Major Gifts I.Q.

To successfully solicit a major gift, it is critical to know—who is the decision-maker.

The best time to solicit a prospect for a major gift is when your nonprofit is in great need of funds.

When asking for a major gift, it is helpful to the prospect to present him/her with a written proposal of appropriate length.

It is more important to be able to explain your nonprofit’s work and programs than it is to be able to listen and discern a prospect’s interests and motivations.

It is important, in preparation for and anticipation of a solicitation of a major gift, to understand the prospect’s family, financial and business circumstances, to the greatest extent possible.

It is more important to be able to explain your nonprofit’s work and programs than it is to be able to listen and discern a prospect’s interests and motivations.

An experienced, trained fundraiser is the only person who should solicit a major gift.

It is critical to know who the decision-maker is to successfully solicit a major gift.

When asking for a major gift, it is not necessary or advisable to ask for a specific amount. Let the donor decide.

Knowing why a prospect is interested in supporting your nonprofit is important to successfully solicit a major gift.

When a prospect says “no” to a solicitation of a major gift, you should immediately remove him or her from your prospect list.

Body language – all nonverbal cues – are as important to “hear” as the actual words a prospect states.

When a prospect refuses your request for a meeting, you should immediately remove them from your prospect list.

When you know it is a group of family members that makes all major gift decisions, it is always a good strategy to solicit one family member and have that family member deliver your proposal and be your advocate for the major gift.

Once you have asked for a major gift, the best strategy is to let the prospect contact you with his/her decision.

The fastest way to qualify a major gift prospect is to solicit him or her for a gift.

In planning a major gift solicitation, it is best to have only those who have a role in the discussion/solicitation of the gift in the meeting with the prospect.

A solicitation for a major gift should always include only one option—such as a major gift to one project—and never include a solicitation for the prospect’s annual gift. Annual gift solicitations should always be separate from major gift solicitations.

In delivering a written proposal to a prospect for a major gift, you should not include a pledge card as this exerts pressure on the prospect to make a decision about the gift immediately.

When soliciting a prospect for a major gift for a complex project, it is wise to include the “jargon of the project” to show the complexity and your deep understanding of the project.

It is an intrusion on the prospect to ask for a major gift; therefore it is best to apologize to the prospect when actually soliciting the gift.

A solicitation for a gift from a prospect’s estate—such as a bequest—should be done at a different time from a solicitation of a major gift. Such a “blended ask” is confusing to the prospect and difficult for the solicitor to successfully execute.

One of the most important aspects of a successful major gift solicitation is “trust.” Therefore, prior to the solicitation, it is critical for a prospect to trust the nonprofit to be true to its mission, be prudent in its use of funds, and trust the leadership of the nonprofit. It is a wise use of time for a fundraiser to build this trust with the prospect.

When previous giving and your research indicates a prospect is capable of making a $100,000 gift, it is smart to ask for $100,000 and also tell the prospect what can be accomplished with a gift of $50,000, or $25,000.

Being genuinely curious about a prospect’s work, interests, and philanthropic goals is a trait of highly successful fundraisers.

It is never good to have a person who has a close relationship with a prospect—a friend, business associate, or highly respected individual—in the room during a major gift solicitation, because this puts that person in an uncomfortable situation and violates the prospect’s privacy.

Highly successful fundraisers consider a solicitation strategy that includes the right people, asking the right prospect, for a major gift of the right amount, for the right project, at the right time, in the right way, and with the right follow-up.