Fundraising is a team sport.
You may have heard that expression before. And when it comes to major gift fundraising, that’s absolutely true.
The more people on your team, the better you are likely to do. Conversely, if you are expected to raise money on your own, it will be harder to do by yourself than if you have the support and leadership of others.
3 Reasons Why You Should Never Raise Major Gifts Alone
Here are three reasons why major gift fundraising is better done with others.
1. To have a listening buddy.
When meeting with a donor, it’s often helpful to bring another person from your organization. Each person should have specific roles (to start the meeting, to explain the project, ask thoughtful questions, request a specific gift, respond to questions, wrap up and provide the next steps, etc.).
That’s a big agenda for one person to remember, and doing it solo can feel overwhelming. Two sets of eyes and ears are better than one. Not only that, when two people attend a meeting you can debrief at the end of the meeting to make sure you both heard the same thing and agree on the next steps.
2. To be more efficient and get things done.
Unlike grant writing, fundraising events, and even direct mail, there are no hard deadlines with major gift fundraising. No donor is sitting by the phone waiting for you to call.
Donor cultivation and solicitation can be delayed and put off if there’s no one to keep you accountable. Procrastination is far less likely when someone else is watching and working by your side. You can serve as an accountability partner and cheerleader for the other members of your team, and vice-versa.
3. To learn from others.
The best way to learn to raise major gifts is to shadow someone with more experience. By going to solicit gifts as a team, you help grow the next generation of fundraisers and have the opportunity to learn from others. There’s no better way to learn and teach than to work side-by-side with others who are also raising major gifts.
Create a buddy/mentor system for board members. Encourage those with more fundraising experience to mentor newer members of the board and bring them along on asks. Creating a culture of teamwork makes fundraising more efficient and more effective… and more fun!
Learn directly from me — and your peers
Back when I was learning the fundraising ropes, I was lucky enough to have a strong mentor. It helped me pick up the skills I lacked and taught me far more than I’d have been able to learn on my own.
If you’re stuck fundraising without a mentor or experienced team, you’re in luck. You (and others like you) are the reason I created Mastering Major Gifts. The program offers you regular access to me, plus an entire community of fundraisers who are raising major gifts each and every day.
Learn about Mastering Major Gifts »
Gain the support of experts and colleagues from across the country. You won’t find a better group of fundraisers to learn from and celebrate with.
A Team is Ideal, but it Can’t be Mandatory
There are times when it’s necessary to raise major gifts solo, but it’s rarely ideal.
In fact, the only time you should raise major gifts alone is when others at your organization (staff and volunteers) are unable or unwilling to help.
That said, don’t let the idea that you “should” be fundraising as a team prevent you from raising money. Don’t make excuses or fall into the dreaded habit of failing to ask. Regardless of whether you have a good team, you should be out there raising funds for your organization.
And even if your organization can’t or won’t support your efforts, there are others who will (myself included).
I work for one of the original Community Action Agencies that were founded as part of the “War on Poverty” in 1965. We started with a $53,000 grant and a pilot Head Start program. Today, we have an annual budget of over $17,000,000, 70% of which comes from grants. Our target population for services are low-income, the elderly, and the disadvantage. Most of our programs have income requirements below 200% FPL . We operate 22 different programs with 44 different grants and some fundraising. The composition of our Board is dictated by our Bylaws – a third is elected county officials, a third is from other agencies serving our same populations, and a third is from clients using our programs. My question: What is the best way to start a Development Department for this type of organization? We have about 140 employees at any one time, depending on funding. We obviously need a department whose sole job is securing funding. I think this need would be a “hard sell” as a Capital Campaign. Am I wrong about that?
What part of this would be a “hard sell”? My question is, do you have individual donors who support your work? If you don’t have a development director, it’s time to hire someone to help grow your fundraising program.