Fixing Bored Boards and Other Major-Gifts Musts

In preparing for a major-gifts campaign, an organization may find it needs to redevelop its board. If a board is weak, Davis says, it's a good time to look at other connections the organization might have that would yield stronger board members who can serve that critical role of cultivating major donors.

"There is an ultimate responsibility in the lay people of the campaign to make the case and speak to people they know and show the way as volunteers for the kind of concern they hope their colleagues will show and turn those into major gifts," Davis adds.

With the ever-growing number of nonprofits in existence and the ever-increasing competition for dollars, Davis says what's key for his company when working with an organization is to determine what it is about the organization that's unique -- "what it is that they're doing that they can claim is special and appealing to potential donors and would set them apart from the crowd," he adds.

It's also important for organizations, when they do secure major gifts, to communicate with donors. But not with an onslaught of direct-mail asks, Davis cautions. "For every letter that's written with an envelope for a return gift, there should be two letters written with no request whatsoever, simply to let the donor know how appreciative you are and what their gift's accomplishing."

Perry Davis can be reached via http://www.perrydavis.com