- The success of your ask was determined during the cultivation.
- Donors don’t give to institutions, they give through institutions.
- And they give through institutions to people they trust.
- Doing the fundamentals consistently is “the silver bullet.”
- Generous people don’t grow tired of giving, they grow tired of being solicited.
- When it is time to ask, be bold — ask for their best possible gift. Those you serve deserve that from you.
- You have a case for support only when you can concisely answer the question, “why should anyone care?”
- What your donors believe about your institution is far more important than what they know about your institution.
- In making your most effective case for support, keep in mind that too many numbers numb, but stories are stored.
- If you do not know the other causes your prospect supports and why she supports them, you are not ready to ask.
- With only rare exceptions, special events represent the most inefficient and ineffective way to raise money.
- If you want money, ask for advice. And if you want advice, ask for money.
- It’s not about you #1: Your job is not to strengthen your relationship with the donor. Your job is to strengthen the donor’s belief in the goodness of your institution’s mission.
- It’s not about you #2: If a prospect tells you “no,” it is not a personal rejection.
- Engagement isn’t sending out the magazine. True engagement is the process of asking meaningful questions and actively listening to the responses.
- A gift officer can have many visits and not be successful. But rarely can a gift officer have only a few visits and be successful.
- Performance metrics are not the work, they are only a poor proxy for the work.
- Major donors dislike “wish lists.” Strategic planning is the foundation of successful campaigns.
- How you treat donors after they make a commitment says far more about how you value them as people than how you treated them before they committed.
- The most robust and helpful prospect research is not done electronically.
- Giving is good.
2 thoughts on “21 Advancement Truths”