FUNDRAISING DAY IN NEW YORK 2013

Major Gifts: 15 Things You Absolutely Must Know

It Starts with Relationships

Rich BrownNew York University

AttributesWho You Are

Skills

What You Can Do

Building Relationships is more about attributes than skills

Attributes Personable Sense of Humor Professional Confident / Poised Trustworthy Politeness Empathy Maturity

…. and you must be an interesting person !!!

… and you must enjoy people !!!

Donor Gift Officer Organization

The Gift Officer is the Primary Liaison

Starting the

Relationship

Deepening the

Relationship

Translating the

Relationship into Gifts

Sustaining the

Relationship

4 Phases of Building Relationships

True

personal connection

Involvement

Interest

IntroductionRelia

bility

Con

siste

ncy

Tru

st

Affectio

n

Esteem Competence Communication

Likeability

The Relationship Pyramid

Starting a relationship on the right foot means you must prepare for that first meeting

PREPARATION: KNOW AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT THE OTHER PARTY

What is the person’s professional background?

Where did he or she go to school? Where does he or she live? Are there any current events affecting the

person’s industry or company? Does the person serve on other boards? Can you discover any hobbies? What is the gift history to your organization?

PREPARATION: BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR

ORGANIZATION

What is the organization’s history ? How big is your organization ? How is it structured ? What are the main sources of revenue ? What are the main expense lines ? What is your efficiency ? What are your programs ? Who comprises your leadership ? What is your vision for the next five years ? What is your organization’s place in the non-profit sector

THE GREETING MAKE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

Look the other person in the eye Lean forward Firm handshake Smile “How nice it is to meet you.”

Breaking the Ice

25 tips in a flash

The Fine Art of Conversation

1. Talk about their kids, not yours

2. Avoid short answers

3. Never correct the other person

4. No matter how tired you are, never let it show....make each person feel like they are your only meeting of the day

5. Observe their body language / be conscious of yours

6. Measure your opinions, but show you know something

7. If speaking to more than one person, look at everyone

8. Speak at a moderate pace

9. Ask open-ended questions / elicit dialogue

10. Don’t be afraid to talk politics, but keep strong opinions to yourself

11. Smile; display enthusiasm; show life!

12. Know your industry; know something about the other person’s industry

13. Be candid; don’t spin; never gossip

14. Talk about your organization’s finances; programs; plans

15. Spare them from talking about yourself unless asked

16. Stay focused on the person in front of you, not the person with soap-opera good looks who just walked in

17. “That’s fascinating, tell me more ” shows you are interested

18. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand that ” shows you are paying attention

19. Jotting down an occasional note says “what you just told me is important.”

20. Be ready to discuss current events

21. Now and then, it’s okay to show off that you read Dosteyevsky (i.e. show you are an intelligent person)

22. Unless the other person says they saw it, don’t mention that you saw the latest Spider Man movie

23. Bring up topics that interest the other person

24. Eliminate “like”; “Oh my god!”; “awesome”

25. Remember why you are meeting in the first place

Above all…..Make the Other Person Feel Important

Let’s take a deeper dive

Starting the

Relationship

Deepening the

Relationship

Translating the

Relationship into Gifts

Sustaining the

Relationship

Deepening a Relationship Give a tour Meet at his/her home or office Pick up the phone Write a note Provide meaningful volunteer

opportunities Invite to events Get to know family Meetings with CEO or board chair Accept invitations Face up to difficult conversations

Develop your personal brand

Starting the

Relationship

Deepening the

Relationship

Translating the

Relationship into Gifts

Sustaining the

Relationship

Prospect’s interests

Gift opportunities

Meetings with key people

The Ask

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

The Major Gift Process

Finding the right match

Donor’s Interests

Organization’s Programs

Starting the

Relationship

Deepening the

Relationship

Translating the

Relationship into Gifts

Sustaining the

Relationship

Sustaining a Relationship… Getting the Next Gift, and the one after, and the one after that.

Sustaining a Relationship

Have Systems in Place

Quarterly Update Send newsworthy stories Set-up a tickler system Personalized attention Make at least one touch every day with

someone Remember Quadrant II

True

personal connection

Involvement

Interest

IntroductionRelia

bility

Con

siste

ncy

Tru

st

Affectio

n

Esteem Competence Communication

Likeability

The Relationship

Pyramid

Gain PerspectiveMake joyful the philanthropic experience

Rich BrownNew York UniversityGeorge H. Heyman Center for

Philanthropy and Fundraising212 998-2383rwb9@nyu.edu