10 Reasons Most Major Gift Programs
Fail!
Original Blog Posts from the Passionate Giving Blog
Authored by: Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels
July, 2012
#1-Development Directors operate from the WRONG criteria for success.
Over the years we have audited over a hundred different major gift programs. Almost all of them
suck. ”Do you really have to use that language, Jeff?” Yes, I do. It’s not that these programs are
bad or they need a little tweak here and there. It’s that they are just plain awful. So the word
“sucks” really fits.
I’ve come up with 10 reasons why this is the case. Now, there are more than 10 and over the
course of time I’m sure we’ll get into them all. But, to be pithy and to get people to read my blog,
I’m coming up with ten.
Okay, I’m going to start with #1. Yeah, I know everyone does this countdown thing, but I’m not
David Letterman and all of these “reasons” carry the same weight, so just hang in there with me.
Here goes…
When we ask a development director how she thinks her program is performing, we usually get
an answer like this: “Well, four out of our six major gift officers made their goals this year. It’s not
perfect, but I think we’re doing pretty well.”
Then we ask this: “What is your caseload attrition rate and what is their value attrition year to
year.”
Blank stares, sweat starting to bead up on brow, face turning RED…
Most major gift programs we have evaluated are judged on whether they made their overall goal
each year. That’s ONE criteria, however, we find that seems to be the ONLY criteria. When that
is the only criteria we find it’s MASKING some bad donor behavior.
See the illustration on the next page to prove my point:
If you JUST look at the bottom line numbers you see that, overall, the file grew by 21%. Pretty
good, huh? But the problem is that this revenue came from NEW sources. Look at the current
caseload. It decreased in value by 49%. These are current donors who failed to give a gift from
one year to the next. What happened?
.
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What we find is that donors are not renewing their giving year to year by as much as 40-60%
each year. This tells us there is a cultivation problem.
Think about it.
In a healthy direct response program with low-end donors, those attrition rates would not be
acceptable. But, in a major gift program, it’s outrageously sad. Here are good folks who have
made a significant investment in your organization and for some reason they failed to continue
that investment.
More often than not it’s because someone is NOT paying attention to these donors.
So, start evaluating your major gift program by first looking at how your donors are giving year to
year. Overall, we want to see as little donor attrition as possible and value actually increasing
year to year, not through new donors coming in the door, but by current donors increasing their
investment in your organization.
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#2–Non-Profits do not treat their donors as partners, but as sources of cash.
My last post was mainly about how non-profits generally do not evaluate their major gift programs
using the right metrics—namely attrition rates.
Well, now I want to talk about why attrition rates are so high with major gift programs.
There is a LOT of talk in the non-profit sector about partnership with donors. But in my
experience, it’s mostly TALK. Usually when I present to non-profits and I’m in front of their board
and executive leadership team I see a lot of nodding heads when I talk about partnership with
donors.
“Oh yes,” they say, “We really do value our donors and see them as partners. That’s not a
problem with us.” Then I ask them some questions:
1. Do you know what [specific donor] is passionate about and why he gives to you?
2. When was the last time you invited one of your major donors to participate in one of your
planning sessions?
3. Do you know the significant dates in your donor’s life?
4. Do you know their business?
5. Do you know their hobbies?
6. When was the last time you talked to one of your major donors at length and the conversation
had nothing to do with asking for a gift?
7. When was the last time you surprised a donor and did something nice for her?
8. When was the last time you reported on a specific project she funded and had the project
leader contact her with an update?
9. When was the last time you saw an article about one of your donors and commented on it to
him?
These are the kinds of questions I ask. The answers are usually disappointing…and the heads
start to hang low.
I’m now going to say something completely radical. HALF of the time and energy your non-profit
spends should be about nurturing and cultivating your donors.
“But, there is no way we could do that. We have a mission to carry out.” you say. And my
response is that half of your mission should be about your donors. If you could pull that off, the
other half of your mission would flourish. Trust me.
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#3—The Relationship between Development and Program is Broken
There are two things that can kill a major gift program immediately:
1. A complete lack of trust between development and program
2. Nothing to sell
Let’s start with the NOTHING TO SELL first…just because I want to.
