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If you don’t do anything else in your year-end campaign, you must do this; visit your major donors & invite them to invest in your cause.







Just imagine: what if you had a new way to increase visibility and make new friends for your cause?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had an authentic and impactful way to help donors get to know your work, build trust and establish meaningful connections with your leadership?

Then consider the power of a no-ask friendmaking event like a Porch Party.

Don’t miss our free webinar on June 7th,

“Unleash the Power of Porch Parties to Gain New Friends, Supporters, and Donors!”

You’ll discover how to stage the ultimate summer Porch Party friendraising event!

Count me in!

Even more, social gatherings for your cause can foster a wonderful sense of community.

Let’s explore how a Porch Party can help you build trust and ignite interest in your cause:

1. Getting to Know Your Organization:

Count me in!

A Porch Party provides a welcoming and intimate environment for donors to engage with your leaders on a personal level.

By hosting a relaxed social gathering, you create a space where conversations among people can flow naturally, allowing attendees to get to know you. They can also gain firsthand insights into the mission, impact, and values of your organization.

As they learn more about your cause and understand your work, typically, people’s interest will begin to grow. Before you know it, you’ve just made a new “friend” for your organization.

In this webinar, we’ll share our tips to engage your attendees in discussions about your mission.

2. Establishing Authentic Connections:

There’s another reason we like Porch Parties: a casual social gathering can create the space to foster authentic connections between potential donors and your cause.

By inviting potential supporters to engage in conversations, share stories, and forge friendships, you help to create a sense of belonging and purpose. And that is surely a lovely thing.

This is what we mean when we talk about engaging donors – you are helping them forge personal connections with your work.

As attendees connect with others who share their interests, they’ll also connect more deeply with your cause. This fosters a bond based on shared values and common goals.

All this happens before you ever ask for a gift.

In our June 7th webinar, we’ll share why friendmaking is a powerful fundraising strategy.

3. Building Relationships that Inspire Support

Just remember: Successful fundraising is based on meaningful relationships with donors. And most importantly, these relationships are based on trust and understanding.

A Porch Party allows you to go beyond the transactional aspect of fundraising and move into cultivating genuine connections.

When you nurture donor relationships, and demonstrate your organization’s community-wide impact, you inspire donors to contribute willingly. They can move on to become long-term advocates for your cause.

Making Friends First.

The Porch Party motto is “Make friends first.”

First, you help donors get to know your cause and build their trust in your organization.

Then, later, you invite them to donate. First things first.

When you prioritize relationship-building and focus on genuine connections, you create a solid foundation for long-term donor engagement.

Just imagine: your donors and prospects are becoming more familiar with your cause. They’re beginning to witness the impact of your work. And above all, they are building trust in your organization.

At that point, they’ll be more inclined to contribute willingly and wholeheartedly. You are “attracting” donors rather than “pitching donors.”

Your Next Porch Party Is a Platform for Building Trust and Inspiring Support.

Remember, a Porch Party is not just a social gathering; it’s a platform for building trust, fostering connections, and inspiring support.

Make each Porch Party gathering a memorable experience. You can showcase your organization’s values, its mission, and, most of all, your dedication to creating positive change.

We want you to embrace the power of Porch Parties to make new friends for your organization. New friends who will become deeply engaged donors.

In the June 7th webinar, we’ll share the best format for the program at a Porch Party.

BOTTOM LINE: A small social gathering is a perfect way to create a welcoming atmosphere for new friends.

You can let the porch become a stage for meaningful conversations and relationships that will propel your cause forward. Hope to see you there!

How to Get Ready for a Capital Campaign

What does it take to really be ready to start a capital campaign?

Often we see board members and leaders chomping at the bit to move quickly. And we hear from some fundraisers that they feel pushed to get going and start asking for lead gifts as soon as possible.

Your smart plan sets up the dominoes so they will fall nicely in place.

Your smart plan sets up the dominoes so they will fall nicely in place.

However, caution ahead: your organization may not be ready for our advice: Slow down and get organized now so that you can move ahead quickly later. You do not want to be charging ahead without doing your research and due diligence!

There are many steps to take in order to be ready for a capital campaign. Planning now will create a successful campaign.

Here are key steps you need to work through BEFORE you launch into the silent phase of your campaign.

1.   Decide your scope.  What exactly will you be raising money for?

This sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But it’s not.

Does your organization need a new building? If so, then consider this:

  • Where will the building be, and how much will the land cost?
  • Do you have a simple schematic design?
  • Do you have an idea of what the actual construction (or renovation) will cost?
  • What about the cost of building permits, new furniture, etc.?

Also, will there be additional items that your leadership may want to include in your capital campaign financial objectives?

  • What about funding for endowment?
  • Or a special building maintenance fund or money for equipment?
  • What about including start-up costs for any new programs?

It’s important to identify all the different “funding objectives” or purposes that your campaign might include – well in advance. This is not a quick – or simple – process, to be sure.

2.  Get a rough idea of your possible capital campaign financial goal.

Once your team has a sense of the proposed capital campaign’s funding objectives, they can begin putting some numbers next to each funding objective.

Once that is accomplished, they can develop a “working” campaign goal. Go ahead and set a preliminary working goal as soon as you can.

This is a key starting place for your campaign planning.

Estimating the financial aspect of the campaign is an important step forward. Once you start talking numbers, you’ll find a sweet spot: a number that impresses people but doesn’t make them gasp at your foolishness.

Regarding your financial aspirations – remember that a little foolishness is not all that bad.  It’s much easier to come down later than it is to go up, so it’s a good idea to reach on the high side at the beginning.

3.  Break down the potential capital campaign goal by gift amounts.

It’s essential for you to lay out your potential gifts in a Gift Range Chart. This little chart will be a remarkable planning tool for you and help you prepare for a capital campaign when the right time comes.

Based on your preliminary working campaign goal, create a chart that will show how many gifts you’ll need in what sizes to reach that goal.

What’s more, who do you think will be the donors who will step up with lead gifts for the campaign? You’ll want to evaluate the size of your potential campaign prospect pool:

  • How many gifts of one million will you need? Where will they come from? Or, if you have a large campaign goal, how many ten-million-dollar gifts do you think you’ll need?
  • How many of $500,000? And $250,000?
  • How much in smaller amounts will you need to cover what your major donors don’t provide?

Know that a gift range chart for the same goal will vary from organization to organization. Why? Because it really depends on the size of your prospect list and the potential of your largest donors.

4.     Get your board on board.

To be ready for a capital campaign, you’ll want to be absolutely sure that your board is well-informed about campaign strategy, donor prospects, and potential for your campaign.

Your board needs to:

  • Understand how capital campaigns work.  Major gift and capital campaign strategy is not always intuitive. Your leaders need to understand that it takes time and a lot of nurturing to close huge gifts. That’s why we slow down now, to go fast later.
  • All must agree on the campaign objectives and scope.  You can’t go forward if there is dissent about whether to do a campaign and what it will require from the board and the organization.
  • Be willing to make the investment in infrastructure that will be required to support the campaign. This money won’t just walk in the door! It takes extra staff, extra events, extra PR, and a ton of work.

5.  Involve your most important donors in your capital campaign planning.

Many people ask us, “When can we approach our major donors about the campaign?”

We recommend that you engage major donors at the very beginning – when your campaign is just an idea.

It’s always a great strategy to involve your major supporters, while the campaign is simply an idea. As your ideas evolve, get their support early on, particularly in the planning process. You could even invite their input into your plan.

You get the idea.

Don’t keep your most important donors at arm’s length through the planning process – instead, use your planning phase to draw them in. The pre-planning phase is a wonderfully exciting time to involve your donor prospects.

Bottom Line: How to Start a Capital Campaign

Pre-planning now will help you save time and money and have your campaign on the early road to success!

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly insights with you as we cover important fundraising strategies. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or expanding your major gifts program – we can help. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a free strategy call with us.

How to Write a Fundraising Appeal Letter That Brings in the Money

110 Tips to Raise More Money from Your Solicitation Letter for Donations

How to write an solicitation letter that will open our donors’ hearts and prompt them to make generous gifts?

So many nonprofits struggle with this challenge. And unfortunately, many efforts to write appeal letters end up falling flat with donors.

Why are solicitation letters so important?

Fundraising solicitation letters are the backbone of your annual fundraising campaigns that your nonprofit absolutely relies on.

Many annual giving programs include direct mail integrated with social media and digital appeals to create a true campaign. These tips focus mostly on the direct mail solicitation package, but they also apply directly to digital appeals as well.

Your Annual Donors

Your annual donors are very special people – they’re the foundation of a sustainable fundraising program. These donors produce a revenue stream that your organization can rely on year after year.

Large gifts are coming in too. Believe it or not, we are seeing more and more four, five, and even six-figure gifts coming in thru regular direct mail and digital fundraising campaigns.

Smaller donors are so important!

Direct mail and digital campaigns typically focus on smaller gifts. These campaigns can also trigger monthly pledges and even (surprise!) estate gifts.

