Major Donor Development

Baby Boomers will give away $25 trillion in the next 25 years — many of them are your donors

Problem/Opportunity:
A well-known East Coast rescue mission had an effective marketing department. Results from general donor fundraising were strong and net income was on the rise. But the organization was doing little to specifically solicit gifts from major donors.

The marketing director had a limited background in major donor development and no budget to hire an experienced major donor rep. But she was anxious to gain practical and hands-on instruction to effectively cultivate the top-end donors on their file. She knew there was, in her words, “lots of low-hanging fruit” — many donors in the community who were capable of making sizable gifts but had never been asked (or asked in the right way).

Successful Strategy:
To help this director expand and enhance her major donor development program, Masterworks suggested she participate in our 3-day Asking Institute. This comprehensive training experience led by our veteran consulting staff walks marketing professionals through all aspects of major donor fundraising.

From a biblical perspective on ministry fundraising to very specific strategies for improving your development results, the Asking Institute provides you with the expertise you need to achieve success in your major donor fundraising. This director left with more than just fundraising theory. She took home with her a step-by-step plan for implementing a major donor program from the ground up.

Results:
When this director returned to her job following the Asking Institute, she was able to immediately begin working on:

• Integrating major donor efforts into her overall development program.
• Developing a well-thought-out, formal plan for cultivating major donors.
• Identifying, classifying and building relationships with major donors.
• Assembling a “touch point” calendar for regular and meaningful communication with major donors.

What’s more, as a result of the training, she felt more confident inviting wealthy givers to partner with the mission. The training manual and other resources helped equip her to make and follow up on solicitations.

Best of all, within two weeks, the mission received an unexpected $69,000 gift, which she attributes to the coaching and instruction she received at the Asking Institute.