One of the least-discussed, but germane mysteries of our advancement profession is the fact that too many gift officers shy away from asking prospective donors for specific gifts. I’m not suggesting that gift officers are not receiving gifts. But just about every institution I’ve worked with has someone (or more than 1) on the team…
Month: March 2017
What They Will Do
Far too often I witness strategy discussions about major gift donors and prospects that leap too quickly to observations focused on what a particular donor “will do,” in terms of his or her gift amount. The conversation plays out something like this. The Associate Vice President (or whoever supervises the Major Gift Officer) asks in…
Using Your Database to Invite, Report, and Steward
The most fundamental and effective organizing strategies when using your database (certainly not the only organizing strategies!): Inviting Donors and Prospects to Give – you will be most effective in inviting donors and prospects to give when you organize your database by giving history. In other words, to be the most effective and efficient in…