Category Archives: Gifts

There!  You did it!  You asked for the gift.  Good for you! You asked in a genuine, sincere way, with quiet confidence.  You asked for a dollar amount, to be sure, but you didn’t ask for money. You asked the donor to help make something important happen at your organization. That’s the key. Now what?ContinueContinue reading “How to Negotiate the Gift”

Major gift work is like painting.  Professional painters will tell you that 90% of the job is in the preparation.  The time and care you take in prepping the wall (that is, preparing the donor for your ask) will determine how things turn out. I want to be sure of three things before I ask. ContinueContinue reading “Exactly How to Ask for a Gift”

Remember the Manager, the Prime, and the Asker. Those three roles exist in every major gifts relationship.  Go ahead, think about one of your donors.  Who is the Prime?  Who is the person your donor best relates to, is most comfortable with?  Who does your donor think of most often when he or she thinksContinueContinue reading “The Three Relationships with Every Major Gift Prospect”

Swing for singles.  Don’t swing for home runs. There is so much pressure on major gift officers in our profession today.  “We need a big gift and we need it NOW!” You are nodding your head as you read this because it pretty much sums up the feeling you get.  You don’t have the timeContinueContinue reading “Swing for Singles”

The number one mistake I make when working with donors and prospects? I work too fast. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but it’s true.  I have to catch myself, time and again, and work very hard to not do that. Please don’t make this same mistake. Whether you’re on a visit, sending an email, makingContinueContinue reading “My Number One Donor Mistake”