Smart fundraising ideas from Hartsook

July 29, 2016

Be Strategic about Leadership Gift Development

Securing leadership gifts can seem like a daunting task, but these gifts are critical, as they create a cornerstone on which the campaign may be built. Of course, the first steps include uncovering new prospects and cultivating donor relationships. Start with the basics:

History
When strategizing about developing relationships with prospects and donors, use research-based information to evaluate the philanthropic factors such as capacity, interest, and history of giving. Not everyone will be a major donor, but potential lead gifts may rise to the surface as you analyze donor records and other pertinent information.

Capacity
If you have a prospect who has the capacity to make a major gift, but does not yet have a history of giving to your organization, spend time learning about the prospect. What unique strategies can you implement to cultivate the relationship? Develop lower-level donors into higher-levels through communication and passion. Don't assume donors will come to you. Don't give up on the potential of a major gift unless you have invested adequate time building the relationship. Failure to cultivate and grow relationships could mean losing the potential of turning prospects into donors.

Interest
Get busy identifying pools of people who care the most about your nonprofit's mission and engage them in the life of the organization. When you identify prospects for large gifts, remember not all prospects need to have the largest financial capacity in order to lend a hand. While affluence and influence often go hand in hand, this is not always the case. Some will bring other individuals to the table whose gifts can impact the organization in a major way.

Individual prospects and donors will impact your organization in different ways. Of course, you have no control over a prospect's capacity to give a major gift. However, through good research, you can uncover prospects, and through focused implementation of a major gift strategy that includes continued cultivation, you can help influence a prospect's interest in giving a significant gift to your organization.

Geoff Burns, Vice President (Columbus, Ohio) [email protected]

Join Us on the Growing Philanthropy Tour

Next stops on the road to achieving Hartsook's mission of growing philanthropy by 25 percent in the next 20 years:

New York
August 1-4, 2016
Fundraising University
The Jewish Federations of North America Professional Institute
Adrian Sargeant

Kansas City
August 15, 2016
Inspired Fundraising Summit
Adrian Sargeant
Jen Shang

Charlotte, N.C.
August 18, 2016
2016 NC AFP Statewide Conference
"Sustainable Fundraising"
Karin Cox
Janell Johnson

New Orleans
August 24-26, 2016
Boy Scouts of America Top Hands
Matt Beem
Ross Pfannenstiel
Tammy Weinman

Brussels, Belgium
August 30-September 2, 2016
CASE Europe Annual Conference
"Outstanding Fundraising: Just What is the Role of Boards?"
Adrian Sargeant

Washington, D.C.
September 15, 2016
NonProfit Times Power and Influence Gala
Hartsook Sponsor

Kansas City
October 26, 2016
Shepherd's Centers of America
National Conference
Karin Cox

Kansas City
November 2016
AFP Mid-America Chapter
National Philanthropy Day
Hartsook Sponsor

Minneapolis
November 18, 2016
National Philanthropy Day
"Relationship Buidling: What Works and What Doesn't"
"Donor Retention and Loyalty"
Adrian Sargeant

London
November 22-23, 2016
Directory of Social Change Fundraising Fair 2016
Adrian Sargeant

Oklahoma City
August 2017
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
"Relationship Building: Where Do We Go From Here?"
Adrian Sargeant

Tulsa
August 2017
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
"Massive Fundraising"
Adrian Sargeant

Past Stops on the Tour

Resources for Smart Fundraising Available on Kindle

Keep up to date on the latest fundraising trends with the Kindle ASR Media collection:

• Reality Fundraising - Ideas, insights and lessons learned through hundreds of best practices from nonprofit professionals nationwide by Bob Hartsook
  
• Fundraising Leadership - The definitive source for empowering board members to become pro-active fundraising leaders by Karin L. Cox
  
• Getting Your Ducks in a Row - A tool box of strategies for effective campaign fundraising by Bob Hartsook
  
• Million Dollar Gifts - Real-life stories of million-dollar gifts that will amaze and inspire your fundraising by Bob Hartsook
  
• Closing that Gift - "29 secrets" to closing a gift and avoiding the top 10 solicitation mistakes by Bob Hartsook
  
• Performance-Driven Fundraising - Handy, yet entertaining reference tool for new and seasoned fundraisers by Matt Beem
  
• Nobody Wants to Give Money Away! - Stories, humor and more than two decades of fundraising experience in which Bob explores the nine fundraising truths essential to success by Bob Hartsook
  
• On The Money! - An enlightening collection of success stories and lessons learned from nonprofit fundraising campaigns nationwide by Bob Hartsook

Book Deal of the Month

Hartsook President and CEO Matt Beem's book Performance-Driven Fundraising: Taking Control of Your Success shares decades of fundraising insights and features campaign success stories. Performance-Driven Fundraising will help accelerate anyone's learning curve and serve as a valuable reference tool for new and seasoned fundraisers. Go here for a special price of $10 (plus shipping and handling).

On the Web

	Blogs and articles. President and CEO Matt Beem and Founder and Chairman Bob Hartsook regularly share simple, but powerful messages about philanthropy, fundraising and the power of relationships.
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Strategies for Success explores smart ideas, connecting with thousands of fundraising professionals. We welcome your best practices contributions or comments. Send to Strategies for Success editor Karin Cox, [email protected]. If you'd like a free subscription to Strategies for Success or its monthly companion, eHartsook on Philanthropy, contact [email protected].