of major gifts which would allow me to raise money for both my organization and also provide insight for other development professionals and local nonprofits wanting to create and improve their major gift program.
2. While our organization is 45 years old, our Development Coordinator position is only 3 years old and therefore our major gifts program is very ad hoc and an overarching plan and strategy is virtually nonexistent. The ability to transition long time and/or generous donors to truly major donors would help out our organization immensely! And while we are a poor state overall, we are seeing more people moving in from the coasts and bringing significant amounts of wealth to Gallatin Valley like we have never seen before. Being able to effectively connect with these people and bring them into the fold would be hugely helpful in raising more money.
3. Lastly, we are in the final throws of a capital campaign and all of the low hanging fruit is gone. We need the advice of experts and to learn effective strategies for motivating individuals to make those last major gifts to wrap up our campaign. Our organization is very grassroots and major gifts have never been a part of our landscape before the capitol campaign. Our campaign has been very successful thus far, but this last chunk of money is going to be hard fought and securing a handful of major gifts will determine the overall success of our campaign as a whole.
And that’s why I need your help! Thank you so much for taking the time to consider me and happy new year 🙂
Emily
I’m not sure it will (if I -was- I’d certainly make the investment). I’m the founder and chief executive of a 501(c)(3) public charity and also the founder and chairman of the board of a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. I’ve been on both sides of the table as relates to the subject of major gifts – and the areas I personally find to be most compelling relate to passion, subject matter knowledge, and operation-related impact. I appreciate there could be an overall strategy populated by tactics that create a more favorable giving environment… but I have yet to be exposed to that in action (as far as I’m aware). Persistence appears to be the operating guideline, but persistence is only good up to a point; I’d think respecting a potential donor’s answer would be a key component in maintaining the relationship. Circling back around to my opening sentence: Is there a way you could provide free access to enough of your material to convince a skeptic like me of its value? If so, I’ll willingly pay the entrance fee.
Why do you think Mastering Major Gifts will help you raise more money?
Major Gifts. Even the name is intimidating. Not minor gifts, not so-so gifts, but Major Gifts.
Every week I sit down and say, “This is the week I will start our Major Gifts program.” I make a short list:
1) Select and research 5 donors from amongst our biggest donors.
2) Put together a short presentation of the unique work our non-profit does that is making a difference in our community.
3) Prepare to answer questions about the difference varying amounts of money could make in what we could accomplish.
4) Why would a donor want to talk to me? Think about this and jot down some reasons before I make the call.
5) Call.
Nearly every week I make this list and nearly every week I find that I’ve made it to #4 and given up. I know the fundraising principle that most non-profits derive 80% of their income from 20% of their donors and I know our numbers aren’t close to that–80% of our donors contribute about 80% of our income. Major Gifts is an untapped resource for us.
But is the fear of the unknown, the fear of screwing things up and alienating donors, the fear that I really don’t know what I’m doing that keeps me from reaching for the phone.
(Should I even be reaching for the phone? Is that the best way to make my initial contact, or should I send a letter? Should I use first names or ask for Mr X? Which choice of Miss, Ms, or Mrs is the least alienating? These are the flies that circle my head).
BUT–I’m a good student. I can learn from videos, webinars, e-books. As long as the teacher is knowledgeable, clear, and encouraging, I learn. And knowledge is the ultimate fly-swatter that kills doubt and lets me get on with my job–raising money. Raising Major Gifts money.
I know from reading your blogs, watching your video, and reading your book, Raising More with Less, that you know fundraising. I know you’re clear, concise and funny. Mary Dickerman, Sue Rosenblat and Ruth Jones (CFRE!) all found your teachings invaluable.
If I had the money, I would pay for your course myself. In fact, if I receive the scholarship and we see the results that I believe our non-profit will see, I will ask our board to RE-IMBURSE you for the cost of the course. Pay it forward for one of the many Development Officers who can’t convince his or her board that investments like this have big payoffs. Major gift payoffs.
Thank you for offering a scholarship, Amy. Regardless of whether I receive it, thank you for recognizing that we believe passionately in our work, believe that YOUR work is a great value, but just aren’t making enough money to afford a course that could make a tremendous difference in our work and our professional lives.
I think the course will help me to know on how to plan and know the time i can make money.
Amy,
I serve an incredible population of students, mostly minorities who are first-generation Americans and first-generation college students, who have a dream to pursue a career in aviation, engineering, management or technology and need a degree to make that a reality. Students come to this institution knowing what they want, and despite all of the obstacles they face, many of them will succeed. However, the cost of higher education is a burden to many families, and there are many who can’t finish their dream because of their finances. I would really like to learn about how to find and close major gifts so that I can help more students have a transformative educational experience that leads to a lifetime of success. I know we have a great case to make to a funder–I need the tools to find donors who are passionate about who we serve and want to partner with us to make it happen.
Thanks for making this offer!
Amy,
I am a development professional looking to grow my fundraising experience and develop a strong foundation that will allow me to propel organizations forward as prominent and productive entities in the community. I am currently in the running for two Director of Development positions at small non-profits that are looking to grow their donor-base, enhance their donor stewardship practices, and increase their gift sizes.