Since these are some of the most important communications vehicles your organization will ever have, let’s nail your next appeal campaign.

Caveat: These are basic tips that form the very basis of good solicitation campaigns. Try using this tip sheet as a checklist for your next appeal campaign.

Raise all the money you need by following these very basic, best practice tips:

THE BIG PICTURE – Top 10 Tips

  1. Use the same fundraising solicitation message and call to action in your mail solicitations, on your website, and in your email appeals –this reinforces your message over and over.
  2. Focus more on your donor and what they may want to accomplish. Focus less on your own organization’s accomplishments and needs.
  3. The appeal letter or message can have only one objective: a clear ask for support. It is not a newsletter, an end-of-year report, an update, or mixed in with other communications.
  4. Your top priority is always to renew your past donors. They are your customer base – your “money in the bank.” Don’t let them slip away. 
  5. Be sure to communicate with your donors frequently between solicitations so they are up to date-and feel connected to your organization. How well you stay in touch with your donors will determine whether they give again.
  6. Maintain control. Don’t let a committee approve or edit your letter. If you let well-meaning but unknowledgeable people help write your appeal, they will ruin it. Too many cooks really do spoil the stew.
  7. Update your website and make your donation page easy to use. Many donors who receive a snail mail letter will go to your website to make their gift. Be ready to welcome them there with an easy-to-follow online donation process.
  8. Create an entire campaign. Use phone, postcards, letters, emails, and social media to build a series of appeals. Don’t rely on only one letter to do the work for you.
  9. Create a budget and look at it as an investment. Know that, if well executed, your direct mail/digital program should yield a 400% return. That is, if you invest $20k in these communications to your donors, you should receive $80k back.
  10. Never, ever neglect your paper snail mail fundraising appeal letters. People are experiencing deluges of email and very little snail mail. That means that paper letters stand out far more than a digital appeal in a crowded mailbox. Paper letters get your donors’ attention.

How to Write a Solicitation Letter: Draw Your Donors in at the Beginning

  1. Very important: use the word “you” immediately in the first sentence or two of your appeal.
  2. Your goal in the letter’s first part is to get your reader’s attention.
  3. Consider starting with a story to draw your readers in.
  4. Make your first two sentences so compelling that your donor will want to keep reading. (You can easily lose them in the very beginning.)
  5. Consider a short, sad story that transforms into a happy one. The sad emotion is what will pull on your donors’ heartstrings.
  1. Be sure to thank donors for their past support early in the letter. It reminds them of their partnership with you.
  2. Pretend you are writing to your grandmother. The most generous group of donors are the older ladies. A recent study found that for every $100 men gave, women gave $258.
  1. Don’t use a lot of photography and fancy layout in your letter or accompanying materials. Too much design makes it much less personal.
  2. If you use any pictures, be sure they are of people, not buildings. It’s what happens inside the buildings that counts.

How to Write an Solicitation Letter: Make Your Tone Personal and Informal

  1. Always (of course) send out personalized letters. (Dear Mr. Smith, rather than Dear Friend). Make sure your letter is really addressed to the reader.
  2. Write to only one person and not a group of people. Emphasize your one-on-one connection with the reader. Don’t use “you” in the plural sense.
  3. Use contractions – it’s less formal. Formal does not work!
  4. Make your letter as personal and conversational in tone as you can. Make it sound like you sat down and wrote it to a friend. 
  5. Repeat the word “you” frequently: it’s the most important word in your letter.
  6. Use the word “I” in the letter to make it more personal and friendly. It does wonders in changing your tone from “institutional” to “personal.”
  7. Always make your appeal letter about the donor – not about your organization. Help your donors imagine what they can achieve with their gifts.

Write a Fundraising Solicitation Letter and Create a Dynamite Case for Giving

  1. Talk about opportunities – it’s never about your needs. “We have the opportunity to . . .”
  2. Make your message emotional. Donors give out of emotion, then justify it with logic.
  1. Use stories in your copy but only one story. One story is more powerful than three stories. (~Tom Ahern)
  2. Make your story SHORT but powerful. It can even be a one-sentence story such as, “Monday morning, little Jenny woke up, hungry again.”
  3. Flatter your donor: Tom Ahern says that you should ask (and flatter your donor) and you thank (and flatter) and report (and flatter.) Neuromarketing studies say that flattery WILL make your donor love you more.
  4. Can you share measurable results of what you have achieved with other donors’ gifts? Give it a try. (~Penelope Burk)
  5. DON’T use the words “programs” or “services” any more than you have to. They are boring and too generic.
  6. Repeat the need and its urgency – several times in the letter. That’s your case for support!
  7. Use statistics to build credibility and make the cause more concrete.

How to Write a Solicitation Letter That Your Donors Will Actually Read

Assume your reader will . . .

“pick up the four-page letter, look at their name in the salutation, flip over to the P.S., then shuffle the letter around in their hands, maybe start reading here, maybe start reading someplace else, jump around a bit, and then, after this ragged scanning, MAYBE start reading at the beginning.” (~Happy donors blog)

  1. Make your letter easy to skim and still deliver its message.
  2. Break up your fundraising letter copy in every way possible. Use headings. Use bullets. Vary the indentation. Use boldface type. Use ellipses . . .
  3. What will your reader really see? Artwork: 80%; photos: 75%; headlines: 56%; captions: 29%; and very little text! (~Tom Ahern)
  4. Have plenty of white space on the letter, which makes it easy to read. Wide margins will help.
  5. VERBS matter: Use snappy action verbs that convey action.
  6. Use the present tense. Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice. (~George Orwell). I.e.: “People are being helped.”
  7. Use short, concise sentences and paragraphs. Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs for interest.
  8. Write choppy, jumpy, repetitive copy. (see the reader’s profile above) (~Jeff Brooks)
  9. Very short paragraphs: No more than three sentences per paragraph.
  10. Very short sentences: No more than 6 to 8 words in each sentence.
  11. Write on the 5th-grade level for easy reading. (like these tips.)
  12. Use a type large enough to read easily. 12 point type is the minimum size for fundraising material. The average age of a donor in a “house file” is 67. The average age requiring reading glasses is 43 yrs old.
  13. Eliminate every possible word – including adjectives and descriptive phrases – in your copy. “If it is possible to cut a word out, cut it out.” (~George Orwell)
  14. Write your letter. Then remove the first paragraph and see if it isn’t stronger. You don’t need a long preamble. (~Tom Ahern)
  15. Longer letters with more pages are more successful than one-page letters. The letter needs to be as long as it takes. Don’t make it too short. (~Harvey McKinnon)

How to Create a Killer Ask in Your Solicitation Letter or Email Appeal

  1. Make the ask an “invitation” to give.
  2. Tell your donor explicitly.
  • Why this organization? Why this program?  Why NOW?  Why me?

     If your letter doesn’t lay this out, go back to the drawing board.

  1. Your call to action is the most important part of your letter. Make it clear to donors what you want them to do. And repeat it!
  2. Give the donor something worth doing that is easy to do. “Restore sight for $25.” (~Tom Ahern)
  3. Use the MPI formula to ask: Please consider a gift of $ MONEY for a specific PROJECT that will create a specific IMPACT.
  4. Ask several times in the letter. It’s ok! Especially if it is a long letter – you can ask 4 or 5 times.
  5. Explicitly tell your donor exactly what THEY can accomplish with their gift. And tell them HOW you will spend the money – what project, what purpose. (~Penelope Burk)
  6. Make your ask as specific as possible. Donors will give more if they feel their gift is going to something specific. 
  7. Use a matching or challenge gift opportunity and tell your donors it will make their gifts go further. Play up the concept of “leveraging your donor’s gift.”
  8. Always ask for a specific amount or “the largest contribution you can make.”
  9. Place your ask in the first part of a paragraph. Don’t bury your ask at the end of a sentence or paragraph – it will get missed.
  10. Don’t ask for a “gift”. Ask instead for an investment, a contribution, for help, or to supply something special. (Mal Warwick) Also ask the donor to “become a supporter” – this plays on the concept of “donor identity.”
  11. Create a sense of urgency by asking for an immediate contribution or asking for help with an urgent or critical situation.
  12. Use please such as “Please send your gift today” or “Please consider a leadership contribution of xxx.”
  13. Give the donor a deadline for responding and a reason for the deadline.
  14. Give the donor the option not to give. Recent studies have found this increases donor response. Say:
  • Please don’t feel obligated…
  • Whether you give is entirely your choice…
  • Any amount you want to give will help…
  • You are free to say no — I will understand…

Tips to Upgrade Your Annual Donors

  1. Focus on more frequent gift opportunities each year as a way to upgrade your donors to higher giving levels.
  2. Establish a monthly giving program. People who give monthly will give much, much more.
  3. Use gift clubs to encourage higher-level donations. Ask donors to move up to the next level.
  4. When you ask for an upgraded gift: talk about an increased or enhanced partnership with the donor.

