Having a compelling mission is a key to Getting Fully Funded. Watch this short video as I explain what a compelling mission is.
Fire up your Board!
August 4, 2010 By
I had the privilege of hearing my friend and colleague Gail Perry present at the Virginia Fund Raising Institute recently. Gail is a wonderful speaker and has a way of making her audience feel at ease so they can soak up all the information she shares. I thought I’d share some of my notes from her presentation called “Fire Up Your Board!”
1. Help Board members reconnect with their passion for your organization. Give them opportunities to practice talking about the organization and their experiences.
2. Redefine fundraising into friendraising. So many Board members don’t want anything to do with fundraising. Help them see that you are simply connecting people with the work you are doing through their gifts. You’re developing friends who will be there to stand beside you for years to come.
3. Put them to work in easy, no-ask jobs. Give your Board tasks to do that count as fundraising, but don’t require them to ask anyone for money. Examples include inviting friends for a tour of your facility, calling to thank donors, and talking to friends in the checkout line at the grocery store about your mission.
Gail said, “We all get the Boards we deserve.” Translation: we get out of our Board what we put into it. Don’t expect people to show up to sit on your Board and already know how to be a great Board member. It won’t happen. You must support people and teach them how to be a great Board member.
Thanks for a great presentation, Gail!
Who is a nonprofit major gift prospect?
June 30, 2010 By
Thanks to my guest Hank Lewis for today’s post. I think you’ll like it.
Who Is A Major Gift Prospect ??
By Hank Lewis, MA CFRM
When the question of major gift fundraising first arises, many unsophisticated board members, volunteers and staff immediately begin talking about the “rich and famous” — with Bill Gates being the name at the top of almost everyone’s list.
The wrong assumption that many people make — and one that can become a major time waster — is that an organization’s prospect list should contain the names of every conceivable wealthy person.
Indeed, yes, the first steps of a major gifts effort should include the generation of a list of wealthy individuals. But the distinction is whether they are likely to become “prospects.”
Major Gift Prospects are people who:
- Have wealth, and may derive satisfaction from using that wealth to advance the causes in which they believe;
- Are accessible to you and/or (even better) to current major donors to your organization;
- Have a need that will be satisfied by making a significant gift to your organization;
Ideally, but not necessarily, Major Gift Prospects are also:
- Aware of the effectiveness of your programs and the business-like manner in which you operate;
- Passionate about wanting to see your mission achieved; and,
- Involved with your organization and/or its programs, and demonstrate a commitment to the success of your mission.
You can have a long list of wealthy people, but unless they meet the criteria, they’re not “Prospects.” They’re people you’d like to think of as likely donors, but you have no evidence to support that wishful thinking.
Bottom line is, for people to be Major Donor Prospects; you must have enough of a relationship with them to satisfy the above qualifiers, and to know them well enough to recognize/identify their needs.
Major gift fundraising is more about the needs of the donor, than about the needs of the organization.
Have a question about starting or expanding your fundraising program?
Email Hank at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com. With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll do my best to answer your question.
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