In the fourth quarter of each year the National Philanthropic Trust releases their annual Donor Advised Funds Report. This is significant for every nonprofit engaged in fundraising to take notice because donor advised funds or DAFs for short, are truly changing the landscape of major gift fundraising and therefore [...]
Do you have a major gift program, but not a planned or legacy gift program? Do you focus time and energy on planned giving prospects but not major gift prospects? Or perhaps you have the latter but not the former? Do you wonder if there’s really a distinguishing difference between [...]
Exercise and fundraising. What do these activities have in common? At first glance, very little. But they take on a special meaning for a client of mine named Thea Wood, founder and President of Backstage Chats Foundation, a wonderful organization doing transformative work around music and gender equality. She groups [...]
Have you fallen into the trap of making your major gift fundraising template complicated or hard to use? I want to encourage you that it doesn't need to be that way. You may be surprised to know how often I meet directors who are spending more time developing plans than [...]
The most under-acknowledged major gift fundraising truism: It’s about the relationship, not the “ask.” If you want your donor to dig deep, they must be inspired. Your success depends less on how well you ask for gifts and more on how well you’ve taken your major gift prospects on a [...]
Through the introduction of text-to-give, social media fundraising, and online giving, combined with the chance to reach thousands of your targeted demographic with $20 in Facebook ads, people wonder if the time-consuming efforts of getting to “Know-thy-donor” and relationship building are still worth it. Can’t an organization raise more just [...]
When it comes to major gifts, we worry a lot about the ask and not enough about about securing the “getting to know you” visit. If you can get a visit with a donor, you have an 85% chance they’ll make the gift. Who says? Veteran major gifts guru Jerold [...]
Let’s begin with the too-often dreaded process of major gift solicitation. Whenever I conduct a board session on philanthropy, I come across big-time resistance to fundraising. People have a lot of deep-seated, negative beliefs when it comes to asking people for money. When asked to give one word that comes [...]
You can, and should, have a major gift fundraising program – whatever your size. If you don’t, you’re just ignoring the facts. Nearly 80% of all fundraising comes from individuals.Studies show over 88% of all funds raised come from just 12% of donors.Two-thirds of all household charity in the U.S. comes [...]
Wizard of Oz: A Tale of Prospect Identification If you want to become a major gift fundraising wizard, you would do well to follow Dorothy’s advice. There’s no place like home. You can find a lot of prospects in your own backyard. You just need to know where to [...]
Savvy fundraisers are moving in the direction of major individual gifts. At least those who want to be successful generating greater philanthropy are doing so! Why? TREND: The level of giving from small and medium gifts is dropping. So if all you’re set up to raise is small and medium-size [...]
Evidence is piling up from more than one source in the world of philanthropy regarding the reduction in small and medium-sized gifts. In the past year, both Giving USA and the Fundraising Effectiveness Project report have reported that the level of giving from small and medium gifts is dropping. [...]