Tips to Raise More From your Top Donors

  1. Be sure to send your Top Donors special, custom-tailored personal letters and digital appeals.
  2. Have board and staff members write or visit top donors personally with an individualized appeal.
  3. Thank them in the opening sentence for their continuing and steadfast support. Emphasize their partnership with your cause.
  4. Be sure these donors get many warm, personal touches during the year!
  5. Come right out and ask these donors to make a “leadership gift.”

Create a Full-Scale Campaign and Schedule your Mailings

  1. Set up a calendar of digital and mail communications and plan ahead. Echo the same theme and ask throughout all the communications.
  1. Segment your mailing list and mail personalized appeals to specially targeted groups. (i.e., past donors, volunteers, people who have attended your auction, corporate sponsors, board members, and past board members.)
  2. Mail to donors more often than nondonors. 
  3. Track your LYBUNTS (people who gave “Last Year but Unfortunately Not This”) and send them repeated, cheerful and enthusiastic appeals to be sure they renew. Once a donor has given for two straight years, they are likely to remain a donor for the long run. 
  1. Develop a series of appeals to SYBUNTS. (People who gave “Some Year But Unfortunately Not This Year”). “We’ve missed you!”
  2. The letters you send to your LYBUNTS and SYBUNTS should remind them of their past support and remind them how much they have helped create your success. (“We love you, we miss you, we want you back!”)

Followup Makes A Huge Difference

  1. Send a follow-up letter a few weeks after your appeal: “We didn’t hear from you, and we hope you will remain a supporter.
  2. Studies show that follow-up letters are the most important factor in securing the donor’s gift. (Mal Warwick)
  3. Follow-up letters need to be short and play on urgency and emotions.
  4. Write your follow-up letter at the same time you write the first letter.
  5. Organize the board members to make phone calls to follow up appeals to donors.  You can’t lose by following up with a personal call.

How to Welcome New Donors

  1. Your brand-new donors are the least likely group to renew next year. Only 23% of new donors will typically renew. (~Bloomerang data). Go all out to welcome them!
  2. So, create a dynamite welcome packet for new donors. This will help them renew when the time comes to ask again.
  3. Craft an ENTIRE special thank you and communication program for first-time donors. Celebrate the beginning of this partnership!
  4. Invite new donors to get involved. Move quickly to develop the relationship to keep them on your bandwagon.
  5. Go all out to welcome online donors just like your mail donors. New online donors are even less likely to renew their gifts than paper donors. Don’t let them fall thru the cracks.

Sharpen Up Your Website

  1. Include your website address in the snail mail appeal. Even when they give with a check in the mail, donors will probably check out your website.
  2. Use different landing pages and URLs to track donors’ responses to individual appeals and campaigns. It’s easy, and it’s important.
  3. From a donor’s perspective, the most important page on your website is “your gift at work.

Direct Mail: Create a Mailing Packet That Brings Results

  1. Size matters. Try larger sizes to get your reader’s attention. Or smaller sizes.
  2. Everything in your mailing should be easy to read and understand.
  3. Your direct mail packet should include four pieces:
  • The solicitation letter
  • A reply/pledge card
  • A return envelope for the reply card
  • The outside envelope.
  1. Your outside envelope needs to grab your reader’s attention. Put something attention-getting or startling on the outside. NOT a self-serving tagline, though.
  1. Try bright colors. Target Marketing says, “Using standard #10 white envelopes will guarantee a low response rate unless you are giving away money.”
  2. Always include a return envelope. It is critically important to make sure it is easy for people to give.
  3. Be sure your mailing label is attractive and not full of computerized numbers. A “mass market” look to your mailing label can immediately put your letter in the trash.
  4. The reply slip needs to stand out in the package.
  5. Put a headline on the reply card, such as “Yes! I want to help!”
  6. Don’t give your donor more than four choices to consider. More than that will drive your donor away.
  7. Use checkboxes on your reply slip rather than fill in the blanks.
  8. But limit the amount of information you request. The more boxes on the reply card, the more confusing it is to your donor. If you confuse your donor, she will likely abandon your donation card.
  9. Make sure there is room for handwriting on the reply card. Don’t make your donor cramp to write on your card.
  10. Make the reply card paper easy to write on. And remember to have a large font so your donor doesn’t have to reach for her reading glasses!
  11. Circle the amount you are requesting from the donor on the reply card.
  12. Don’t forget to ask for recurring monthly donations!

Now use this list as a checklist – review your mailing program against it and highlight the tips you need to implement.

GOOD LUCK, and may you raise tons of money!

 

Top Capital Campaign Trends (1)

Capital campaigns are everywhere these days. Despite a murky economic outlook, nonprofits large and small are moving forward with big fundraising goals and high dollar campaigns.

We’re seeing some interesting new capital campaign trends among our clients, based on learnings and practices developed during the recent pandemic.  As we’ve found with many of our clients, a few strategic efforts can help your capital campaign  be a booming success.

Most high-net-worth donors have done well over the past few years, and many of them may be ready to move forward and discuss how they can help – even in an uncertain economy. Here’s how you can take advantage of these current capital campaign trends to reach your campaign goal:

1. More Transparent Messaging

We are seeing a strong trend toward more specific, much more transparent communications with major donors. Organizations that share their status openly and honestly with their donors are receiving more support.

All along, donors have shared that they dislike formal, lofty language from the organizations they support. All the acronyms and nonprofit speak puts them off and dampens their enthusiasm.

During the recent pandemic, we found nonprofits talking about their work very differently. Our clients were frank with their supporters. They were sharing exactly what is going on financially and what they really needed. As a result, donors responded generously.

Transparent Messaging Yields a $1 Million Gift!

Here’s a terrific example: our Major Gift Intensive client, Historic Columbus. was very worried about their dramatic drop in contributions during the pandemic.

We suggested to Executive Director Elizabeth Walden, that she select 20 major donors for a special monthly “Insider” communication. And she implemented our advice quickly. Moving forward, she sent out a friendly, informal update on how the organization was faring during the shutdown.

One important point: She was upfront about the organization’s dire financial situation, but her tone was brave and businesslike.

A few months later, out of the blue, one of these donors suddenly gifted $40,000. The donor explained that he appreciated her frequent communications and the transparency she showed in being perfectly open about the organization’s financial status.

And, a year later, another donor up and made a $1,000,000 gift! The donor also thanked her for her openness, transparency, and frequent communication. Elizabeth said she almost fell on the floor when her donor came forward with such a generous gift.

Capital campaign trend takeaway: When your financial situation shifts – or when you have a major opportunity like a capital campaign – it is more important than ever to be transparent with your donors.

2. More Straightforward Conversations with Donors

Post-pandemic, the events and meetings are now back to a regular schedule. However, during the pandemic, we saw some new trends emerging that seem to be taking hold for good. Or at least we hope so!

Back during the shutdown, we were forced into absolutely direct conversations with our donors. No more oblique dancing around with meetings, lunches and social events.

We are training our clients to move right along with their donors and find out what they are interested in. Be ready to ask your donors in a very straightforward manner:

“Could you see yourself becoming more involved with our work?”

“Would you like to know more about how you can help?

As a result, our clients are saving so much time by finding out quickly which donors are interested, and which ones are not.

Capital campaign trend takeaway: It’s easy to find your most passionate supporters by asking a few direct questions.

3. Donors are Ready to Discuss Their Gifts Early in the Campaign

In an environment where you have some donors who are feeling wealthy, you actually can move forward quickly. When nonprofits directly discuss their needs, opportunities and vision with donors, good things can happen quickly.

For example, our campaign clients are seeing extraordinary results with one simple question:

“Would this be a good time to discuss your support of our campaign?”

This polite question is usually easy to ask. For instance, one of our clients closed a $100,000 gift the first time she asked this question. The next time she asked it, she closed a $250,000 gift.

Note that both of these gifts came in without a formal campaign ask. We just coached her to look for the right signals and then be ready to pose the question gently. Note: she was on the phone or Zoom for both of these conversations – in a digital format.

Takeaway: You can close major campaign gifts by asking your donor about their timing. Many of your donors are more ready than you may think.

4. Taking Advantage of Non-Cash Gifts

Real estate, valuables, and investments have grown substantially in value over the past decade. And, when donors are “feeling” wealthier, we will know that they are much more likely to make larger gifts.

Remember, most of the wealth in the US and Canada is NOT held in cash bank accounts. Instead, it’s held in some type of investment.  We find that so many campaign and major gift fundraisers forget to consider a donor’s capital assets.

So, it’s always, always a smart move to remind donors about the benefits of giving non-cash gifts, such as appreciated stock. Not only can donors avoid capital gains taxes, but they can also gain significant tax deductions from their charitable contributions.

For example, a donor purchased stocks for an average $100 per share, investing a total of $10,000. Ten years later, the stocks could now be worth $280/share. The donor’s original investment is now worth $28,000. That’s a whopping gain!

By making the gift of the fully appreciated stock, the donor avoids capital gains taxes and gets to help their favorite organization with a significant campaign gift.