I don’t know how many times I sit with major gift officers who tell me they can’t do their job
because they have nothing to sell.
What? How is that possible?
Now, I have to admit, when I first started working with major gift officers, I thought, “Come on, this
is just a lame excuse for not meeting your revenue goals.”
In some cases that was true. There is nothing like a “behind in revenue” MGO (Major Gift Officer)
when it comes to excuses other than himself, BUT this one is usually a good excuse.
If a non-profit really partners with its donors, then it is constantly trying to match a donor’s passion
with its mission. The problem I’m seeing all the time is that many non-profits seem to think
“operating expenses” is a great offer.
Sorry, not going to cut it.
Non-profits need to package everything they do (in other words, their entire budget) and figure
out all they do in the way of programs, projects and services that can be presented in a plethora
(like that word?) of dollar handles. And I mean THE WHOLE BUDGET!! That means that if a
project costs $100,000, I want to also see overhead costs included…which then usually means it
really costs $140,000.
Think about it: if you didn’t have administrative costs, you couldn’t pull off the project. Why
would you not add in? Almost every major donor I’ve talked to about this completely gets it.
Okay, so let’s say you finally have a good number of projects to sell. You have the right figures,
etc. Another barrier MGO’s run into is cooperation with the program people. Mainly, they don’t
get any.
The MGO’s have to run around pulling teeth to get program people to help put together a funding
proposal or to sit down with a donor.
It’s like development and program are now on two separate teams. This is so aggravating. Here
we are trying to get funding for the program and program leaders become a barrier.
This is a leadership problem. Somehow, the leadership of the non-profit has allowed a culture
in which there is distrust between program and development.
Why is this so devastating to a major gift program?
Because the major gift team relies on solid information to present to donors AND to report back to
donors. If that information is too hard to get, or in some cases doesn’t come at all…you’re dead
in the water.
Major donors expect to know exactly how a program is going to make a difference, what it’s going
to cost and what the impact will be. And then they expect the non-profit to report BACK on what
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happened.
It can’t be done without a good relationship between program and development.
If your non-profit has this problem, you need to do everything you can, as quickly as you can, to
fix it. Bring in the Executive Director, board, VP of program, sit down and get the relationship
right.
And, if the Executive Director is the problem he or she should be fired immediately because
obviously donors are not being honored.
Believe me, the non-profits that have a great relationship with those who run the programs,
projects or services are the ones that will thrive.
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Reason #4—Wrong People Hired as Major Gift Officers
This one is a touchy subject as I find that non-profits have a very tough time attracting and
cultivating good people as major gift officers.
But, before we get into that, let’s look at what I believe are some attributes that make an excellent
major gift officer:
1. Loves People—Great major gift officers love to be around people. They have great EQ
(Emotional Quotient) and have the ability to read people easily. Good MGO’s don’t
necessarily have to be raging extroverts, but they should care deeply about people and
not be afraid to engage.
2. Self-Motivated—This one is essential. A great MGO doesn’t need someone looking
over her shoulder every second. She knows what needs to be done everyday and she
does it. That being said, she also doesn’t mind being held accountable because she
knows that actually helps her get her work done. Self-motivated people understand that
they have to report to management in order to build trust and report on results.
3. Confident—This is a quality that cannot be taken lightly. An MGO has to know his
“product.” He has to know how to talk about it in a way that helps a donor feel good about
the investment she is considering. Being knowledgeable and confident will help sell the
program, project or service to the donor.
4. Organized—This is a tough one for many MGO’s I have managed. Many times sales
people are not the greatest with organizational skills. However, as MGO’s, they have to
at least “manage” this responsibility or allow themselves to be managed by someone who
will hold them accountable. Good data and information are key elements to building a
strong major gift program. Data and information have to be kept current and in a central
system so that management has the ability to extract up-to-date information at all times.
