KNOWLEDGE

Making big gifts is most often a function of age. The older you are, the more capable you tend to be of making a major gift. It’s perhaps one of the few areas where it’s more beneficial to be older rather than younger.

Making big gifts is most often a function of age. The older you are, the more capable you tend to be of making a major gift. It’s perhaps one of the few areas where it’s more beneficial to be older rather than younger.

The best development professionals in the world are role models. They set a standard of excellence and that others follow. Through teaching and doing, the five tool fundraiser raises up future generations of talented and exceptional fundraisers to carry forward and enhance the profession.

How many excel prospect databases do you manage? The goal is to eliminate all of them and manage all prospect activity out of a single, highly-functional and effective CRM (constituent relationship management) system.

If you think about your campaign’s quiet phase as a big tent, you’ll know when it’s time to go public with your campaign when that tent is filled with everyone in the organization’s “family” – the vital and critical stakeholders – that have been made aware of your plans and have been invited to participate. When that’s accomplished, it is time to open your campaign up to the rest of the world.

With campaigns, there is general understanding and agreement that you don’t “go public” with your campaign goal and how much you have raised against it until you exceed 50% of the total raised. This rule speaks to over and above campaigns – not the comprehensive campaigns that count cumulative philanthropy over a period of many years.

Public-Private partnerships in fundraising are often the key to accomplishing big projects that require significant philanthropy but also have goals that would be otherwise unattainable without government support.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

Well-respected fundraising leaders have often shared the importance of asking great questions of and listening to prospective donors as critically vital to unlocking philanthropy.

Calls + Demos = Sales

It’s invaluable to have the mindset that your cause is worthy of investment. Mission confidence is critical.

Pay attention to your $1,000 donors. In due time they can become your $1 million dollars.

You never know in fundraising if you are going to be planting seeds or harvesting the crop.

AAA Prospect Strategy – The intersection of access, ability and affinity often results in strong giving among prospective donors to an organization.

The best prospect pipeline is filled with financially-capable and mission-aligned prospective donors as well as existing donors, each of them in a different stage of readiness to be asked.

The best fundraisers know that you need to plan your work and work your plan to succeed.