by Richard Perry | Aug 7, 2024 | Bold Asks, Courage, Donor Capacity, Donor Motivation, Donor Research | Asking, Fundraising, Passions and Interests
“I just couldn’t do it!” That’s the response we get from many frontline fundraisers who just cannot ask for the big gift even when the donor has the motivation and capacity to do so. And it boils down to one reason. The fundraiser thinks it’s about the money. You are...
by Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels | Dec 3, 2021 | Donor Research, Major Donors, Patience | Asking, Prospecting, Relationships
It’s a funny thing about big gifts: they seem so hard to get – like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And in any given month we see scores of donor files, from some very good and prominent organizations, where there are no gifts above 5 figures – nothing above...
by Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels | Nov 5, 2021 | Donor Research, Internal Partnerships, Wealth Research | Major Gifts, Management
I will never forget the boatload of money we spent on the research. I was in charge of new ventures and acquisitions for a commercial publishing company. We had determined that a magazine serving a certain audience was needed and could be a profitable venture. Our...
by Jeff Schreifels | Sep 25, 2024 | Analytics, Donor Research, Management, Qualification | Caseloads, Data, Major Gift Officers, Metrics, Strategy, Teamwork
There seems to be confusion from leaders and managers about who should be creating the strategy for how you, as a major gift officer, should be cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting your donors. Just this past week, several development directors tried to make the...
by Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels | Mar 6, 2020 | Donor Research, Management | Admin Support, Focus, Prospecting
Before I get into this subject, I want to point out that I’ve used the words “Donor Research” instead of “Prospect Research,” because in our philosophy of major gift fundraising MGOs don’t relate to prospects, they relate to donors. The word prospect is used in the...