Takeaway: Because of stock market growth in the past 5-6 years, many donors have extensive paper profits from their investments these days.  Don’t forget to inquire gently about giving with assets other than cash.

Bottom Line: Top Capital Campaign Trends

Take advantage of these new capital campaign trends. Look for opportunities for non-cash gifts. Be willing to be transparent, direct and straightforward with your donors. You’ll see terrific results.

Don’t forget we are happy to arrange a free campaign strategy call if you are in the process of planning a capital campaign. Just email us at coaching@gailperry.com.

One of the biggest challenges for major gift fundraisers is in the area of prospect management. When you have a whole list of projects in your portfolio, how do you prioritize your assigned prospects? That’s where the concept of a Backburner List comes in handy.

It’s a matter of organizing your portfolio.

How do you sift through many names to find the right people who want to get more involved?

With over 100-150 donors to manage, how can you organize yourself so that you are focusing on the right prospects at the right time?

How can you make sure you are spending your time at its highest and best use?

Each day, major gift fundraisers are forced to make choices. Which donors will you choose to spend time with and which donors can you safely ignore? You only have so much time to go around, and you have too many donors for the amount of time available. 

 The trick is to ensure you spend your time with the right people. Your time is just about the only thing you can control (you certainly can’t control donors!), so you want to be super smart about your own time management.
And yet, you don’t want to overlook a prospect simply due to lack of time and/or the prospect isn’t responding or available.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of only seeing your “favorite” people – the easy prospects who are always game for a call or visit. But this may not be the best strategy.

What Can Go Wrong?

A lot. While you are chatting up your most available prospects, you might overlook that more elusive donor. You know them – the ones who are hard to get a meeting with, the ones who take weeks to call you back, the ones with whom no one at your organization has a relationship.

But that prospect may just be worth your time. They have the capacity and a solid giving history to your organization. They do have potential, and you don’t want to forget about them. What is a major gift fundraiser to do?

Your Top Secret Strategy.

Every day, you must evaluate your list of prospects and decide who you will focus on. Which donors need to be priorities, and which ones can simmer in the background?

Then you need an organizing scheme that allows you to segment your portfolio. Create your top ten and then your next group, etc.

What Should You Do with Elusive Prospects?  Create a Backburner List.

Your Backburner List includes prospects who are not a priority right now. For example, they may not be ready to discuss a gift – yet. These donors are simply “simmering” on the back burner while you focus on the prospects who are warm or hot.

Who Goes on the Backburner List?

  • People you don’t want to forget about – they are promising, but their timing is off. They’ll need attention later, but not now.
  • People who may merit a closer look. One day you will be able to have more discovery conversations with them, so you can find out how interested they really are.
  • People who may have given recently and who (of course) need continued touches and attention.

Why Have a Backburner List:

1. Lowers Stress.

Trying to pay concentrated attention to a large number of donors is simply impossible. You are spread too thin. You will end up feeling stressed because you’re not “covering” your portfolio of donors well enough.

2. Organizes Your Prospects.

The Backburner List allows you to organize your prospects. Everyone needs a workable prospect management system that guides you to set your priorities.

3. Bless and Release.

How wonderful! You can even bless and release prospects who are not responsive, who are rude or unpleasant, or are simply not interested in a closer relationship. You can put some of them on the Backburner so you don’t forget them later.

4. Makes You More Productive.

Yes! Let’s make everyone on the team more productive. You have a system that helps you focus on the right prospects. You’re not spreading yourself too thin. Instead, you’re concentrating on where you see the highest gift potential for right now.

Remember, it’s all a judgment game. We are not saying, “ignore half of your portfolio.” Instead, we recommend a system that lets you sift through everyone on your list so you can set priorities efficiently.

Bottom Line: Create a Backburner List and you’ll save time by focusing on the right donors. And, you’ll raise more money.

Even more, you’ll also lower your stress level, and sleep better at night!

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly news and insights with you. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or launching a major gifts program – we can help. We’re with our clients every step of the way, inspiring their teams and board, building confidence, driving action and measuring success. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a strategy or consulting call with us.

Yes, there are many more major gifts fundraising mistakes to discuss! The activity of engaging with a potential donor, face to face, or person to person, can create fear and anxiety in many people. At best, it can feel terribly awkward. On the other hand, if you are really interested in the donor as a person and want to know more about them, the encounter can be enjoyable and highly productive. We shared four top fundraising mistakes last week here, and this post shares three more common blunders we see every day.

Major Gift Fundraising Mistake #5: Talking Too Much!

Too many nonprofit leaders blather away at their donors, thinking they need to “sell” the donor on a big idea or opportunity. Yes, you do want to share your ideas, but don’t forget that your donor has a lot to say too, and also wants to share THEIR ideas with you. They don’t want to be talked “at.” Instead, your donor wants to be heard. Imagine that! And it’s your responsibility in a donor visit, to hold the space, so to speak, for the donor to share that’s in their head and in their heart. If you do all the talking in a donor visit, you accomplish nothing.  In fact, if you are talking more than 50% of the time, you are shooting yourself in the foot! My motto has always been: “When in doubt, shut up.” If you are not sure what to say, I can promise you that your donor will fill the silence and say something. And you really want to know what is on your donor’s mind!

Mistake #6: Not Upgrading Donors

How do you upgrade a donor to give at a higher level? So many fundraisers are stuck and don’t know how to bring this up without feeling awkward or pushy. In fact, fundraisers are often so nervous about asking for a higher gift amount, that they often leave money on the table. But the reality is that your donor may be absolutely willing to give more – but you don’t know how to bring it up! It’s easy. First, be sure to ask for permission to bring up the topic of a gift. All you have to do is ask your donor if they’d like to do more. Or if they’ve ever considered doing something more. Your donor will surprise you! You can say, “If I may, can I ask you if you ever thought about doing something more?” You just may be surprised! 

Mistake #7: Missing the most important prospects. 

Fundraising leaders tell us that their teams are often confused and lack focus. MGO’s don’t understand how to find the right donors. They fritter away their time on the wrong people. When that happens, no one raises money!  Many MGO’s have up to 150 prospects in their portfolio.  How do you manage all these people? How do you set priorities? It can be a confusing morass.  We believe in the Top 10, Next 20, Next 30 approach. You can be successful if you organize and prioritize your donors in this simple format. Your Top 10 donors get the most attention. Your Next 20 donors are in line next. And, your Next 30 donors can fill in when you can’t see the other top ones.    This structure has worked for many of our clients and we strongly recommend it to you.

Bottom Line: Avoid These Major Gifts Fundraising Mistakes!

Don’t feel alone! We’ve made these blunders before ourselves. Let these videos guide you and your team to major gifts fundraising success!

Major gifts fundraising mistakes are everywhere! Dealing with major donors can be so challenging – and the entire effort is subtle, full of nuance. You’re trying to make friends with someone who expresses interest in your cause, but what to do? How to do it? What to say, and when? What not to say? And then, how do you coach C-suite executives on appropriate behavior with donors? They are the ones who tend to “talk at” the donor rather than allow the donor to do the talking. Each of these videos outlines a key mistake that happens all too often.

So today, we’re laughing at some frequent major gifts fundraising mistakes that we often make.

Don’t forget – in our Major Gifts Intensive coaching and training program, we are teaching everyone the correct way to work with major donors. Your visits will have clear objectives and you end up with a happy donor making a huge investment. And you won’t waste time in endless cultivation. This year’s Major Gifts Intensive registration closes out next week on Feb 15th, so if you are interested, let us know asap!

Major Gift Fundraising Mistake #1: Rushing the Ask  

Asking before a donor is ready to be asked is rushing the ask. Remember that major gifts fundraising is not transactional! It’s all about how the donor “feels” about your work – are they committed, are they enthusiastic? When you make it all about a quick, ask when the donor is unprepared, you will put off your donor and you’ll get a NO!

Mistake #2: Making it All About Money  

Remember that your donor supports your cause because they’re passionate about your mission, and dedicated to making the world a better place. When you talk only about money and not about the donor’s commitment, you’ll leave your donor cold. You might get a gift but it’s only a token. Not what the donor could really do. 

Mistake #3: Confusing Suspects and Prospects  

If you’re going to be successful you have to sort your portfolio into suspects and prospects. Suspects are people who are not yet qualified – which means you don’t know if they have the passion and the capacity to make a major gift. Prospects are those lovely people who are qualified. To be successful, spend your time with well-qualified prospects.

Mistake #4: Messing up the Discovery Process  

Discovery is your friend. The Discovery Process happens when you ask your prospective donor questions to find out if they are really interested, have wealth capacity, and are available to be cultivated. You ask questions like, “Would you like to know more? Or, would you like to get more involved? The donor will tell you whether they are interested – or not.  And you’ll “discover” whether the person is really a prospect or not.

Bottom Line: Avoid These Major Gifts Fundraising Mistakes!