5. Willing to Ask—Now, you’re thinking, “Well, of course, this is a no-brainer.” Let me tell
you something. I can’t tell you how many MGO’s I’ve run into who are actually afraid to
ask. In the sales business it’s called “The close.” I’ve managed MGO’s who are great
with people, confident, motivated and organized, but can’t make the ask. Great MGO’s, if
anything, have to be fearless in their ability to set up and execute on the ask.
Okay, so we’ve looked at some the essentials in what makes great MGO’s. Here are even
more:
1. Committed to the mission of the organization. If they cannot demonstrate this
they should NOT be hired.
2. A proven record of FR success. You don’t have the time or resources to let them
cut their teeth with your organization. IF they don't have this they should not be
hired.
3. Above average verbal and written communication skills. IF they don't have this
they should NOT be hired.
4. Goal and achievement oriented.
5. Make a good first impression - this is about personal habits, dress and social
acumen.
Unfortunately, great MGO’s are hard to come by, which is why major gift programs struggle. The
key is to screen well at the point of hiring, continually train, provide support and, for those who are
your stars, pay them well. One rule of thumb is to seek the 10:1 ROI. For every dollar you spend
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on your caseload you want to get $10 in return.
Warning Signs
Here are a few warning signs that will indicate that your MGO just doesn’t have it:
1. Consistently not making monthly goals.
2. Seems to always be in the office. Great MGO’s are always out meeting donors.
3. Working on other “projects” except his caseload. Your MGO should have no more or less
then 150 people on his caseload. If he is working it successfully there should be nothing
more he can do.
4. Continually downgrading goals. This means he either doesn’t know his donors in the first
place or he is not doing a good job cultivating them.
5. Always looking for new donors rather than cultivating his own caseload.
If you’re seeing this behavior with your MGO, you need to immediately put a strong management
plan into place if you don’t have one already. And, if you see this happening consistently, you
need to replace him or her with someone who can do the job.
You are doing no one a favor by keeping an ineffective person in his or her position. Not the
MGO,, not you, not your mission.
I’ve seen many non-profits invest so much time and energy on an MGO and it goes
nowhere. The non-profit gets wowed by the great sales job the MGO does in getting the job and
then he never delivers. If you see a resume with consistent moves every 2-3 years…run. Do
NOT hire this person.
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#5—Lack of Management and Accountability
Oh boy! This is a big one and a favorite of mine to talk about. In fact, I make most of my living
helping non-profits manage their major gift officers, (among other things.)
Do you remember Reason #1? Well, to remind you, it’s all about evaluating your major gift
program by looking at the right data…namely donor and value attrition rates. In most of the major
donor files I have reviewed over the years, attrition rates of caseload donors are pathetic!
And, in my experience, the #1 reason they are pathetic is that there is poor management of, and
lack of accountability for, major gift officers (MGO’s).
Too often I meet with stressed out Development Directors who have so much on their plates they
don’t have the time, energy and, in many cases, expertise to manage a major gift program.
I understand. It’s a tough job. It’s demanding and if revenue seems to be okay, well, then
everything must be fine, right? Wrong.
Without strong management, accountability and focus, major gift officers usually fail. Don’t get
me wrong; I’m not down on MGO’s. Really, they are some of my favorite people. Usually they
are the life of the party and are great when it comes to inspiring people to give.
But…if left on their own, they tend to lose focus, chase new relationships that don’t pan out, go
after the BIG gift that bails them out year after year and have trouble concentrating on deepening
relationships with their entire caseload..
The best MGO’s are those who find it easy to work within a solid STRUCTURE. In all my years in
working with MGO’s, this is the KEY to success.
Now, they are NOT going to like it at first. Whenever I help Development Directors put together a
solid plan and reporting structure for MGO’s, we see a lot of whining and unhappy people. We’re
not trying to squash their creativity, take away their mojo or change their personality. No, we’re
just trying to provide for them an environment in which they can win!
But, hang in there and stick with it!
The whining and complaining will only last a couple of months until they start seeing that YOU are
actually working for them and the results start pouring in. In almost every case I can think of,
those who are successful thrive under solid management and structure.
And, for those who can’t work within the structure…they have other problems and are showing
you first hand that this is NOT the job for them.
