The look on her face said it all. “You want me to create a strategy for every single one of the donors on my caseload? Are you kidding me?”
This is usually the reaction our team at Veritus Group gets when we tell MGOs that this will be one of the first things they need to do if they want to become successful with us.
After the initial shock wears off and denial turns to acceptance, we get to work. We don’t skirt the enormity of the task. It is HARD work. We realize that. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But they are not. And this is one of the reasons that MGOs, and ultimately non-profits, struggle with their major gift programs – they don’t have a plan.
We have a step-by-step process on how to put together a strategic plan for each donor. This is the same process we use with our clients to help them overcome what they think is insurmountable. Once MGOs start working on this process, they realize that not only is it possible, but it’s necessary for them to stay on task and become successful.
It’s too much to put into a blog post, so we’ve created a free White Paper on the subject, and also a template for our Marketing Impact Chart, the tool so many clients and friends have used to create successful plans. (Download each one separately, here and here.)
Yes, there’s a lot to it – but we’ve heard over and over that once you do the hard, up-front work, it pays off for months to come!
Let us know what you think – leave your comments on the website or on Facebook or Twitter.
Richard and Jeff
PS – This is part of the process we walk our clients through when we provide ongoing consulting. If you’re looking for that level of help, let us know!
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Create Plans and Goals for Every Major Donor
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Twice monthly, Richard and Jeff address current topics and classic problems in major gift fundraising.
I’m currently reading your book (love it!) and definitely agree with creating a strategy for each major donor. When I started my current position about 2 years ago, I spent a good chunk of that first year doing this – it was time consuming (I didn’t know the donors so I had to get meetings with them first to figure out where to start with their individual strategies) but so worth it. If it seems overwhelming, my ED introduced me to the “lampshade list” which is your top 15-20 donors/prospects you always want to keep top of mind (i.e. print out their names and hang them on your desk lampshade right in front of your face!). I started with individual strategies for those folks and then built on from there.
Jess @ Minimalist Fundraising
http://www.minimalistfundraising.com