Don’t feel alone! I’ve certainly made plenty of bloopers. And, I just wish I knew way back when I was a front-line fundraiser, all the things I know now. We’ve all bungled important meetings with key donors. We’ve all missed cues or rushed the Ask or talked too much. It happens every day with key donors all over the world, unfortunately. You can find three more of our top fundraising blunders here. Let these videos guide you and your team to major gifts fundraising success!

Have you ever tried to reconnect with major donors who have lost touch with your organization and your team? Here’s a quick video we posted to Linkedin yesterday, where we discussed success stories from the Major Gifts Intensive. Our guests where sharing stories of how they put their new skills from the Intensive to use. And one of Alexandra Lippert’s colleagues was able to reconnect with a major donor who had drifted away. Now, this particular donor is so engaged that they are actually discussing a million-dollar gift!  Can you imagine, bringing a former major donor back to the fold – and then having them ready to discuss a seven-figure gift? This is a success in my book!

Linked In Live Image

I want to personally thank these wonderful fundraising pros who joined me Wednesday on Linkedin: Craig Nason, Development and Communications Director of the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, and Alexandra Lippert, Director of Development for Major Gifts at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Hope you enjoy watching our conversation! The story of Alex’s colleague who was able to bring a donor back to the fold is at the end of this 12 minute video. To share a sneak peak about the video, here are some of the overall skills, key takeaways and successes they achieved in last year’s Major Gift Intensive:

  • Permission-based fundraising to open the door to key donor conversations.
  • Rigorous prospect management – to determine your top 10 and next 20 prospects, and focus your time and energy at the top.
  • Talking less and listening more to your donors, to delve into your donor’s true interests.
  • Building a true major gift plan – step by step to build a program with focus and strategy unique to each organization.
  • The art of growing a relationship with a donor.

Reconnect Major Donors Who Have Drifted Away

Many organizations have major donors who once were enthusiastic and on board – yet now have disengaged and are not involved at all. We see this happening all the time. For example, you may have five, six, and even seven figure major donors who once were enthusiastic supporters – but they’ve disappeared. Here’s another example: what happened with your former capital campaign donors – particularly the ones who funded your last building campaign? Are you still in touch with them? Where did they go?  What about those former loyal board members who gave so much to support your work? It may have been years ago that you connected with them, but their emotional ties may still be strong. 

Trying to Reconnect Major Donors 

Just about every organization has supporters who were once quite passionate but now have lost touch. In the success story above, our client at Waterloo University had lost contact with a certain former major donor.   

Here’s the Process We Recommend to Reconnect Major Donors Who Have Drifted Away

Step One: Try a “Get in touch” phone or zoom call.

If you have a donor who has not been engaged for a while, consider a “get in touch again” approach.  Just think, your donor might actually welcome your phone call or email. Especially if they’ve been involved in past years, they might really like to know the latest news. They might like to meet any new leaders who may have joined the team. Or, they might welcome a personal update about an area they used to fund.

Step Two: Try a “Thank You” phone or zoom call.

Many former donors appreciate a “thank you for all you have done for our organization” phone or zoom call. In fact, if you think about it, they probably deserve a thank you call, however, belated. It’s the least you and your team could do – to reach out to people who’ve been so very supportive in the past and acknowledge everything they’ve done. Thank you’s are always in good taste and appropriate. It’s a feel-good moment for both you and your long-lost donor when you reach out (even if it’s been years) to say thank you again.

Step Three: Ask them why they supported your organization – what was it about your work that appealed to them the most?

This is the question that starts to reengage them. Asking them for their Donor Story can be like opening a treasure box. Your long-lost donor probably has deep feelings about your organization’s work. Likewise, they have a strong personal connection to your mission. This is heart-centered work – when you ask the donor to share how they feel about the mission. Ask them what resonated with them about your organization’s impact. Remember, when a donor’s deeply held personal values are really tied in with your organization’s work in the world, they will talk and talk about it. We advise our clients to simply let them talk! You open up a whole new world when your donor shares their personal thoughts and feelings. Here’s when they often start saying, “How can I help?”

Step Four: Ask them if they’d like the next step – a personal update on what’s happening now.

  • Would they like to get involved again?
  • Would they like to meet the new leadership?
  • See the new initiatives or programs that are being launched?
  • Would they like a personal tour?

This is when they become re-engaged. Remember, you are using permission – you are asking them if they’d like this or that. Using permission allows the donor to feel like they are in charge – they never feel pushed or like they are getting a pitch.

Step Five: Invite them to get involved. But use permission.

Consider using these questions: “Have you ever thought about getting more involved?” “Would you like to know how you can help?” “Would you like to know more about your favorite program and its current challenges?” When your formerly disconnected donor says “YES!” then you can literally move to a Gift Conversation.

Bottom Line: Reconnect Major Donors Who’ve Drifted Away

This approach may sound simple. But it’s deliberate, strategic, and utterly donor-centered. You focus on the donor, showing appreciation, listening, and sharing impact. This is how you rekindle a fire in your donor’s heart – and then the magic door to a wonderful gift opens. You end up with new resources to fund your mission, a happy donor, and a renewed relationship with a passionate supporter. 

The Three Success Principles for a Profitable Major Gifts Program

Are you and your team ready for a prosperous and productive year? And, most importantly, are you all planning for wonderfully generous major gifts to flow into your organization? 

We think this year will be an interesting year for major gifts fundraising. With the uncertain economy, we’ve even heard that some fundraising pros are not sure about meeting their fundraising goals this year. 

That means you need to organize and focus carefully to be successful. You need to be systematic to make the most of your valuable time and energy – while raising the money your institution needs. 

There may be roadblocks keeping you and your team from reaching your true major gift potential. These success principles will guide you through any economy, to profitable success – for you, your organization, and your mission. 

Here are the top three major gifts it \\success principles that we teach. You need these elements working together in order to be successful in raising major gifts in good times and also in volatile times: 

There’s no way around it. There are specific steps you can take to move quickly, find the right high-net-worth donors who really care, have direct conversations with them, and then close gifts. 

1. Closing major gifts takes know-how and training.

It can be done, and it’s done every day. 

However, many fundraisers tell us that they are unsure exactly how to approach donors. Even more, they feel awkward having conversations with prospects. Many say they feel lost when they try to identify the right prospects to focus on. Worst of all, they feel alone and overwhelmed. 

Your team can learn all the analytical and soft skills they need to be successful major gift fundraisers. They don’t have to guess their way along. 

We can teach them advanced conversation and discovery skills to help them feel comfortable with donors. Every fundraising professional needs to learn how to hold a conversation that lights the fire in a donor prospect and moves them to a gift. 

Your team can learn how to listen for a donor’s personal values, passions and interests. And how to take the next steps to move a donor closer to a gift. And we gently push them out the door to go visit their prospects. :) 

Your team also needs to understand data analysis. How do you keep up with and sort through all the information they learn about their donors? Most of all, they need to know how to put it to use to predict major gift outcomes. 

We believe strongly that working smarter, not harder, helps busy fundraisers raise more money. Knowing how to put your data to work for your leads to success. 

2. Successful major gift fundraising takes a team. 

The smartest professionals don’t try to go it alone. Silos in major gifts fundraising never work well. It’s essential to have other people involved in helping in the major gift effort. 

The team members don’t need to be out there soliciting, but they DO have to help identify prospects and help think through strategies to reach and nurture donor relationships. We find that you can be much more creative in coming up with ideas to cultivate donors when you are brainstorming with a team. 

In smaller organizations with limited development resources, the ED or CEO often steps in to help lead the fundraising effort, often aided by a staff member and/or a board volunteer. 

You would not believe the successes we have seen with this type of smaller team. Two of our million-dollar gifts came in in the Major Gifts Intensive when the ED called on one of their top donors. The Executive Director knew the questions to ask – and, because of our coaching, they knew how to create the setting for the donor to offer a 7-figure gift. No kidding. 

If you are in a small organization, know that you will never be super successful in major gifts fundraising with only one dedicated person. You should never be alone in this effort. 

In the Major Gifts Intensive, we ask for a full team of at least four people to register together. It’s best when a group of people from one organization takes the program together. That way, everyone learns the same systems, skills, vocabulary, and approaches – and can reinforce each other. 

3. Successful major gift fundraising takes a solid system.

Raising money from major donors is not rocket science, but it takes a very carefully organized structure. As we’ve said many times, you will never be successful without a structure – you’ll be just shooting from the hip. 

Systems are everything when it comes to identifying and managing prospects. You need a great rating system to measure your prospects’ potential. In addition, you can use Wealth Screening or even AI to determine who your most likely prospects are. 

We’ve written about prospect management systems that are the basis for managing your pipeline, workflow, priorities, and who you plan to see when. 

And remember, it’s your prospect management system that lets you and your team know what the potential cash flow looks like – and everyone is interested in that! 

The Major Gifts Intensive will help you implement all these success principles.

We can help you with skills training, help you set up the systems that will work for you and your organization, and introduce major gifts success principles to your entire board and management team. 

