Hi John,
Warm Thanksgiving greetings to you, if you are in the US!
This is a special time when we step back and consider how much we have to be grateful for.
Did you know that gratefulness is a bona fide spiritual practice among many people? Practicing gratefulness leads to happiness and peace. :)
I, for one, am grateful to YOU – for connecting, and allowing me into your inbox!
I’m grateful for the amazing work you do every day to make our world a better place. And, I’m grateful for the chance to do my own work to bring more goodness to the world.
But remember, it's important that you focus all that hard work in the right places.
On that note, here’s a provocative thought for you to consider over the long weekend:
How much time are you spending on the 20% of your donors, who are giving 80% of the money?
Yikes, could this be a real issue at your organization? Could you be focusing on the wrong donors and fundraising strategies?
Could you really be spending 80% of your time and energy on those smaller donors who contribute only 20% of your revenue? HOPE NOT!
Your organization has a handful of donors and funding sources who provide the majority of your revenue. These donors might be devoted individuals and families, foundations or even public governmental sources. And they are hugely important to your organization.
So, consider the time and energy – and organizational resources – or lack thereof – that you are devoting to this special group.
Spending time with the wrong donors?
You should actually be spending 80% of your organization’s fundraising resources on those special donors – the 20% who are providing most of your funding. That means a robust major gift program!
Major Gift Fundraising is where it’s at.
From my perspective, building up your major gift fundraising is a no-brainer for 2020. Clearly you want to fish where the fish are, so to speak. You want to devote ample time, attention and resources to your organization’s major funding sources -- and to your prospects for major gifts.
You want to set up the systems, processes and metrics to help you discover and qualify even more major donor prospects. You want to give your team training, coaching and support to skillfully interact with prospects.
You want to teach your team conversational asking skills that bring your donors to the point where they say, “How can I help?” – and you don’t even need to ask.
You want to free them up from everything else that keeps them in the office: all the endless meetings, administrative crap, event planning (a time suck if there ever was one!), and everything else that eats up time.
Don't forget your board! You'll want to bring your board along, and teach them what major gift strategy is all about, and the role they can play with major donors.
Let us know if we can help. Our Major Gift Roadmap coaching program is already filling up for next year.
In the meantime, I hope you have a fabulously happy, fun and restful long weekend. Be sure to remember your Gratitude Practice. It will make your life rich and rewarding.
Deep bow to you for your big heart and dedication to our work.
Your partner and colleague,
Gail
Major Gifts Roadmap 2020 coaching program
We opened for applications last week and wow, the class for next year is already filling up! I've never seen such strong interest!
If you want to expand major gifts fundraising at your organization, and want our help to set up the systems, processes, and training for long term major gift success, then let us know now.
Check out the Major Gifts Roadmap 2020 at Majorgiftscoaching.com, fill out a Letter of Interest, and we’ll get on the phone to see if it's right for you and your organization.
What are Your Challenges in Major Gifts Fundraising?
Fill out our 3-minute survey here and share your perspective. We’ve heard from hundreds of fundraisers, and would love to hear from you! Click here for survey.
