Let’s Get Personal – Getting to Know Your Donor BEFORE Asking for a Major Gift

Major Gifts are a personal affair. They’re not just responses to general appeals, special programs or online campaigns.

Donors make major gifts because they feel passionate about a cause or organization … AND they generally have a personal connection to that cause:

• They have a family member with cancer
• They grew up loving the great outdoors
• They have a child at the school
• They grew up in a home with abuse
• They love ballet and theatre

A Personal Connection to Every Cause

Think about the causes you care about and support. As a fundraising professional and an individual, there are certain causes you (and I) care about more than others.

Your donors feel the same way.

From time to time, I’m asked what to do when a donor isn’t interested in the cause. My answer is simple — let them go.

Although donors can certainly learn more and grow to appreciate an organization, and their interests can change over time, it’s unlikely that someone who doesn’t love animals will miraculously turn into an animal lover.

So, if you find that someone simply isn’t interested in your cause, save them (and yourself) the trouble. Move onto the next person who’s more likely to support your important cause.

As much as you may hate to admit it, not everyone cares about your cause.

Discover the ‘WHY’ and the Gifts will Follow

Knowing why donors give major gifts will help you ask more thoughtfully.

Here are some questions you may want to ask your donor:

1. Why did you give to our organization in the first place?
2. What would motivate or encourage you to continue to give, or to give more?
3. What are your top three causes (to support philanthropically) and why?
4. What type of legacy would you like to leave? In other words, how do you want to be remembered?
5. What is the most meaningful gift you’ve made to charity? What type of philanthropy would make you feel great?

These questions address some underlying motivations of your donors. You will want to pose them from your donor’s perspective. Note that not every question needs to be asked and some are overlapping or redundant.

Choose and phrase your questions so they feel comfortable to you and make sense in the context of your conversation with the donor.

What makes your donor feel great?

Before you can ask for a gift, you must understand who your donors are deep down inside.

• What happened in their life that pushed them to your cause?
• What would really make them feel good?
• What change do they want to see in the world? And, how they would like to see that change made?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you’ll be better equipped to make a gift offer. That means understanding what would make your donor feel great.

Donor Cultivation Done Right

Sometimes people mistakenly associate giving, or soliciting gifts, with begging and arm-twisting. Fundraising done well is nothing of the sort.

When a donor makes a meaningful gift, they should feel great! When done right, donors can’t wait to see the results of their efforts and should want to return and give again and again.

You’ll learn even more ways to get to know your donors before asking for a major gift in Mastering Major Gifts, my 7-week online course. The course includes an entire module on cultivation. You’ll learn how to build lasting relationships with your very best major gift prospects.

Check it Out … Start Today! »

What other questions are you asking to get to know your donors before making an ask? Let me know in the comments.