Our goal is to help you lay down the infrastructure, systems, and thinking inside your organization that will take hold permanently. We want your organization to enjoy major gift success not just this year but for many years to come. 

Every organization can raise much more IF you seriously tackle major gift fundraising. We are here to help and support you. Check out the Major Gifts Intensive here, and send us a Letter of Interest if you’d like. 

Registration closes on Feb.15th. Make sure you register soon, as space is limited and we are filling up fast.

We’ll hop on the phone with you and decide if this program is right for you and your team. It may not be for you. But then, it may be just the thing that will help you and your team catapult your organization to financial security! 

Let’s make the upcoming year awesome and close many major gifts for you and your cause! 

Nonprofit Fundraising Trends for 2023

As fundraising consultants, we’re always keeping an eye on the latest nonprofit fundraising trends and developments. As we move into 2023, there are several key trends that can help your organization ride the waves of success and fundraising growth in the coming year. 

First of all, let’s celebrate that 2022 was a strong year for charitable giving. We were successful, even with the instability caused by changing world events, pandemics, inflation, elections, financial markets, and unrest. 

When we step back and take stock, it’s extremely heartening to see the generosity and commitment to a better world that we see among our donors. 

And many things keep changing. These nonprofit fundraising trends include our top predictions for the year ahead and tips to help your team rise to the occasion.

Internal Culture at Nonprofit Organizations

1. Nonprofit working conditions are improving.

Organizations are slowly realizing that the old-fashioned nonprofit culture of low pay and long hours is driving employee burnout and turnover. Low morale = low productivity. 

 Tip: Realize that your team’s work environment can either help – or hurt – fundraising productivity. To keep employee morale high, follow the recommendations in “The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit” by Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman.   

2. The Great Resignation happened.

Unreasonable workloads, unrealistic performance expectations, and lack of respect drove many fundraisers to resign and seek new job situations. The resulting short-staffed offices put even more pressure on the remaining staffers. 

Tip: To prevent turnover, you’ll need to pay staffers what they are worth, and create a positive environment where they feel appreciated and valued. 

3. Many organizations are struggling with diversity and inclusion issues.

As nonprofits look within. they are uncovering gender, race and class issues among their donors, their boards, staff, and internal culture. Many are working towards solutions. However, some of this may be just window-dressing and all talk. The effective models go deeper into people’s behaviors and attitudes.

Tip: Set your organization on a path that recognizes the transformative potential of diversity at all levels. Recognize that there are no simple solutions. 

4. Fundraising is gaining respect as a profession.

Fundraising seems to be more and more recognized as a true profession, with its own well-documented knowledge base, credentials, and standards.

 Tip: Organizations that acknowledge and respect their fundraising team’s skills, expertise, and authority, will raise far more money. Give your professionals the room to create and execute strategy – and your revenue will increase. 

Major Gifts Fundraising Trends 

5. Major gifts fundraising is gaining more emphasis.

More and more nonprofit leaders are recognizing that focusing on major gifts is the quickest and most expeditious way to meet revenue targets. There is strong demand for skills-based training and coaching in major gifts fundraising.

Tip: Investing in major gifts fundraising for your organization will pay off quickly, and will allow you to expand your work to make the world a better place. 

6. Capital campaigns are everywhere.

Nonprofits of all sizes are showing that they have the confidence and skills to tackle big goals and make them happen. 

Tip: If you are not in a capital campaign or planning one, then you probably want to move forward now and take advantage of the current environment.  

7. Virtual donor visits.

Fortunately or unfortunately, virtual Zoom visits with donors are here to stay. Many older donors prefer to engage with their favorite causes from the comfort of their own homes. 

Tip: Use Zoom as a tool to help donors feel connected, in touch, and close. You can still build a warm personal relationship over the phone or zoom.

Broadbased donations of smaller amounts. 

8. Smaller donors just might be returning.

After years of declining numbers of smaller donors, we may be starting to see a change. One example: Giving Tuesday’s returns set new records for the number of donors participating, and in the number of overall donations. 

Tip: Nurturing generous donors who give at smaller levels will help fuel broad-based community support for your cause. 

9. New digital tools for donor engagement.

Digital fundraising will continue to increase as we see more sophisticated, multi-channel, and omnichannel approaches that can engage large bases of support. 

Tip: If your team deploys digital tools creatively, you can drive increased donor participation and also the acquisition of new donors. Be creative!

10. Many COVID donors are drifting away, unfortunately.

Based on what we see with our clients and in overall donor retention numbers, many pandemic-era donors are not renewing their gifts. Many organizations that saw dramatic increases in contributions during the past two years missed the opportunity to 

Tip: Create a deliberate initiative to engage with your newer donors, This can turn them from one-time donors to consistent, committed recurring donors. (This tip is from Executive Consultant Dr. Kathryn Gamble.)

11. Stronger connections with smaller donors.

Many wonderful new ways of engaging smaller donors are emerging – using technology, events, and even peer-to-peer approaches. 

Tip: Engaging your donors – regardless of their gift amounts, is and always will be the key to a solid base of financial support. 

12. Shifting orientation of high net worth philanthropists.

Many are pausing to reevaluate their old paradigms of giving to find charities with less “brand name” and more “high impact.”

Tip: Emphasizing your organization’s impact is and always will be a solid path. It appeals to donors of all types. (this tip is from Beth Ann Locke, the Director of our GPG Academy)

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly insights with you as we cover important fundraising strategies. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or expanding your major gifts program – we can help. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a free strategy call with us.

We offer this list of suggested New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members to encourage them to consider their important role and reflect on how they can be more effective as board members. 

Here are 10 New Year’s resolutions for board members that encourage self-reflection on your board’s culture, its decision-making process, how everyone behaves, and how involved everyone is in fundraising.  

The beginning of the year is a great time to set goals and resolutions that can help board members make a positive impact on their organization and the community it serves.  

This post is updated from earlier years – but it is perennially popular. I’ve updated it for 2023!

Here are some ideas for nonprofit board members – to remind everyone of what’s truly important, and help focus on positive action.

How about these for a list of proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members?

1. I will foster a positive and inclusive culture on our board and within our nonprofit.

As a board member, I will strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, donors, and people we serve. This means actively seeking out diverse perspectives and ideas, and creating a culture of respect and open communication.

To support inclusivity, I will welcome diverse people, perspectives and options. In addition, I will be aware of our board’s culture, and will encourage board members from diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives in our discussions. 

I resolve for all my contributions to be positive and optimistic. I will bring a positive point of view to all discussions, and discourage negativity. My voice will focus on ideas of abundance rather than scarcity. 

Moreover, I will aim to be always hopeful for the best; to encourage discussions of great possibilities. Knowing that negativity wipes out our board’s energy and passion, I commit to being a positive influence on other board members.

2. I will make my own proud, personal gift to support my institution.

AND I will encourage all other board members to give. I understand that if we don’t put our money where our mouth is, we have absolutely no credibility as stewards of the organization’s financial health and mission. 

When everyone is making their own proud personal gift, they are demonstrating their support for fundraising. They’re acknowledging that fundraising, gifts and contributions are all essential to financial stability.  

When everyone is participating in your organization’s philanthropy, you are adding integrity to the fundraising process. As a matter of fact, when board members are not supporting their organization financially, they send a very loud message to the community — that they are not fully behind this organization’s mission.

I will set an example by giving cheerfully and generously, and model appropriate generosity to the rest of our board.

To put it in the words of a funder:“If the leaders of the organization don’t support it, why should anyone else?”

3. I will encourage everyone to think big and challenge the status quo.

As a board member, I know that thinking small will not get us where we want to go. We are not going to change the world, alleviate suffering, change our community, find a cure – by thinking small.

So I will encourage everyone to think big. I understand that there is great power in a big, wildly exciting vision. Because, we know that a big juicy vision will help attract people – and financial resources – to our cause. 

Even more, knowing that change is hard for all organizations, including ours  – I will be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. I resolve to be willing to ask, “Why are we doing it this way?

I will encourage my fellow board members to be willing to let go of the past and consider new opportunities and strategies – no matter how threatening change is.

Equally, I will remember Jack Welch’s famous quote:

If change is happening outside the organization faster than it is on the inside, the end is near.”

4. I will have a bias towards positive action.

Knowing that my organization needs more than “talk” out of board members, I will focus on positive actions we can take.  I refuse to be one of those board members who thinks their job is simply to come to meetings and just offer an opinion.

Moreover, I will make sure that the opinions that I do offer are thoughtful, respectful and are based on some type of data rather than on my personal preferences. 

I will ask our CEO and staff how we can help them and what support they need. I will encourage a can-do attitude – because THAT is what can change the world.

Likewise, I will share these new years resolutions for board members with my colleagues and encourage open discussion of these ideas. 

5. I resolve to stay informed and understand our financials.

I promise to take my role as a fiduciary guardian of our nonprofit seriously. As a board member, I understand my responsibility to oversee the financial health of the organization. 