A solid STRUCTURE should include the following elements:
1. Goals for every donor that is cash-flowed by month. This means the MGO has an overall
monthly revenue goal.
2. A strategic plan for every donor that outlines in detail personal visits, phone calls made
and personal touches. This wraps into a monthly moves management report.
3. Weekly meeting with supervisor.
4. Monthly results reporting with supervisor
5. Monthly revenue report that details actual results compared to revenue goals by donor.
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6. Quarterly meetings with major gift team to report on donor strategy, moves, success,
failure and next steps.
I would love to know if YOU have any more to add to this list. But, these are the basic essentials.
Finally, if you have a donor database, you must demand that all MGO’s use it to report on moves
and revenue. I’ve seen some MGO’s actually write this out in a paper notebook! Yikes! If they
get hit by a bus, how is the organization going to know what is going on? Please make sure
these good folks are entering up-to-date information. It’s critical.
Okay, I think you get my point. Solid structure, management, accountability and focus will lead to
happy managers, MGO’s and donors!
And, more to the point, more money for your important programs! That’s what it’s all about.
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#6—No Marketing Plan for EACH Donor on the Caseload
“What, are you kidding me?!” That is usually the response I get from MGO’s who have a
caseload of 150 donors (which by the way, is the maximum amount of donors any good MGO can
handle).
My response is, “No, this is mandatory if you are going to be great!” And, it’s true.
In my previous post I discussed accountability, staying focused and strong management. The
only way to be successful with all that is to have a solid plan…a roadmap, if you will, on how to
get from point A to point B.
“But that will take a lot of time to create a plan for 150 people.” Yes, it will…but my gosh, is it
worth it. Remember, if you have 150 people on a caseload, hopefully you’re managing a portfolio
of at least $1.5MM in revenue. And that is just for one MGO!
How can anyone effectively manage 150 people without revenue goals and a detailed marketing
plan for each person?
They can’t. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This is hard work and without a plan you will
soon be lost.
Going through the process of creating a plan for each of your major donors, while arduous and
time consuming, is probably one of the best exercises in forcing you to really understand every
one of your donors. And, if you don’t know a donor, then you better get on it quickly.
So, what am I really talking about? Here’s what I mean.
Name
Paul Smith
Betty Richards
Goal
$
Interest
Passion
Disaster
5,000 Services
Single
$ 25,000 Mothers
Comm
Pref
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Email
YMAD
touch
Email
Internal
memo
Invite to
EDS
Briefing
YMAD +
person
helped
letter
Visit prog
site - opp YMAD
Bday Card briefing
plus ask
Personal
Visits
YMAD
touch lunch at
Applebees
Tour House
of Hope meet
Sally/kid
Internal doc
on
expansion
plans +
YMAD
Invite to
architect
briefing+
dinner
Visit in
home
present
final plan
and ask
Thanks
and
YMAD
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Ride along
YMAD
YMAD YMAD with Invite to
in EDS
touch and vehicle for possible
Board
book on
demo
thanks
special ask Luncheon the poor
Research
Invite to
on plight Bday Card
"Founders of single and
luncheon moms
YMAD
Ground
breaking
ceremony,
visit w/new
mom
YMAD and
YMAD with gift of H of
possible
H child
special ask drawing
You get the idea. Then, after the December column, I want to see the revenue goal cash-flowed
to the month so that it sums up to a monthly revenue goal. This, then, flows into a monthly move
management and revenue report.
Now, as with all good strategic plans, we know that over the course of the year they
change. That’s okay. Having a plan keeps you focused. It doesn’t mean you can’t deviate from
the plan. You can, but that will be communicated to the team and adjusted for.
If you manage a team of MGO’s and they tell you they don’t need a plan to make their overall
revenue goals…they may be RIGHT. However, it’s not JUST about meeting overall revenue
goals, it’s about cultivating and deepening the relationship with each of your donors. It’s about
engaging donors on a regular basis.
This can only be done with a plan. It’s not about finding that one donor to meet a revenue goal at
the end of the year. It’s about loving these people with regular contact, putting offers in front of
them they are passionate about and letting those donors know that you KNOW them.
