Hi John,
Here's the second in our series on key aspects of major gift fundraising - your managers and board members might enjoy this article!
What would happen if your organization built out a full scale major gift program? You guessed it - all sorts of wonderful benefits (especially more funding!) would start flowing in.
1. You could expect to have ready access to a group of very special major donors. These donors will be people who believe deeply in you and your work. They will like and respect you, because they know you as a person. They’ll trust you and your organization to do what you say you will do.
They’ll be ready to give when you need them. You’d know their capacity - that they’d actually be able to make generous investments to support your new initiatives, special projects, expansions and even your general operating costs.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had tight relationships with these special wealthy donors who are deeply aligned with your mission? They’d be ready to help. Ready with great advice. Always willing to take your call. Always there when a big opportunity comes up.
2. You could expect lots of funding from these donors. Yes, money is the ultimate objective of major gift programs. But you first must start with the donors. Then the money comes. First one, then the other.
One of the greatest mistakes ever is to launch your major gift program for the money only. If money is your objective, your donors will sense that you don’t really care about them as people. In this case, you may be somewhat successful, but you won’t build close relationships. What’s more, you won’t reach the potential that’s out there for you and your team.
Just ask: why does your organization want to expand major gifts? Many organizational leaders want to get into major gifts just to raise more money -- and then they totally miss the point of how to do it.
That’s why I developed our Major Gift Roadmap coaching program - to help organizations build the tools and structure to expand their major gifts. I created a 10 month program so our participant teams could have help actually implementing what they learn.
Registration for our 2020 cohort ends February 3, and you can find out more here.
What else can you expect from a full scale major gift program?
3. You could expect to expand your mission to serve more people. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you had the funding to bring more benefits to the world! To stop suffering, create art, educate people, save land - whatever your mission is.
You’ll have the money to pay your staff adequately, invest in infrastructure, expand programming and outreach. You’ll be to expand your mission’s work, in a world that badly needs you.
4. You could expect to enjoy expanded PR, more community visibility, and greater outreach when you gain more funding through major gifts.
What happens when you announce a major gift to the rest of your stakeholders? People start thinking of your organization as worthy of major gifts. You rise to a new level of prominence in your community. And more gifts - of all types - will flow in.
Bottom line: It IS possible for your organization to achieve all of these benefits.
But you’ll need to invest the time, energy and resources to make it happen.
And above all, you’ll need to treat each donor as “a whole person,” not just a money machine. When you build relationships centered on trust, respect, and concern for the goodwill of your mission, anything is possible.
Don’t forget, we can help you expand your organization’s major gifts, right now, in 2020. Registration for our Major Gift Roadmap 2020 coaching program closes on February 3rd, and we begin on February 20th. We can help you develop the systems, mindset, vision, structure and processes for a long-term productive major gift program that will deliver measurable results for years. Find out more here.
Dedicated to more major gifts for you and your mission!
Gail
