We’ve all been in a social setting – perhaps a theatre prior to a performance – when a voice comes over the public address system and calmly states, “In the unlikely event of an emergency. . .” Or, if you board a airplane, you will certainly hear the phrase, “In the unlikely event of a […]
Browsing the archives for the major gift donors tag
9 Apr 17
26 Mar 17
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 […]
14 Sep 10
In prospect management meetings all across the country this week, advancement teams have prioritized donor portfolios based on the two most important variables currently in use: Capacity (a wealth estimate of some sort), and; Interest (an estimate of how ‘close’ or ‘engaged’ the prospect is with the institution). No matter the terms used for these […]
7 Oct 09
In the second part of the Urban Legends of Fundraising, I talked about how asking for a major gift was similar to asking a girl to marry. In both instances you have the best opportunity for an affirming response when: you don’t ask too soon in the relationship; you both know the ask is coming […]
1 Comment Posted in Fundraising
Tagged fundraising relationships, major gift donors, the ask, the courtship of donors
Tagged fundraising relationships, major gift donors, the ask, the courtship of donors
23 Aug 09
Urban legend – An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. (Wikipedia) This week, my aim is to debunk a few urban legends regarding fundraising. These are examples of “conventional wisdom” that, over the years, I’ve heard repeated often by otherwise […]
0 Comments Posted in Fundraising
Tagged Fundraising, major gift donors, Urban Legends of Fundraising, well running dry
Tagged Fundraising, major gift donors, Urban Legends of Fundraising, well running dry
