Refresher course on major & mid-level giving
As students go back to school (albeit virtual in many cases), I will spend the next two weeks helping you make sure you are on track for success. My Back-to-School blog series will cover three topics:
Major Gifts
Mid-level Giving
Stewardship: the key to success
Today we will start with Major Gifts, as many of your top donors may be year-end givers. It’s time to dust off the table of gifts and name-by-name major gift pipeline we discussed back in my April blog, and check in on your KPI Metrics discussed in my June blog.
Table of Gifts, Donor Pipeline lists & Key Metrics
With four months left in 2020, it’s time to take stock:
1. What is your annual revenue goal and how much do you have left to raise?
2. Review every name in your pipeline: What size gift are you planning to solicit? When? What is your strategy to ensure they are ready to invest? What do you still need to know from them?
Remember for each person, you want to be sure you have clarification on the right size gift, the right gift purpose (restriction or impact the donor wants to have), the right timing for the ask, and the right person to solicit the gift. As you update your strategy consider:
1. What questions do you still need to ask?
2. What experience might this person need to feel closer to your program or your leadership? Is there a volunteer who should reach out and share why they have invested in this program? Should your education director invite them to take a virtual tour, or review a draft of an upcoming program and provide their feedback?
3. Have you adequately stewarded this person’s past giving? This is vital before soliciting another gift. Be sure your donors know the impact their gifts have had, and how much their donation meant to you and your organization. Don’t solicit the next major gift until you’ve created a joyful sense of pride in your donors’ past giving.
Now, using your name-by-name list (once your ask amounts are updated), update your Table of Gifts. This will outline exactly how many donors you will need (by giving level) to reach your financial goals, and if you are still on track.
As a reminder, your table of gifts lists the prospects needed to reach your goal, and matches that to the prospects in your pipeline.
And finally, let your metrics guide you.
Are you on track to reach your goal for visits & moves? How about your “visit attempt” goal?
Once your Table of Gifts, Pipeline, and Metrics are on track - you have your road map for Major Gift success!
Feel free to email me with any questions about these topics at hollisconsulting@icloud.com. And look for my next two blogs coming soon on mid-level giving and stewardship. They can be found on LinkedIn or at www.piperhollis.com.