15 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Major Gifts

By Joe Boland

Every nonprofit organization is always seeking that next major gift — or at least cultivating major-giving prospects. Major gifts can be a huge boon to the fundraising department and provide invaluable resources to help achieve the mission.

At the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Fundraising Day in New York earlier this month, Nina Diefenbach, vice president of development and membership at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Alesia Soltanpanah, vice president of development at the Ms. Foundation for Women; and Richard Brown, visiting clinical professor at New York University's George H. Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, shared "15 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Major Gifts."

It's all about relationships
1. Make every major donor and prospect feel like he or she is the center of the universe.

2. Involve major donors in your organization.

3. Have genuine conversations with major donors and prospects.

4. Have a recognition and stewardship plan that can be customized to the needs of specific donors.

5. Focus on the quality of each relationship.

6. When cultivation end, make the right ask.

7. Choose the right partner for an ask.

8. Listen emphatically to the donor.

9. Always have a "Plan B."

It's all about leadership
10. Actively engage the CEO and board of directors — you can't do it alone.

It's all about the organization
11. Know your case for support.

12. Build a strong, diverse major-gifts culture in your organization.

13. Manage your major-gifts plan and yourself.

14. Leverage your website for major gifts with a major-donor section.

15. Have fun.

For more on this presentation, download the worksheet here.