If you do that right…the money will flow.
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#7—We Don’t Take the Time to Understand a Donor’s Passion
If you are a major gift officer or Executive Director and you don’t understand what your donors are
passionate about…you have a big problem.
And I don’t just mean the part of your program or services are they passionate about. I’m talking
about what they are passionate about in life as well.
You have to know both if you want to 1) be effective and 2) delight your donors.
Have you heard of the nightmare story of the major gift officer who was cultivating one of his
caseload donors for a $1MM gift to help put a new wing on a hospital? The MGO was working
this gift hard, sending all kinds of information about the new wing, naming opportunities,
etc. After about six months of this type of cultivation, the MGO set up a lunch meeting with this
particular donor to make the “ask” with the CEO of the hospital.
They sat down together at lunch and the CEO started talking about the new wing of the hospital,
how great it was going to be, how many more seniors would be helped because of it, etc. Then,
the ask…
The donor looked at the MGO and CEO and said, “Guys, this is a great project, but you should
know that I’m about helping children. That is what my wife and I want to give to. You both should
know this.”
After lunch on the way back to the hospital the CEO was furious and barked at the major gift
officer, “How did YOU get this wrong?”
I’ll tell you how he got it wrong. He didn’t pay attention. The MGO felt so much pressure to find
donors who had the ability to fund the new wing that it clouded his thinking about who would
actually have the passion for it.
Ability to fund and Passion to fund are two very different things.
Sure enough, when he got back in the office and looked up the donor’s giving history, all of the
donor’s previous gifts were directed toward children. And, if he had done a little more homework,
he would have noticed that the donor and his wife had 8 children of their own, two of whom had
special needs and had used the services of the hospital for care.
If he had dug a little harder he would have found news articles on how this couple funded other
programs in the community for children and were on the board of two other childrens’ non-profits.
I know what you’re thinking: “Well goodness, this is so obvious, you’d have to be a total idiot to
make this mistake.”
Well, you’re right on both counts.. However, this story is all too common in our business. In fact,
I’ve seen it repeated over and over. Just plug in a different type of non-profit and major gift officer
and the story is basically the same….over and over and over and over…
I don’t want you or your non-profit to ever make this mistake. Here are some practical ways you
can understand your donors’ passions.
1. Read everything you can about your donors. Google and other search engines are so
good that you will FIND them. I want you to know what boards they are on, what
businesses they are in, awards they have received, what their kids do, their spouse, etc.
2. Use a wealth indicator service such as Wealth Engine or Blackbaud. It will give you good
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information about their net worth, business and giving history. (Although this is helpful,
not all information from these services is 100% accurate,oonly use this as ONE way to
know your donors.)
3. Use Google Alerts and TweetBeep to get real time information on your donors.
4. Drive around in their neighborhood. Now, I’m not talking about stalking, but you need to
understand where your donors live, shop, do their business. One way to understand your
donors is to put on their shoes.
5. Do a complete review of each of your donors’ giving history; NOT just amount, but to
what programs, projects and services you provide. All of these are obvious clues.
6. Ask them. That’s right. Set up a breakfast or lunch meeting with the sole purpose of
finding out what they are most passionate about. Personally, these meetings are some
of the best I’ve ever had with donors and it allowed me to understand and get to know
them in a very personal way. (Make sure that when lunch is over you record everything
in your donor database)
7. Survey your caseload. I like to put together a survey that goes out to all caseload donors
asking them what they like most about XX non-profit, what types of non-profits they
support, etc. This is just another opportunity to get good feedback from your donors and
will continue to give you good information for future funding opportunities.
What are some other ideas you have?
One of the greatest gifts you can give to your donors is the feeling of being known by you.
Understanding what your donors are passionate about is not only good for the future funding of
your organization, but it allows you to care and respect them.
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#8—Most Non-Profits are NOT donor-centered.
I don’t think there are two words that are spoken more often in our industry than “donorcentered.” Or is that just one big word? It doesn’t matter, you hear it all the time. I hear it at
every conference, in a ton of articles, blogs etc.
