A pre-call letter is a letter (or email) you send to a donor to let them know you will be calling, so hopefully, they are more receptive to your call. Tim asked what I thought of pre-call letters, and how much detail they should have. He also wanted to know if you should really let prospective donors know why you’re calling, or if you … [Read more...]
Getting Real with Major Gifts: Interview with Keith Rhodes of BBBS
For more than a year, I have been blogging about how to raise major gifts. I thought it would be interesting to team up with some of my colleagues in the field to share some of their expertise on the subject. Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Keith Rhodes, the new Senior VP of Major Gifts for Big Brothers Big Sisters of … [Read more...]
How to Determine The Right Ask Amount When Asking Donors for Gifts
Our question this week is from Sarah, who wants to know: How do you determine the right ask amount? This is a great question, and one that many people struggle with. Unfortunately, there's no exact formula. Fundraising is about working with people, which makes it part science and part art -- but there are some general guidelines … [Read more...]
How to Get a Donor to Meet with You for the First Time
Have you ever tried to get a donor to meet with you in person? Did you succeed? Was it challenging? This is a question I get asked all the time: How do I get a donor to meet with me for the first time? If you're wondering how to get a donor to meet with you for the first time, I want you to ask yourself, “What is the goal for … [Read more...]
How to Get New “First-Time” Individual Donors for Your Nonprofit
Fundraising is all about relationships -- but what do you do if your organization is so new, or so grant-focused, that you don't have any relationships with individuals who might become donors? In other words, today's question is: How do you get individual donors for the first time? Fortunately, the answer for how to get … [Read more...]
Getting a Major Gift: Moving From Cultivation to the Ask
If you’ve been following the Major Gifts Challenge, we’re getting closer and closer to asking for a gift. And if you haven't been following along, it's never too late to start! Let’s take another quick look at the four stages of the fundraising cycle. 1. Identification Congratulations! You’ve already identified your top prospective … [Read more...]
The 4 Pillars of Major Gift Relationships
Looking for major gifts for your cause? The key lies in building relationships with your top 20 prospective donors. Don't have a top 20 list yet? Check out the previous posts in the Major Gifts Challenge to get yourself caught up. The Art of Building Relationships Fundraising is about relationships. The relationship-building stage of … [Read more...]
Who Are Your Donors? Discover Your Major Gift Prospects
Do You Know Who Your Donors Are? If you want to be successful at Major Gifts fundraising, a crucial step is to identify who you will ask. We’ve already gone over some of the other “getting started” steps, including committing to getting more major gifts (i.e., taking the Major Gifts Challenge), and determining the size of a major gift … [Read more...]
How to Thank Your Donors: Stop Focusing on the Money!
Before you can ask for a major gift, you need to focus on gratitude. Stop thinking of your donors as ATM machines and really focus on them as people. Think about what they do for your organization. They don’t simply give money. They save lives. They feed the hungry and house the homeless. They educate children. They help cure … [Read more...]
How Big is a Major Gift?
Congratulations on making the commitment to take the Major Gifts Challenge! If you missed the first post, click the link below: Be Rich and Famous: Take the Major Gifts Challenge Are you ready to start raising major gifts? Good! What is a Major Gift? The first step is to define what a “Major Gift” is for you. The term major gift … [Read more...]
