Universities seem to have everything they need to do major gift fundraising the right way. But we discovered some real problems.
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Many non-profit leaders think that a major gifts program works almost magically. They decide to do it and – BAM! – the money starts to flow in immediately.
Too many non-profit leaders exert lots of pressure on MGOs to “get the money.” If you go for the money you may get some, but you will lose the donor long-term.
Put these tips practice and the folks you manage will have a good manager. Managing is not easy, especially when you are wired to spend all your time with your own caseload, but I know your heart is there to help your folks be successful.
But you don’t have to wait until ALL of that is complete to get out there and start forming meaningful relationships with your donors. You can do the relationship thing AND create the structure you need to be successful, at the same time.
The fact is that the cost of providing admin support to a MGO actually increases the return on investment (ROI) of the major gift effort. But many managers and finance folks are more focused on keeping head count low in the organization. This prevents them from providing the very thing a MGO needs to succeed.
If you are a leader or manager, we urge you to rethink how you run your major gift program. MGOs need support to do what they do best: form relationships with donors, understand donors’ passions and interests and match it up to all your programs, and develop great offers and inspire the donor to support them.
Major gift fundraising is incredibly difficult, and it can be emotionally draining. If you don’t have that fire inside of you to be that bridge I was talking about, you won’t be able to survive the challenges of this profession.
Being a major gift fundraiser is an emotionally taxing profession. It has tremendous highs and lows. Sometimes, you might lose your motivation. Read more how to stay motivated in your work.
There are too many non-profit fundraising leaders who just don’t value good non-profit management. I don’t think it’s because they are bad people or they wouldn’t like good management. I think they are good people and they would love great management – but they just don’t DO it.
