9 Useful, Proven Strategies to Get the Major Donor Visit
Don’t skip a beat,
Just grab a treat!
You need not fear
Halloween Blog Carnival’s here!
The Halloween Nonprofit Blog Carnival is back, offering tricks and treats galore from a Witches Coven of nonprofit experts – all good spirits who’ll help you find, cultivate, solicit and steward your major donors.
You like to trick and treat at the houses that give out the most candy, natch? Well… let’s find the donors giving out the most goodies, so your mission is assured of a heapin’ Halloween sack filled with success!
And let’s get you prepared! We don’t want you showing up without a costume, or lacking a thoughtful plan of attack that takes you through the “good” neighborhoods. Sure, you might get some lollipops and chewing gum. But what you really want, I dare say, are the Snickers bars and Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Go for what you need. Go for what will make your time spent on this effort feel worth your while.
As the host of this month’s Carnival, I asked fundraising authors, bloggers and experts to jump out from behind the bushes — not to scare the beejeezus out of you (!), but to give us their best advice on how to effectively secure the major gifts that will provide the lion’s share of your funding.
Pick a Goody or Two. After All… It’s the Season!
- Jeremy Koch at Empower Nonprofits has three treats you can offer major gift donors to ensure they stick around for the long term. How to retain major gift donors – 3 simple tips gets extra credit for the photo!
- Joanne Fritz of The Balance submitted this article that will have you spinning a web of major gift prospects in no time. In No Tricks, Just Treats With Great Donor Prospect Research, guest blogger Bill Tedesco shows how good research will have you enjoying all the popcorn balls, candy corn and marshmallow pumpkins of donor outreach and none of the rotten eggs.
- Don’t be one of those houses (or nonprofits) that hands out toothbrushes! Give your major donor prospects the goodies they most crave. What about some ghost stories? Well, okay, let’s make that inspiring donor stories. With Story Collecting Tip – How to Collect Donor Stories, Vanessa Chase Lockshin of The Storytelling Nonprofit shares four tips on creative ways to steward your major donors by telling their stories.
- Amy Eisenstein says to look for these blood curdling 5 Red Flags When Raising Major Gifts.
- Don’t be spooked if you’ve yet to build a major donor program. No bones about it, The Insider’s Guide to Major Gifts is a super-comprehensive overview of everything involved in operating a major gifts program — created by the folks at Double the Donation.
- And since major gifts won’t fall from the moonlit sky without the pre-conditions in place, Pamela Grow of PamelaGrow.com offers up The fail safe path to nonprofit major gift success.
- What’s better than Halloween candy? Mazarine Treyz’s interview on Wild Woman Fundraising with major donor guru Jeff Schreifels: Are you asking for a transaction? Or a relationship?
- Speaking of Jeff Schreifels at Veritus Group, he cautions you to beware of becoming the “horseless headsman.” In Check Your Ego at the Door, Jeff reminds us it’s not about our needs, but about the donor’s. If you want to turn your donors’ faces into smiling jack-o-lanterns be sure to check out this post.
- Finally, here’s an article from yours truly on the Clairification blog: The Heart of Effective Major Donor Development: It’s Not Money. We’re scared out of our wits when it comes to asking for ‘money’ — still one of the biggest social taboos in our society. That’s why it’s super important to reframe the ask as being about something else!
BOOst Your Odds &Take the Pain out of Asking for Major Gifts!
It’s a rare donor who gives without being asked. Learn how to do it right — and without suffering!
Get the Clairification Major Gifts Playbook to learn everything you need to know about:
- setting goals
- identifying, researching and qualifying prospects
- building your specific case for support
- cultivating both donor-prospects and solicitors
- inspiring major donors to say “Yes!”
- stewarding donors so they’ll remain loyal over time.
The Playbook offers a holistic approach — 4 separate Guides that work as companions or stand-alones . Have a specific area proving to be a stumbling block? Buy one or two. If you’re new to major gifts, or know you could do everything better, get ‘em all at the “Bundle Bargain” discount!
- Get Ready for Major Gifts Strategy Workbook
- Get Your Solicitors and Donors Ready for the Major Gifts Ask Strategy Workbook
- 50 Ways to Move Your Donor – Cultivation Solution Kit to Get to Yes with Finesse
- Anatomy of a Major Gifts Ask – Passion, Prepare, Practice, Pitch, Pay Attention, Persist
I stand by my products. If you’re not happy for any reason, let me know and you’ll get a full refund.