I’ll resolve to stay informed about my organization’s budget, financial performance, and fundraising efforts. Even more, I will encourage transparency and accountability. I’ll look deeply at the data on how we raise money, and how we spend it.

It will be important for me to learn more about where our money really goes, and why we need more funding. I want to learn about my organization’s fundraising plan and our specific funding/business model.

In particular, I will commit to reviewing – and understanding – financial reports and resolve to ask questions when necessary.

Like Tom Peters said,

“Without data, I’m just another person with an opinion.”

6. I will wholeheartedly support our fundraising program, and will encourage others to do so.

I understand that there are many ways I can support fundraising and help celebrate our donors. 

Since board members are the highest authorities of our organization, I  know that we can add clout to all aspects of the fundraising program. Additionally, we know that donors feel honored when a board member makes a thank you phone call or sends a thank you email. 

Since fundraising is not just just about asking for money, I know I can play a valuable role even if I am not out there soliciting – by opening doors, making connections, meeting prospects, thanking donors, involving new people, and more.

In addition, I resolve to educate myself about fundraising – how it works today in this changing world and what works best for us. 

As for me, I won’t suggest a new fundraising idea or project without first understanding its potential impact on our staffing and volunteer resources.

7. I will help foster an organizational culture that will support fundraising and philanthropy.

I understand my various fundraising responsibilities as a board member, and will help foster a strong organizational culture of philanthropy.

As a supportive board member, I will encourage everyone in the organization foster the three components of a true culture of philanthropy.

One, we will all engage in and support the fundraising program in whatever way they can. We know there are many ways that everyone in the organization can help in fundraising without having to ask for money. Fundraising will not be isolated into an organizational silo. 

Second, I will encourage an organizational culture that celebrates our donors as important stakeholders and supporters of our mission.

Finally, I will ensure that fundraising is respected and acknowledged as an important mission-centric activity. Instead of backing away from fundraising, I will encourage fellow board members to be as supportive as possible. 

8. I will support our CEO and staff.

I will not ask the staff to overwork themselves, or sacrifice their personal lives in the name of our cause. Equally, I will encourage a positive work environment where our staff team feels acknowledged and respected. 

Understanding that they carry enormous responsibility on their shoulders, I will support paying them competitive salaries, giving them a healthy, happy workplace and ensuring that adequate training is provided to do the job. 

I resolve to support an appropriate boundary between board members and staffers, and I will encourage other board members to understand the management lines of communication. 

This means that I will not attempt to direct individual staff members. Instead I will deal with their boss, our CEO or Executive Director.

I resolve to show up when a staff member calls or emails.  And help out when asked.

9. I will advocate for our cause wherever I go.

Knowing that ideas can be contagious and spread among people like wildfire — I will spread the word about our work wherever I go. 

I resolve to be a great ambassador for our organization – sharing news and information about our impact to everyone in my network. 

Above all, I want to help create an epidemic of buzz about my organization all around. I’ll practice conversation skills and a short elevator speech that can open the door to a potential donor. 

I resolve to be a terrific personal advocate for our organization and our cause. And I’ll have fun doing it!

10. I will support the board to assess its governance and performance each year.

Knowing that good governance practices should always be reviewed and discussed, I will encourage us to conduct an annual self-assessment.

Moreover, I understand that the results of our board self assessment can open up new ideas about the way we work together, how we run our board meetings, what expectations we ask of all the board members, and our overall internal culture. 

I’ll encourage our Board Governance Committee to bring forward new ideas, practices and strategies to help our board become a high-functioning team. 

Bottom Line on New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members:

For the coming year, and all years, I dedicate myself to making my service on the board meaningful. And to encourage a positive, can-do, board culture.

If you’d like to reprint this article in your newsletter or distribute it to your board members, please link and attribute to our site.



 

Here’s a wonderful Major Gifts Intensive success story from one of our smart participants.

Chris Cook, Executive Director of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, said he really enjoyed practicing his new advanced 21st-century fundraising skills.  He learned how to create magical conversations with his donors because he achieved some stellar results.  

Here’s a situation – from an amazing donor conversation – when the donor simply offered a capital campaign gift – without even being asked.  Here’s what Chris shared (with our commentary):  “I started the conversation by asking how our organization pulls on his heart.”

(Our note: You should always start every donor conversation with a question about why they give to your organization.)

“First, he told me he was very grateful that I asked.”

(Our note: Many donors are often dying to share their “donor story.” This is an easy, seamless, and polite way to establish a deeper connection with your donor.)

“Second, he revealed to me that he had never been asked this question before by anyone and that he deeply appreciated it.”

(Our note: Your donors have deep feelings in their hearts for your organization’s work. But people don’t ever ask them. It will open the floodgates and you’ll be surprised.)

“As my donor explained this, his eyes started to get teary.” 

“I could see that he was immediately thinking back about his history with the organization, and how it has impacted him, his kids’ lives, and his grandkids’ lives.”

“This is because of art he now has, in two different homes. And how that art inspires conversation and education and connection.”

Then he immediately jumped in and started explaining his big picture for philanthropy.”

“He surprised me when he shared that he has three key areas of giving that are important to him. And that our organization is one of his three priorities!”

“It was huge news to me!”

“This was not, by any stretch, a challenging conversation to have. My donor opened up in new ways that I had not seen before.”

“And then – you won’t believe this, but he made a pledge for the capital campaign that we plan in the future.”

Bottom Line from this Major Gifts Intensive Success Story

Ask your donor why they care, or why your cause resonates with them, and then watch out. Your donor will take you places you never knew, and just may offer a gift right then and there.

The 2023 Major Gifts Intensive will open up for registration in November 2022. Let us know if you want to be on the early bird list to be notified!

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly insights with you as we cover important fundraising strategies. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or expanding your major gifts program – we can help. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a free strategy call with us.

Capital Campaign Pre-Planning: What to do Before Hiring a Consultant

How important is capital campaign pre-planning?

We see many organizations that want to move forward quickly to launch a capital campaign. They are excited about their vision and are ready to dive straight away into a feasibility study.

It’s great to be excited and enthusiastic because those qualities can generate momentum.

But you’ll also want to get as organized as you can, prior to your study. You can lay the groundwork for a successful study even before you start the search for a reputable campaign consulting firm.

Today, we’ll share a step-by-step readiness plan to help you get prepared for a successful feasibility study. This plan will help you get the most out of your study.

1.     Capital campaign pre-planning: Clarify your projects and what you want to raise money for.

This sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But it’s not.

Donors will have many questions about your proposed projects. They will ask detailed questions about the need for a new building, an expansion, or an endowment – whatever you are hoping to fund in the capital campaign.

You’ll need to think through all possible aspects of your project so you and your consulting team can answer these questions. It’s important to outline all possible costs – and implications – of a potential capital project.

For a new building: Donors will ask about operating and maintenance costs of new building. Donors will ask where the building will go, how large it will be, parking, costs of construction and land, and costs of upfitting the new facility. They will ask to see visuals of the proposed building.

Above all, they will want to know WHY the building is needed. Not only do you need to explain the project in detail, but you also need to lay out a clear justification for this investment.

For major programmatic expansions that you want to fund in the campaign, the most important question your donors will ask is WHY do you need it, including:

  • How will it expand your work?
  • What costs will be incurred?
  • Who will be served and why is your organization the one to do the work?
  • Why not some other organization?  Donors will ask about competition and other agencies that do similar work. They will ask about possible collaborations with similar organizations.

2.     Get a rough idea of your campaign dollar goal.

Once you have firmed up the projects to be funded in the capital campaign, then it’s time to cost everything out.

Each funding objective needs a cost number, or at least a financial range.

When your consulting team presents this information to your donors in the Feasibility Study, you’ll want to demonstrate that you’ve researched each aspect of your plan.

Thinking things through now will help you and your team show up as business-like, thoughtful and deliberate. And of course, these qualities will help to build donors’ trust in your potential campaign – and generate their investment.

Then it’s time to estimate a capital campaign goal. The simple approach is to put numbers next to each funding objective and add it all up.

We recommend that you and your team start with a tentative “working goal” for the campaign that you use as a preliminary figure. The working goal can go up or down, depending on the results of the feasibility study,

3.    Campaign pre-planning: Get your board on board.

Before you start interviewing potential consultants for a feasibility study, make sure your board is well-informed about the prospects and potential for your campaign.

That means that you will have to work with board members both independently and together during your planning process.

It’s important to get some opinion leaders behind your proposed projects and the potential campaign early in the game because they can be an indispensable asset.

We want to see the full board in agreement about what’s before them. Ideally, your board members will be:

  • Enthusiastic and optimistic about the potential for your campaign.
  • 100% behind the expansion or capital investment plan.
  • Educated about how capital campaigns work – the strategy and process that creates successful campaigns.
  • Educated about how much campaigns cost, because the money is not going to just walk in the door without a significant investment of time, energy, and resources.
  • Understanding what their role will be during the campaign.

4.    Involve your most important donors in your capital campaign pre-planning discussions.

During these beginning steps in your planning, it’s essential to engage your top donors in conversations about your proposed project.