I have been working in the background of development for over seven years, supporting top fundraising professionals by curating best-practice focus professional development curriculum, planning major events that support their development, and soliciting sponsors for these events. I also have a focus on multigenerational family philanthropy and am looking to grow my expertise in this area.
I am in the process of positioning myself to enter into the realm of direct fundraising, specifically as it relates to major gifts, and would find your course immensely beneficial to help me cultivate tactical fundraising and solicitations skills. I am very fortunate to have a mentor guiding me through this process, and this course would beautifully complement the professional transition that I am embarking on.
Many thanks,
Anna
I have been a board member of a community college foundation board for the past 10 years, past president and am currently serving fundraising chair. I love my college, the faculty staff and students. As a professional fundraiser in my day job, my passion and experience has led me to assist in raising funds for this foundation. Our board has been without a Director of Donor Relations for the past year and I’ve been encouraged by the school president and others to apply! My interview is in a few weeks, and I’m feeling very energized and optimistic . I would absolutely love to receive a scholarship to assist in my work with the board and fundraising for the college. I’ve been an active follower of the great work that you do, by watching YouTube videos, download and read both of your complimentary books twice, and receive and read the weekly Amy Eisenstein “Empowering your Nonprofit- and You”! In my current role as fundraising chair I have implemented many of the things you teach preparing for our annual fundraising event on March 10, 2018. With your guidance and mentorship, it will ensure a successful implementation of our major gifts campaign in 2018! Thank you for your consideration!!
Amy and team,
When I see foster children reunited with their biological siblings for one week of the year, at summer camp, I know why I do what I do. When I listen to a woman’s story of emotional healing after walking the labyrinth at the retreat center, dealing with her good friend’s death from cancer, I also know why I do what I do. And when I walk out of a board meeting that was an example of healthy governance, I am encouraged to keep doing what I do.
None of this would happen without generous donors and people who believe in the mission of the life-impacting organization I lead. However, I didn’t go to school to do this! Each day I seek advice and help to keep this non-profit vibrantly strong and thriving. (Thanks for your emails Amy!) Defeating the scarcity mindset has been the hardest job I’ve ever tackled.
Now it’s time to really set the course for the future with an endowment and more… But again, I need help! I’m so hopeful that completing the MMG course will be another feather in my cap so we can provide theses experiences to more children, youth, and adults.
Thanks for all you do and for believing in the power of for-impact organizations!
Learning, relearning, and adding to our learning is crucial. We need help! How, evaluating what we are doing, what has worked and what will work. I believe this course is about giving you the ability to make change, learn what works and seeing results. There is no magic to the process. A mentor, and a course that allows you to interact will give you some of the tools need to succeed. We as a school are always moving, this would allow me to grow, change, and hopefully adapt to new trends, we do not have a huge budget, we need enrollment up, we need new engagement, we need support, and we need to learn how. The school depends on a level of commitment, that is financially, and how through our Annual Fund. Students, staff, and the church interact to create an environment and be able to maintain it, so as we mover forward, we need help.
Thank you for your continued e-mails and videos, it gives a sense of real work knowledge!
Adra Breclaw-Csanyi
OLG Development
As a professional that came into this role through the evolution of my career, from recreation management to public relations and marketing and now for a few years development, I have been learning as I go. And as I have learned, I have picked up the tools to ask for gifts, however not major gifts. Being the main “subject matter expert”, if you could call me that, not having major gifts training or in a non-profit with those opportunities already set-up, it feels daunting. Where do I start? How do I really get that conversation going?
Major gifts are untapped in our organization. The opportunity to learn from a seasoned professional, and one that I can set goals and deadlines to ensure it doesn’t get lost in the other responsibilities, would help my organization grow in this area, and grow to continue to support our local youth.. I would use the knowledge to grow the organizations ability to serve, my abilities and I would love to share the skills and knowledge with my Exec. and Senior Leadership!
Crossing my fingers!
Dear Amy,
I am the Executive director of YOPCOD-SL, a nonprofit organisation that is established to build up the capacity of young people in Sierra Leone through Education, Live skills, Information technology skills and the participation of youth in community development activities. The initiative was brought up by my self and other youths in Sierra Leone to develop important personal and interpersonal skills which will include the ability to think critically and solve problems, and the assumption of personal and group responsibility. This drive will speedily increase the human resource base of youth in the area of community development, education, partnership, and advocacy and also help young people gain self-confidence and self-esteem which enhance them with Developmental skills that will help bring about meaningful changes within the communities they live.
There is a saying which says,” when a man stop learning, he start dying” and that is fact, Having gone through your newsletters and the e-book you sent to me have really motivate me in the aspect of raising fund for our organisation. And we need more help.
With that, going through this curse i know will help us to achieve our goal in terms of raising fund and other operational skills .
Without funding/financial intervention, will render our effort paralyze in achieving our vision, so we really help.
Thanks for you kindly help in empowering organisations with your vision.
Because I will gain the skills and knowledge to solicit amounts from donors in a fraction of the time that it would take to raise by way of researching and writing grant requests and /or planning and executing major events.