Tailoring a Donor-Centric Fundraising Work Day for Planned and Major Gifts Chris Hochstetler MPA Director of Fund Development Missionary Society of St. Columban

Session Objectives Achieve a focus on measures that can be employed daily to increase major gifts yield Highlight basic prospect research utilizing free available tools An understanding of the use of social media to enhance donor relationships

Questions for Colleagues What is the most important “thing” that you do every day in your calling as a fundraiser? What percentage of your day do you spend doing that “thing”? What is it that keeps you from doing more of that “thing”? How did fundraisers raise major gifts or planned gifts before a CRM? Before Wealth Engine? Before a database? Before phones?

What does your fundraising day look like? Administrative duties? Responding to s? Sending letters? Telephone calls? Personal visits with benefactors? Prospect research?

Building a Major Gift/Planned Giving Relationship Each benefactor is different and has different tolerance and preferences for contact Rule of thumb, every major gift prospect should be met with personally at least annually, preferably more frequently Every major gift prospect should have some meaningful personal contact during the building phase at least every 90 days

Building a Major Gift/Planned Giving Relationship Take meticulous and accurate notes Remember birthdays, anniversaries, children’s names, grandchildren’s names, death anniversaries, special occurrences etc. keep your “radar on” for opportunities to connect based on mission affinity as well as your growing personal knowledge of the benefactor

Analysis of “quality” contact (placeholder slide) Review of three actual major givers/major gift prospect profiles with redacted name, address and phone numbers

Know your benefactors Utilize Google, annual reports, Zwillo, Truilla, Forbes, Corporate Wiki … Find the time for prospect research, but do not let it consume your day Set a Google alert on every major gift prospect Utilize your organization’s Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets for dialogue, but also to fully understand your benefactors

Examples (placeholder slide) Briefly visit Facebook site as well as conduct a precursory Google search of a prospect and set a Google alert

Recommendations Assign major gift/planned giving prospects to a development officer for “special handling” Try to keep a development officer’s portfolio of “special handling” prospects to 150 benefactors Conduct an average of 5 – 8 face to face personal visits per week Build a relationship; this work is not done solely through letters, s or telephone, but rather is supported by them

Recommendations cont. Carry a fundraiser’s “kit” at all times – Case for support – Mission related stories – Cards Thank you Birthday Sympathy Get well Post cards

Recommendations cont. Have phone numbers and benefactor profiles with you at all times Each benefactor has a personal “development plan” with an end state in mind Know the “next step” in every benefactor’s development plan that is assigned to you When in doubt, pick up the phone and call a benefactor; it is where the fun begins!

Questions?