The donor was absolutely giddy about supporting the project. It was something close to his heart—something he wanted to put some of his hard-earned money into. So when the major gift officer told him about it, the decision was easy, but he had a few questions on the scope and cost of the project...
Richard Perry
This is where I run a risk of getting in trouble, but I have to write about it because it is a huge problem in many nonprofits that not only hurts the organization but also hurts the people involved. I’m talking about taking your very best major gift officer and making them the manager of the major gift program...
It is always amazing to me to hear managers and leaders who want to start or rebuild a major gift program say, “We will just hire some major gift officers and get going,” or something like that. It’s as if this MGO will arrive on the scene and suddenly, money will be pouring into the organization...
It is important to start right in a major gift program as a new major gift officer. And starting with donors, program and back office familiarization is the key. Everything else, while important, is a distraction, in my opinion...
This week, purpose to keep all your communications donor-centered, avoiding your natural tendency to talk about what you (or others in your organization) want to talk about. And keep it short, simple and to the point...
It is not an uncommon dilemma. A major gift officer worries about being too aggressive in the relationship, so they turn down the contact volume and miss an opportunity. Or they turn it up too high and offend the donor. How do you strike a balance?...
You need to re-orient your thinking and your practice, as it relates to volunteers, so you create a happy place for them. And what makes for a happy volunteer? Some colleagues we have worked with are taking important steps in two areas to make that very thing happen...
You can get the right person in the wrong organization, and it will be a disaster for the person. Or the wrong person can get into the right organization, and that would be a problem for the organization. The hiring criteria series addresses this latter point—getting the right person for the organization...
“I can’t seem to get my donor to relate to what we are trying to do,” explained the frustrated major gift officer. “I tell them over and over again about all the people we are helping and all the people that need help, and it just doesn’t seem to click. It’s like the donor has a glaze over her eyes!”...
I will never forget the discussion I had when I was managing a sales team for a commercial company. I had been meeting with various sales people going over their performance, and now it was time to meet with Brandon...
As a major gift officer, you may be asked to manage the donor portfolio of your manager, CEO or executive director. In order to be effective, you have to have the ability to “manage up.” Managing up means that you are working with your CEO...
A major gift job is personal and intimate, and a major gift officer is often in situations, which can get really uncomfortable if the donor wants to take it there. I’m talking about racial and bigoted comments, sexual innuendo and inappropriate behavior, aggressive statements on political or religious views and any number of other situations that a MGO often finds themselves in...
Many major gift officers across the country, and MGOs we serve in Canada and Europe, are still treating all donors the same vs. realizing that there is a hierarchy of value that must be managed...
The major gift officer could not believe that his high-capacity donor would actually say it, but he had. They were just finishing up a round of golf and the donor turned to the MGO and said: “Bill, I would really like to do something significant at year-end. Why don’t you think about what that could be.”...
You have likely been in the situation where a current or new major gift donor reaches the $500+ cume level of giving. Either the major gift officer drops everything to handle him or her, or the donor is handed off to someone who should not be dealing with donors or the donor...