In fact, I think we talk about it so much that it’s lost its meaning, its power and its punch. Are you
sick to death of hearing about it? I know I am.
But let me tell you something. The reason we keep hearing about it is because most non-profits
don’t understand it and they most certainly don’t PRACTICE it.
It’s not part of their DNA or Mission.
When was the last time you read a mission statement from a non-profit that had anything to do
with donors?
Folks, it’s time we move from viewing donors as a means to get our “mission” accomplished to
realizing that they are part of our mission.
I believe that when we see an organization really grasp the meaning of being truly donor-centered,
the major gift program will grow exponentially.
So, what do I mean by this?
1. Everyone who is employed by or volunteers with the non-profit is indoctrinated (yes, I
would use that strong a word) to understand that donors are central to the mission and
are treated just as importantly as your programs, projects and services. And I mean from
the janitor all the way to the chair of the board. This means the CULTURE of the
organization has to completely change because I haven’t seen a non-profit yet that totally
understands this.
2. I want to see a mission statement that includes donors. This is important because what’s
written down will guide how you act.
3. Throw out worrying about ratios and overhead costs. I want to see non-profits report on
outcomes, results and impact. This is really what donors care about. The non-profit
world has been doomed by somehow having to adhere to ridiculously low overhead to
appease the “accountability police.” In my opinion, this has clouded how we do our
business. I want non-profits to hire great people who know how to get things done. If we
focus on impact rather than ratios, all the things the “police” are worried about will be
taken care of.
4. I want to see HALF of a non-profit’s time and energy focused on donors and caring for
them. A non-profit’s role in society is to be a BRIDGE between the donor and the
need. In the past this has meant that the road is usually one way, from donor to
need. But today, this means an equal amount of traffic back and forth. Remember,
you’re having a direct impact on the life of your donor as much as you are on the need
you are trying to meet. THIS is a RADICAL new thought in how non-profits act
today. But so was real customer service in the for-profit world 30 years ago. Non-profits
need to grasp what the for-profit world has understood for the last few decades now; that
“delighting your customer “(donor) will pay off in the end. Spending more time and
energy and hiring great and MORE people to serve donors will pay off in the long run.
5. Have a GREAT product. Are your programs and services the best? Donors want to
invest in effectiveness and success. If your program is not the best, why are you doing
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it?
all those other things…thanking, reporting back, honoring, involving, asking donors, will all
happen if these five points are taken care of. I feel we spend so much time talking about these
basic things that we don’t look at the bigger issues preventing these “little things” from becoming
part of our daily practice as a non-profit.
Finally, be INSPIRING! Donors want to be inspired. Donors give because it feels good. I don’t
care what your non-profit does. If you can inspire people, you will see more support.
So, who’s up for the challenge? Who wants to change the culture of our non-profits? Who wants
to inspire?
Let’s do it!
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#9—We Don’t Tell Donors How They Made a Difference.
This is another one of those “no brainers” that we keep failing to do right. It’s amazing to me that
when I present the slide below, everyone seems to understand it, but few are actually practicing it.
This graphic shows a typical communication cycle we like to implement with an MGO’s
caseload. Notice theYMAD? That is YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Most non-profits do a great job of indentifying problems and ASKING. Some are even pretty
good at THANKING, but most have a very hard time REPORTING BACK and specifically telling
the donor how they made a difference.
I cannot stress how critical this is.
Let me tell you a true story. I won’t tell you the name of the non-profit, because,quite frankly, it’s
too embarrassing. But I tell the story because it’s an all too typical an occurrence.
A few of years ago a donor gave a $25,000 gift specifically for four distinct projects. The donor
was promptly thanked after sending the gift. Now fast-forward to present day.
Recently the Executive Director (ED) is sitting down with a different donor having breakfast. The
donor says to the ED, “Hey, I was just speaking with George (not his real name)) and he told me
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that a few years ago he gave you $25,000 and never heard back from you about what happened
with his gift. He wants to know how the projects he gave to are doing.”
