how to close a major gift (even if you've never done it before)
TRANSCRIPT
How
…Even If You’ve Never Done It Before
Close
Major Giftto a
Instructors
Ben Lamson - Co-founder of WeDidIt
Andrew Littlefield - Nonprofit Fundraising Marketer at WeDidIt
Special Guests
Paul D'Alessandro, J.D., CFRE - Founder and CEO of D'Alessandro Inc.
John J. Corcoran - President and COO of D'Alessandro Inc.
Picture representing anxiety
Flickr user bark
70%70% of fundraisers say solicitation or identification are the major gift stages they feel the least comfortable with
Pic representing people skills
Getting Systematic
http://fundraisergrrl.tumblr.com/
Major gifts is not a quantity game, it’s a quality game and metrics should center on
what you’re doing to move prospects down the pipeline.
“”
- Rory Green.
Vanity Metrics
Identifying Prospects
DonorPersona
DonorPersona
What is a
?
Align donors with mission
Identify most effective communications
Emily Entrepreneur
Demographics
Gender: FemaleAge: 35 - 50Family: Husband, one childIncome: $100,000/year
Work
Job Role: Small business ownerExperience: 7+ years
Strengths
• Extremely self-motivated• Self-reliant• Large network, expert connector
Challenges• Extremely time-crunched• Cost conscious• Constantly being asked to support causes, help
others, have “brain picked”
Motivations for Support
• Self-made business woman, strong believer in power of small business to lift self
• Supporter of women’s issues and providing opportunities for women to “break the glass ceiling”
• Providing employees with opportunity to give back to community
• Avenue for social good opportunities• Tax considerations
Communication Considerations
• Text/email before calling• Keep emails short and to the point• Be flexible with timing• Keep voicemails extremely short, if leaving
them at all• Communicate value
Events of Interest
• Networking events• Mentoring opportunities• Company-wide days of service
DonorPersona
How to build a
Inspect current donors/supporters, identify trends
Hometown industries
Demographics
Conduct donor interviews• What was the last appeal they gave to?• Why do they give? What “pushed them over the
edge?”• How did they learn about the last nonprofit they
gave to?• In what ways do they feel comfortable giving to
an organization?• What factors contribute to their trust of a
nonprofit organization?• What would stop them from giving?
1 2 3
Create multiple personas
Finding Prospects
Flickr user Chris
Emily Entrepreneur
Demographics
Gender: FemaleAge: 35 - 50Family: Husband, one childIncome: $100,000/year
Work
Job Role: Small business ownerExperience: 7+ years
Making the BIG Ask
Fundraising = Sales
Set expectations(Don’t surprise them)
Demonstrate confident
Understand how their donation can serve them and what THEY care about
Clearly communicate HOW the donation will
make an impact.
Understand their decision making process
10 Things
Not to Do on a
Solicitation Call
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Going Alone
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Not knowing ANYTHING
about the prospect
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Failing to Develop Rapport
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Failing to LISTEN
to the prospect(s)
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Talking TOO much
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Arguing/Debating
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Overwhelming the prospect(s)
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Failing to make the ask
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Failing to say…
Flicker user woodleywonderworks © D’Alessandro Inc.
Failing to follow-up
© D’Alessandro Inc.
Questions?
WeDidIt Academy Course
• Professional Non-profit fundraising and consulting firm• 21+ year record of success with funding initiatives from
$500,000 to $3.9 billion• Clients located throughout the United States• Focus areas include fundraising, coaching, training, and
consulting• Paul and John are seasoned professionals who have
conducted over 4,000 personal solicitation calls
www.dalessandroinc.com
Special Private Q&A
Fundraising just got smarter, not harder.
InsightsTargeted donor
prospecting helps you uncover new major gift donors
and social influencers
MobileTake donations
anywhere, anytime, no hardware
required. All while capturing donor
data.
Campaigns
Set-up crowdfunding campaigns with ease, with your
branding and style.
DonationsAccept year-round donations online
with high converting,
beautifully designed donation pages.
Peer-to-PeerEmpower anyone to
fundraise on your behalf. Supporters
can set-up fundraising pages
with ease.
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