After working with nonprofit leaders for more than two decades, there are patterns and bad habits I see over and over. Through the years, these frequent fundraising mistakes have turned into my personal pet peeves. It drives me crazy when I see fundraisers doing them because I know how much it undermines their efforts. If you really want to … [Read more...]
Gift Tables: The Roadmap to Successful Major Gift Fundraising
Gift Tables -- aka Gift Range Charts or Gift Pyramids -- are they key to successful major gift fundraising. That’s because they clearly demonstrate how many gifts you need at what levels to be successful. In other words, they provide a roadmap to your fundraising goal. How a Gift Table Works for Major Gift Fundraising Let’s say you want … [Read more...]
Help Your Executive Director Embrace Their Role in Raising Major Gifts
Executive Directors have unique roles to play when it comes to raising major gifts. It’s not a role they can hand off to a Director of Development. It’s not a role a board member can play. It’s a role uniquely held by the CEO at your organization. Think about a leader or a boss you’ve been excited to follow. That’s the kind of person who … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Stay Motivated (and Avoid Frustration) When Raising Major Gifts
Fundraising for any nonprofit organization can be challenging work, especially when it comes to raising major gifts. That’s because raising major gifts requires a healthy mix of effort, patience, and dedication to connect with donors and their passions. Unfortunately, when progress isn’t quick or obvious, raising those big gifts can be … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Sabotage Your Major Gifts Program in an Instant
As a fundraiser, securing major gifts is a key aspect of your role. Major gifts can provide significant funding for your organization and can help to establish long-lasting relationships with your donors. However, it's important to remember that the process of securing a major gift is somewhat delicate. 7 Ways Fundraisers Can Sabotage … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Setting Goals Will Help You Raise Major Gifts
Major gift fundraising is a crucial component of any nonprofit organization's revenue stream, and setting goals is a vital part of ensuring the success of a major gift fundraising effort. If you are like many other fundraisers, you may have general fundraising goals, but are less likely to have major gift goals specifically. Having … [Read more...]
Fundraising New Year’s Resolutions – Realistic or Ridiculous?
Like most people, I’m not the best at keeping resolutions -- and yet, I always make them. Why do we torture ourselves if we fail at keeping resolutions year after year? It’s because we believe we can do better, holding out hope. And with the right formula, we can succeed. From Fundraising Resolutions to Goals You might do better to … [Read more...]
Major Gift Fundraising: Reflections, Observations, and Predictions for 2023
While trying to decide what to write for my final post of the year, I looked back over some of my older posts for inspiration. I cherry-picked a collection of nuggets that I hope will be inspirational and motivational. Everyone Should Have a BHAG, Including You! I began the year with a post about creating a BHAG, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal … [Read more...]
Fundraising Boot Camp: The Most Effective Way to Raise Money, Fast
What does the image of boot camp evoke for you? Exercise, sweating, military training, intensity? Probably all the above. According to a quick Google search: A boot camp workout is basically a type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) -- bursts of intense activity alternated with intervals of lighter activity. For … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Disappointment When Raising Major Gifts
Fundraising can be full of frustration and disappointment. This is especially true when a donor doesn’t respond the way you'd hoped they would. There is a Bright Side to "No" However, there is a bright side to no. When you get a string of no’s, it could be a sign that you're being brave. And if you’re not getting any no’s, it’s definitely … [Read more...]
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