Gulp! You know that knot that forms in the pit of your stomach when something bad
happens? That’s what the ED had right then.
The ED calls the donor as soon as he can and apologizes profusely. The donor was very kind,
but then said, “Hey, I understand, in fact you’re not the only one. The year I gave you that
$25,000 gift I also gave 8 other organizations the same amount. Only ONE organization told me
how my gift made a difference. It was a small food pantry with two employees and I got a
detailed account from this little old woman who runs the place. So, now I give her most of my
annual giving and I only support organizations that report back to me.”
This donor’s story is a WARNING to all of us.
Donors want to know how they made a difference!
If you are experiencing any BARRIERS that prevent you from following up with donors and
reporting back, take whatever means necessary to FIX this problem. If you don’t it will KILL your
major gift program.
I don’t care if it’s a personnel problem or a technology problem. This has to be changed.
This is the #1 reason why donors stop giving again. Yet, this continues to be a problem for
non-profits to address.
If your organization is donor-centric, focused, whatever you want to call it, this becomes a priority.
You do this right, and good things will happen! I promise.
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#10—Money Becomes the Objective, not the Result.
One of the toughest things for me to witness is a major gift officer who is under extreme pressure
to make either her monthly or year-end goal and she hasn’t been communicating with her
supervisor or board.
Why? Because that one of two things are probably the reason: 1. Something is broken with the
philosophy and strategy of the major gift program, or 2. When MGO’s start to “press” for a gift,
they lose their brains, forget about the donor and focus on getting the money.
Believe me, when a non-profit, MGO or Executive Director starts to focus on the money rather
than the donor, for whatever reason…they lose.
Why? Because major donors are real people like you and me. They just have more money than
most of us. They have the same fears, concerns and trust issues that we do. Just like you, if
they detect that you only want money from them, your ability to form a trusting, long-lasting
relationship will be compromised.
Think about it in your own personal life. You know when someone is really seeking an honest
relationship versus just wanting something from you. The latter doesn’t feel good, does it? You
might provide the “thing” they are wanting, but you don’t like it.
Now, you might actually get the “gift” from the donor when you chase the money, but the longterm relationship becomes damaged and, more often than not, the donor goes away and
becomes another attrition statistic.
I know what it’s like to have a goal and sense that you’re not going to make that goal. It’s NOT a
good feeling. It keeps you up at night and those voices in your head tell you that you’re a failure.
However, with a well-run major gift program, where all players – the board, ED and major gift
officer are working together, this can be avoided.
All this major gift stuff is about building and maintaining strong relationships with people. If that is
the objective and you do that extremely well, the money will follow you. But, if you get tempted to
go after the money without understanding the complexities and subtleties of the relationship, you
have a real possibility of losing it.
Hey, I’ve made this mistake myself. (I’ll tell you about my story in the posts to come) The only
reason I can tell you the truth of this is because I’ve blown this rule big time! Thankfully, I’ve
made it through in order to warn others.
As I’ve said in earlier posts, your job with your major donors is to know them and understand their
passions. If you do that right and continue to trust that approach, your goals will be met.
Okay, so perhaps you do everything right, but you’re still not meeting your goals and you can’t
sleep at night?
Well, don’t let it come to that. What do I mean? Remember what I said earlier, that a well run
major gift program has all the critical players on the same page. That means COMMUNICATION
is the key. There should NEVER, EVER be a time when the Executive Director has to ask why
major gift giving is down (or up for that matter) in a particular month. That is because the MGO is
constantly reporting back on what is happening with his or her donors.
Hey, some things are out of your control. People die, businesses go bad…you can do everything
right and still not make your goal. But if you’re communicating up line to your supervisor on a
consistent basis, talking strategy, etc., then I guarantee that if your ED is of sound mind he or she
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will understand.
No one has to like it, but no one is surprised.
Let me state this clearly. Do NOT just go after the money. You will ultimately lose. Deepen the
relationship and communicate with folks. If you think donors won’t get the fact that you are just
chasing the money, you are mistaken. They know.
Build and deepen that relationship…there truly is a reward at the end for everyone.
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