Richard Perry

We are often asked if a degree or CFRE certification is necessary to be successful in major gifts. And this goes to a much larger question of the role education plays in preparing a person to do the job...

You would think that it would be difficult to “lose” a donor who gave a significant gift. But in the last two weeks, I have received stories of a $73,000 donor disappearing, a $100,000 donor gone missing and a lost check from a $25,000 donor...

Who would ever think of running a nonprofit major gifts program as if it were a business? Not many people. And that’s too bad, because it would cause each of us to pay more attention to the things that are important. I have often said that the only difference between a nonprofit and a for-profit is that the for-profit pays taxes. Other than that, there should be no difference...

As a result of this writing, you could propose to reduce the gadget influence in your own personal life and experience life as it should be again. And then, in your major gift life, maybe you could propose to view your donors differently as well...

It was the late 1980s. I was a guest in the home of a Fortune 500 executive in Vail, Colo. It was a cavernous house where, on several occasions, I got lost trying to navigate my way back to the guest quarters. I was invited to this couple’s house to brainstorm new ways they could help the organization they loved attract more donors. They had come to know and trust me because of my work with the organization...

Today, I want to get positive and practical, and talk about the anatomy of a great major gift job description. You may find these suggestions simple—and that’s fine. One thing for sure, they are not simplistic; a good job description is complex and serious, but that does not mean it needs to be long and detailed...

Most major gift officer job descriptions have everything in them, but the kitchen sink. And besides being really irritating, it actually hurts the MGO and what the organization is trying to do in major gifts...

We all talk about the need for relationship in major gifts. And we all know that relationship is the key to success—servicing the desires and dreams of the donor in an ethical, sincere and caring way is what will cause a generous financial response...

Organizing things or work is not everyone’s strong suit. In fact, some of the best sales people and major gift officers I know seem to be (on the surface) some of the most disorganized people I know. They seem to have a heightened sense of intuition that guides them to do the right things...

I’ve been thinking about why some major gift officers don’t do the right things even when they know what to do. I don’t think it’s a motivational problem. Most of the MGOs Jeff and I know are motivated to be successful. So, it’s not about a MGO just sitting around collecting a paycheck, doing nothing and hoping the day will pass...

Have you ever been around someone that is a blur of activity, but never gets anything done? I’m sure you have. And if you stop and think about it, usually this person is more interested in the process versus the result. They love the process. Just “doing the process” makes them feel good...

It was time to trot out my PowerPoint presentation and go through all the points of what we did as a company, the results we secured and how we did it. I was invited into the office of the president of a very prestigious eastern nonprofit. The purpose of the meeting was to explain what…

So, you think you have something interesting to say to your donor. And you send it out. But all you get back is silence. In fact, it is so silent, it is deafening. Here’s why this is happening...

Paul and Rebecca (not their real names) started giving to this social service organization in the early 90s. They were a conservative couple from an average neighborhood, but they wanted to do good in their community, so their first gift was $50 to a direct mail acquisition campaign...

One common problem managers have with major gift officers is how to manage their time. Or maybe I should say how not to manage their time. Some managers believe that the eight-to-five rule for employees actually applies to MGOs...