One of my clients raised over $1 Million in the last 30 days in major gifts.
Here are some of the reasons they have been so effective.
1. Clearly defined vision.
They have a very specific vision they are trying to make a reality.
2. Cost to achieve that vision.
They know exactly how much money they need to make that vision a reality.
3. Deadline.
They need to raise the money by a certain date, so there is a real sense of urgency.
4. Meeting with the right people.
The executive director is meeting with the top 10 donors in the history of the organization.
It might seem obvious, but if you want to raise big money, meet with those that have the capacity to make a big impact.
By the way, they’re already in your database.
Sorry, Mark Cuban’s not gonna answer your call and solve all of your problems.
5. They’re asking!
After outlining why this project is so important and seeing if the donor is interested, my client is asking for large specific numbers.
6. Being bold.
This project my client is trying to accomplish is a fluid situation.
There’s no case for support, no printed materials.
Just a powerful story.
It’s been good enough for two people to make $500,000 gifts.
These are some reasons my client has been so successful, but they’re really principles that apply at all times to succeeding at major gifts.
If you’re missing any of these elements, you’re going to struggle with major gifts.
You need all of these elements for your donors to be motivated, but you also need them to get you motivated!
You should be working on raising money for something so compelling that you jump out of bed every morning an hour before your alarm because you’re so fired up to go make it happen.
If you’re not obsessed with driving the mission forward, you’re not going to focus on putting millions in the bank.
Instead, you’ll gravitate towards rearranging the artwork in the office or deciding on the perfect folded napkin design at the next banquet.
But, when you’re compelled to make serious progress towards a clearly defined vision, you’ll realize all that other stuff is BS and you have no time for it.
Kevin Fitzpatrick is the owner of One Visit Away, a consulting business helping leaders of nonprofits schedule more and better visits with their benefactors. Kevin’s goal is to help fundraising professionals constantly seek to deepen their relationships with their benefactors. After all, you’re just One Visit Away from growing your mission and your impact.
Related Resources:
- “One Visit Away” podcast
- Webinar: Scheduling Visits is Scary…but it doesn’t have to be that way.
- The simplest and most effective 5-step major gift and planned gift marketing strategy ever
- 12 Keys to Conducting Effective Donor Interviews