Has keeping up with the raising major gifts been a challenge for you this year?
If so, you’re not alone. But if you’re serious about raising major gifts this year, now is the perfect time to recommit with everything you’ve got.
Now is the Perfect Time to Recommit
We’re about to round the corner as we head toward the fall and therefore, year-end fundraising.
The fall and year-end is when more donations are made than all three other quarters combined! If you’re going to throw your hat into the ring of major gift fundraising, there’s no time better opportunity than the present.
But if you’ve been struggling since day one, how can you move forward?
2 Useful Tools to Keep Up with Raising Major Gifts
Here are two of my favorite tips and tools to get (and remain) on track with raising major gifts as we move into the home stretch.
1. Eat Your Monday Morning Frog
Have you heard of the book, Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy?
It’s an anti-procrastination book. Mark Twain actually came up with the concept of “eating a frog” to mean doing your worst task first, so you can easily move on knowing the worst is out of the way.
If you’ve been dreading asking for a major gift, go ahead and get it over with. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Good news: asking for a major gift won’t kill you!
You can apply this strategy to anything on your major gift fundraising to-do list — scheduling donor meetings, making calls, etc. If you dread it, try to tackle it first thing on a Monday morning. You won’t believe how good you feel when it’s done (and for the rest of the week)!
2. Hold a Weekly Major Gifts Meeting
Another great way to keep on track with major gifts is to hold a weekly development team meeting. Bring in anyone on your major gifts team, including the Executive Director, development staff, administrative assistant (if they help with scheduling meetings or sending thank you notes or any related tasks) and key board members.
What to Discuss
Talk about two or three people on your list at each meeting. Consider the following questions:
- What is the strategy for each of the people you are discussing?
- What is their giving history with your organization?
- What do you know about their giving at other organizations?
- What are their patterns for communication? Do they return emails quickly or slowly? Do they answer their phone? Do they prefer texting?
- Do they need to be cultivated? Are they ready to be asked? Who will schedule the ask meeting? How much will you ask for?
Other Considerations
If your donors need more more cultivation, how will you do that? Review the cultivation plans for each prospect at the meeting. Who on your major gifts team will be responsible for cultivation activities?
Who was asked since your last meeting? What did they say? What follow-up needs to take place? Who is responsible for that follow up?
Make assignments to be completed during the coming week. And if any of those assignments sound particularly unappealing, you know what to do. (Eat that frog!)
What Helps You Stay On Track?
Do you think one of these two methods will help to keep you focused on the challenge of raising major gifts? Can you think of any other ways to stay on track?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This post was originally part of my Major Gifts Challenge. Check out the entire free series to learn how to solicit major gifts with just a few hours each week.
Amy,
I did it! I asked for a major gift and she said yes. We’re still working on the details, but she is committed to giving me a gift in the $15,000 range. Yeah!!
The hardest part of your challenge has been the twenty people. I just don’t have time to cultivate that many people at one time. Starting out with a larger list and then following through with only a few works, but 20 – that’s a lot of people.
The most valuable lesson I got from this whole experience, in addition to the gift, is the relationships I’ve cultivated. By calling donors and just talking to them about why they give and what they thought about how we are using their gifts – what a treasure trove of information! I have a lot to build on for future major gift asks.
Hooray, Joanne! Congratulations! I am so excited for you!
Yes, 20 is a lot. Can you focus on three to five at a time for now?
Cultivating three people is doable. And not as intimidating as 20. We’re not even a one person shop, more like half a person shop. Time management and work priorities are big issues for our organization.
The most helpful piece of advice I got from this challenge is the donor cultivation piece. Specifically writing down a cultivation plan and talking to my donors about why our organization is important to them and their suggestions on making us better. Invaluable planning tool and invaluable information to move forward on several fronts, not only fundraising.
I’m already thinking of how to position my ask to another donor I’ve been cultivating.
Thanks for your gems of wisdom. I look forward to readig MORE!.
Carolyn
UNCF (Los Angeles)
Well 20 seems to be intimidating, but the idea is there more people you talk to are the more chances of getting positive results (law of averages) out of 10 people I talk to I got a positive results from the 9th person. This however gave me the courage to see as many people I could. Suppose I talked to 20 or more donors it will increase the chance of raising more than $50k. In a nutshell it takes us back to the notion of (Have you eaten a Frog Today)
It enables you to hold a Monthly Major gifts meeting, it will also assist you to stay focused . From my own personal experience I have found it more rewarding than ever. It enables you to stick to your cultivation plans. The tools are of paramount importance Amy. I am looking forward to read more of this. They are equivalent to energy boosters.
Thank you Amy!
Great idea–I set a monthly major gift meeting with my Development Chair and a Major Gift Ask or Task every Monday! What a great reminder to keep the asks and tasks going.
Warm wishes,