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Articles for category Major Gifts and Planned Giving Review
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Capital Campaign Budgeting: Beyond Construction Costs
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
If you and your nonprofit are considering a major capital initiative, such as a renovation or construction of new facilities, one of the first things to do is to develop a realistic budget, which you can use as a beginning basis for developing your campaign goal. Nonprofits usually start the process of budgeting by....
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Contributed by:
Norman Olshansky
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We’re All Development Officers Now!
Friday, March 30, 2012
A much emailed and referenced article from McKinsey Quarterly by Tom French, Laura LaBerge and Paul McGill, “We’re all marketers now,” stresses the need for commitment from everyone in an organization to fully engage customers.
The authors advocate a total organizational approach to marketing. Quoting the article: “…customers no longer separate marketing from the product—it is the product…In the era of engagement, marketing is the company.”
What about nonprofits?
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Contributed by:
James V. Toscano
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Results, Results, Results
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
The director of a start-up nonprofit was livid, “We worked our — — off trying to do something real for AIDS victims, and all the donations still go elsewhere…to the big boys.”
What’s going on here? Certainly we’ve all heard it before, but why do, indeed, most of the major gifts go to the brand names?
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Contributed by:
James V. Toscano
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The Courage of the Lead Gift
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
There’s a special breed of donor, possessing courage, commitment and vision, who is capable of a lead gift in a major campaign. Most donors are not.
Often when asked for a major gift, the prospect responds with a question: “Who else has given?”
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Contributed by:
James V. Toscano
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Bah, Humbug!! — Ebenezer Scrooge Might Have Been Right
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Just after he responded to those two proper gentlemen, asking for an end of year donation for the poor, with his classic, “Bah, Humbug !” Ebenezer Scrooge must have mumbled under his breath, “The only time I hear from them is when they need money.”
How many of your donors might say the same thing?
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Contributed by:
James V. Toscano
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Probabilities
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
An intercom from my secretary told me of my first visitor, whom she ushered politely into an office not quite furnished. As we stood among the packing cases, this older gentleman beamed as he handed me a check for $2.2 million, told me how happy he was to do so, and after an exchange of pleasantries, hurriedly left the office, with me wondering what to do next!
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Contributed by:
James V. Toscano
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Waiting for Super Donor? What Your Board Needs to Know About Individual Donations
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Every nonprofit organization hopes someone will make a significant donation that rescues them from their financial challenges. Do you wait for Super Donor to rescue you? Unfortunately, if you only wait and hope, the odds are that Super Donor is not coming. Nor is he or she sending a check. This article shares what every board member needs to know and do to obtain individual donations.
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Contributed by:
Karen Eber Davis
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It All Begins with the Donor
Friday, June 18, 2010
It all starts with a very simple premise. I wholeheartedly believe that nearly all people wish to help others. Whether it be a neighbor facing a crisis, a community struggling to provide services, or even a national issue, nearly everyone has a driving force within themselves to reach out to others in times of need. Although this may be a simple concept, it is truly a powerful one for it influences our thinking and our fundraising strategy.
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Contributed by:
George Colabella
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Major Gift Prospecting and Prioritization
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
One of the most important activities a nonprofit needs to undertake prior to initiating a major gifts campaign is the identification and prioritization of prospects. Some organizations spend a lot of money, time and human resources on prospect mining and research. Others try to identify pockets of wealth in their community and then determine what is the best way to contact and solicit those individuals.
For many organizations, I recommend the following simple and inexpensive technique to identify and prioritize major gift prospects....
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Contributed by:
Norman Olshansky
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Ten Basic Fundraising Axioms: Simplified
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Yes, science, technology and skill sets are necessary to be successful as a fundraiser for nonprofit organizations. However, there are also several very basic axioms which, if followed, will greatly increase your success....
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Contributed by:
Norman Olshansky
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Are Your Board Members N.I.C.E.?
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
How can I get my board more involved in fundraising? When we ask nonprofit leaders to share their most daunting challenges, they frequently regale us with sagas of boards with amazing passion for the organization but yet an unexplainable inability or even lack of will to transform that passion into fundraising.
Because we’ve heard that same answer so often, we’ve developed an array of suggestions, strategies and techniques to help organizations and board members overcome what many refer to as the “fear of fundraising”. While the idea of fundraising can send shivers up the spine of some of the most-experienced board members and a few executive directors as well, I contend that the real dilemma for many of those most fearful is that they don’t understand that fundraising is much, much more than asking for the gift. And that yes, they can succeed at fundraising.
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Contributed by:
Lynne Dean
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What Builds Trust Between Professional Donor Educators?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Why Ask The Question: The new generation of donor educators recognizes that it is essential to build trust with their peers, financial advisors, fundraisers and the client/donor. With that trust comes the promise of supporting giving, building collaborations, sustaining practices and growing the field.
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Contributed by:
Charles Maclean
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