Too many gift officers put off inviting the next gift from a donor because they mistakenly believe that the next gift will, somehow, derail the donor from making their best gift in the future.
But, the best gift being imagined by the gift officer may not even be on the radar yet for the giver.
We should think about inviting the next gift as part of the cultivation strategy that encourages the donor to consider their best gift later on.
We rarely “leave money on the table.”
It is far more likely that we haven’t yet done the spade work to invite donors into an ever-deepening relationship that encourages them to consider their best gift.
And, giving their next gift can be a significant step in that relationship-deepening process.
Giving leads to more giving.