Consider making a list of ten to twenty top donors – the ones who are most likely to make the top gifts to your capital . Then develop a plan to involve each of these donors in the planning process.

This can range from taking a donor to lunch to let her know what you’re working on, or asking the donors for their advice and input on your proposed plan.

You can also ask some donors to serve on a pre-campaign planning committee. If one of your top donors is involved in real estate, you might even ask their advice on aspects of purchasing or constructing the new new building.

You get the idea. Don’t keep your most important donors at arm’s length through the planning process. Instead, use your planning phase to draw them in.

The pre-planning phase is a wonderfully exciting time to involve these important donor prospects.

Feasibility Studies Can Be a Waste of Money, if . . .

Remember, a feasibility study interviews donors to determine their level of interest in supporting your new, bigger vision and proposed plan.

It’s best when you can give them something meaty and exciting that they can react to. If the consultant finds too many potential donors who are not engaged or informed, then these donors might respond,

“I don’t know enough about this organization or project give you an opinion.”

When that happens, then your feasibility study will not yield any helpful information.

It’s disappointing to us consultants, too, when we interview potential donors who are simply not familiar with the project and not close to the organization.  There is nothing to talk about!

Moral of the story: Engage your donors early and often!

Bottom Line: Capital Campaign Pre-Planning: What to do before you hire a consultant.

Start your work early on the campaign by taking these steps, and you’ll save time and money and have your campaign on the early road to success.

You are laying the groundwork so that the full campaign can roll out successfully with early lead gifts and key volunteers stepping up to help.

There you are—a major gift fundraiser, sitting in front of a potential donor. You’ve memorized your talking points and are about to make a Big Ask.

It’s the moment of truth and you’re feeling tense because so much hinges on the outcome. Funding for your project is at stake.

You’ve got a script that you hope will open your donor’s heart – and wallet.  Even more, you think you have the right amount to ask for. But you are probably just guessing how your donor will react to the Ask.

What’s wrong with this scene?  

You’re set up to make a “pitch”—to talk at the donor in a one-way conversation.

It’s far too formal and presumptuous. You’re assuming that you know everything about the donor – her motives, her timing, how much she wants to give.

Hello? Where is the donor in this process?

Ditch the Ask. Have a Gift Conversation Instead

We believe there is a much better way to stage a successful ask – by slowing down and engaging the donor in a conversation.  Here’s our suggested approach:

Focus on What Your Donor Wants to Do – Not What You Want to Do

A traditional Ask is all about money. But a Gift Conversation is about helping a donor see the possibilities.

In a gift conversation, you help the donor envision how she can make a difference in the world, not calculate how she can give away $25,000.

The conversation should be about where she is, not where you are. About what she wants to do, not your own agenda.

We recently saw an anonymous quote that sums it up: To inspire people, don’t show them your superpowers. Show them theirs.

Invest the Time.

This approach requires you to invest time in understanding a donor’s personal values, what she believes in, what she’s most passionate about. A donor’s passion can be powerful enough to trigger a $1 million gift.

When you use our gift conversation approach, you end up with a happy donor who is thrilled to make a gift, not someone who feels “hit up” or manipulated.

Don’t Put Your Donor in a Box

When you make a specific Ask, you box the donor into a certain figure. With a gift conversation, you don’t limit the potential size of the gift.

Even if you have done tons of research, you never really know how much a donor may be willing to give – especially if she is passionate.

With a traditional Ask, you could even end up with a smaller gift than if you helped the donor live in a space of possibility and vision.

How to Kick Off a Gift Conversation

With a few well-placed questions, you can help your donor imagine how she can make a significant impact and then walk through the door to make a gift.

Here are a few simple ways to start a gift conversation. 

“Could you see yourself getting more involved in our work?”

This is one of our favorite qualification questions. Your donor might be sharing her excitement about your work, and you sense the door opening for a gift conversation. 

Ask this simple question, and you’ll find out immediately whether the prospect might want to discuss a gift. And maybe even when she would decide. 

“Would you like to know how you can help this project?”

This is such an easy question to pose. There your donor is, carrying on about her interest in your mission. You can simply ask, “Would you like to know how you could help?”

“Have you ever thought about doing more?” 

A prospect may have never thought about making a gift. So, it’s your job to bring it up. You are simply inquiring about the person’s interest in getting more involved.

We love this question, too, because it helps you qualify whether your prospect might become a donor.

Help Your Donor Feel in Charge

Note that these questions have you asking your donor for permission to discuss this topic. Does the donor want to go in this direction or not? This is how you make a donor feel that she’s in charge of the gift process. 

The beauty of engaging in conversations is that sometimes the donor comes up with the idea of making a gift before you even ask.

This is a particularly good question for board members to ask their contacts. A board member may invite a friend to an event. A great follow-up question is: “Could you see yourself supporting this project?”

It’s an easy thing to say, and it’s not at all pushy. If the answer is “yes,” you have a green light to pursue a Gift Conversation.

Bottom Line on the Gift Conversation: Skip the Ask—have a conversation instead.

You’re likely to end up with a happier donor who comes through with a bigger gift than you anticipated.

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly insights with you as we cover important fundraising strategies. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or expanding your major gifts program – we can help. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a free strategy call with us.

Do you have a Thankathon on your calendar in November? If not, you might want to start planning one today.

A Thankathon can be a vital part of a smart year-end fundraising strategy. It serves as a mini stewardship campaign that will prepare your loyal donors to make a generous year-end gift.

With a Thankathon, we are simply acknowledging our donors and their generosity. There is no traditional “ask.” Instead, you’re making sure donors have a warm and fuzzy feeling in their hearts about your organization around the time that they receive your year-end appeal. 

With the Thanksgiving holiday, November is already a season of gratitude. It’s the perfect time to connect with donors and express your appreciation for their support. 

Why do a Thankathon?

Yes, thanking donors is good manners, and it’s also smart fundraising. The reason we like to do Thankathons in the fall is to lay the groundwork for donors to renew, and hopefully increase their gifts. 

The goals of your Thankathon would be to:

  • Remind them that their support is critical
  • Pull them closer to your mission by making them feel their impact
  • Let them know you notice them 

But a Thankathon is more than just a calculated strategy. It’s also an opportunity to bond with your donors in an authentic way—a chance to let them know you care about them as people, not just for their checkbooks. 

Who’s the audience for a Thankathon?

Ideally, everyone! At some point, you absolutely should thank everyone who’s made a gift to your organization. 

If thanking all your donors in November is unrealistic, that’s ok. You can segment them to keep your Thankathon manageable.  

Think about narrowing it down to a measurable audience. For example first-time donors, those at a certain gift threshold (e.g., $1,000+), or people who have given consistently over time (e.g., 5+ years).

Here’s the thing: You’ve got major donor prospects – right now – buried in your files among the small gifts. The problem is that they just haven’t identified themselves as major donors yet. 

You just may wake them up with a Thankathon.

What format should a Thankathon use?

You can choose to thank people via phone, email, or snail mail.

If you choose the phone, don’t worry that many people won’t answer your call. That’s fine. They will listen to your heartfelt message and feel good that you reached out to say thanks!

If you opt for email, don’t default to a blanket approach. Try to keep the messages personal and address the donor by name.

And if you go with a mailed card or letter, make them handwritten, if at all possible.

Who should participate in a Thankathon?

Thankathons are a good time to get your board members and other key volunteers involved. 

But don’t “require” everyone to participate. You want people who will actually enjoy the activity, especially if you’re doing phone calls.

Pre-pandemic, it was common to bring Thankathon folks together to make calls or write notes. You can still do that, or you can try a group Thankathon via Zoom. 

Pull together your volunteers on Zoom, kick it off with an inspirational message, and then have everyone mute their computers. You can pipe in occasionally to encourage your volunteers to keep going!

It’s fun to see everyone’s smiling, committed faces while they’re doing the important work of showering donors with gratitude.   

What to say during a Thankathon?

Whatever vehicle you decide to use when saying thank you, be sure not to break one of our donor communication cardinal rules.

Don’t thank donors for helping your organization be successful. Thank them for the impact THEY are making in the world. 

If you’re doing phone calls, here’s a sample script. (Notice it’s short and sweet.)

“Hello, Ms. Smith? My name is ___________, and I’m on the board of _________. I’m calling to personally thank you for your support this year. Your gift helped underwrite the expansion our ___________ programs. Thanks to you,  _____ more families/children received life-changing services. We are so grateful for your generosity.”

Consider the script a conversation starter. If the donor is willing, your caller can go further, and ask donors to share their stories. Find out why they gave to your organization and what draws them to you. It can be a powerful conversation. 

Bottom line

A Thankathon will prepare your donors to give generously at the end of the year. Organize one today!

As always, it is a pleasure to share our weekly insights with you as we cover important fundraising strategies. 

If your organization is planning a capital campaign or expanding your major gifts program – we can help. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com if you’d like to schedule a free strategy call with us.