Building A High-Revenue Major

Gift Program: The 5 Major Hurdles That Are Holding You

Back and How to Overcome Them

With Gail Perry

FiredUpFundraising.com

GP@GailPerry.com

@GailPerryNC

Gail Perry: Who am I?

30 years in fundraising

Coached hundreds of

nonprofit

Coached/Raised over

$500M

Gail Perry: Who am I?

Recent Honors & Achievements

Fundraiser of the Year (NC)

America’s Top Fundraising

Experts (2016)

How much $ is out

there for your

nonprofit? (but you don’t have the

resources to go get it?)

Building a Successful Major Gifts

Program

Overcome The 5 Hurdles That are

Holding You Back

How to turn your development

office into a money-raising

machine.

How to get the most out of your

limited time and staff.

And Announcing my 2017

Major Gifts Coaching and

Mentoring Program

• 25 organizations who are ready to dive in and

make it happen

• Have me as your coach and mentor for 10 months

next year

• Get at least 10 asks on the table!

Serious

obstacles that

hinder fundraising success

Biggest Hurdles to Major Gift

Fundraising?

What’s Your Biggest Challenge?

18% TIME

35% PROSPECTS

18% STRUCTURE

31% UNSURE

11% ORGANIZATION

HURDLE #1:

Organization

Doesn’t Understand

or Support

Major Gift

Fundraising 11%

Internal Attitudes Toward Fundraising?

Board members and leaders try to dictate

fundraising strategy

based on personal opinions.

Good Fundraising is NEVER about

MONEY

--Lack of funding

--Lack of support

--Lack of

participation

• Everybody has a role!

• Everybody understands fundraising and how it works.

• Your organization:

• sees fundraising as a means to engage supporters

• offers opportunities for donors to engage

• Fundraising is part of the whole effort to engage

supporters with the mission

Developing a Culture of Philanthropy

People take a long term approach

to fund development.

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• Your organization honors your donors by asking

for more than just money – – you also ask for and

engage their help, support, ideas, skills, time.

• Your organization values listening to donors.

• You have a culture of terrific post-gift customer

service to donors.

Your Organization Values Donors

“Donors are seen as authentic partners in

the work, not simply as targets or dollar

signs.” (Beyond Fundraising Report)

HURDLE #2:

Need Structure

and Support 18%

Everybody wants to put the

monkey on someone else’s back!

There IS a Structure for Major Gift

Success!

• Major gifts Team working together

• $ Goal

• List of Projects to Fund

• Major Gift Prospect List

• Written Cultivation Plans

• Monthly Meeting of Team: Strategy Sessions

Your Major Gift Success Structure

Who, What, When, Where!

Sample Prospect List w Ratings

Ability: A: $1 million D: $25k –99K Likelihood: 1 = high

B: $500k–1 mil E: 10K –25K 2 = medium

C: $100-500k F: $1k -10k 3 = low

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Find a Prospect Rating System That

Works for You

1 - Hot 2 - Warm 3 – Cold

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Rating Your Prospects:

Ability to Give

A: $1 million and up B: $500k -1 mil C: $100k - 500k D: $25k – 99K E: $10K – 25K F: $1k - 10k

Set a Major Gifts

Fundraising Goal

• Add up your

potential

• Cut it by 1/3

• That’s how much

you can raise

HURDLE #3:

Not Enough Time

To Do It Right 20%

You are all alone with an

impossible goal

You are all

alone with an

impossible goal

No Plan, No Priorities,

Tackling Too Many Things

And Doing None of them Well

Getting Out of the Office

Really is a Challenge!

• Get everybody on board what you are up

to and why.

• Announce your goal of x visits/month.

• Ask everyone to help you get out of the

office to make the visits.

• Enlist the back office team as aids, not

critics.

How to Set Priorities and

Get Out of The Office

Brief Info Session:

Major Gifts

Coaching and

Mentoring

Major Gifts Coaching:

Help For You!

10 months – begins February 2017

Gail as your coach and mentor

Monthly goals to accomplish

Special trainings for board members

Group trainings and calls

https://www.gailperry.com/major-gifts-coaching/

Major Gifts Coaching:

• 6 instructional webinars

• 4 outside guest expert presentations

• 2 separate trainings for board members

• 10 monthly coaching calls with me and other

international experts

• Monthly goals to keep you accountable

• Supporting materials

• I am “on call” as needed.

Your Curriculum

Month 1: Build a Culture of Philanthropy and Identify

Your major gift prospects

Month 2: Research and Rate Your Prospects

Month 3: Create Systematic Cultivation Plans

Month 4: Getting Appointments with Prospects

Month 5: Preparing for the Ask Visit

Month 6 - 7: Coaching on asking

Month 8 – 9: Making Asks

Month 10: Wrap Up and Plan for the Future

$3900 Investment

I want you to see 1000% return on your

investment.

You should be able to raise AT LEAST

$40,000 this year.

https://www.gailperry.com/major-gifts-coaching/

Major Gifts Coaching and Mentoring

Send Your Letter of Interest

and

Apply For Your Free Strategy Session

https://www.gailperry.com/major-gifts-coaching/

HURDLE 4:

Not Enough Major

Gift Prospects 23%

The Dorothy School of Fundraising

There’s no place like home!

Your future major donors

are sleeping inside your donor files.

Start With What You Have!

Narrow,

narrow,

narrow

down your

focus (especially if you

are small)

Ruthlessly Practical! Focus On The Few!

Searching for Prospects

• Current donors

• Lapsed donors

• Former board members!

• Volunteers

• Small donors

Penelope Burk

What’s the Difference Between a

Suspect and a Prospect?

Vocabulary Words:

What is a “Qualified Prospect?”

A prospect who. . .

• has capacity

• is interested in your

cause

• can be cultivated for

a gift

Identifying Prospects Where Do Barry and Barb Fit?

High $$ Low Likelihood

High $$ High Likelihood

Low $$ Low Likelihood

Low $$ High Likelihood

DOLLARS

LIKELIHOOD

HURDLE 5:

Unsure, unclear of

how to approach

major donors 28%

Approaching Your Donor for a Visit- Creative Ways to Get in the Door

Advice Visits

Advice visits: If you want money ask for advice;

if you want advice, ask for money.

• We have something important to run by you.

• Can I pick your brain?

• Can I have some advice?

• Will you screen a list for us?

“We’d like to ask your input our

business plan.”

Resulted in a $1.5M Gift!

It’s About Your Donor and What He

Wants to Accomplish!

Tell me about your interest

in . . .

People

understand

smart

fundraising =

friendmaking

Donor Experiences =

Engagement = Cultivation

Events

Awesome Donor Experiences

Open Doors With Porch Parties!

Would Your Nonprofit Like to Establish

A Solid Major Gifts Program?

• What’s possible for your organization?

Six STEPS to the Perfect Ask

Join Us If This is Right For You! https://www.gailperry.com/major-gifts-coaching/