1. THE NUTS & BOLTS OF MAJOR GIFTS AND PLANNED GIVING
WEBINAR:
THE NUTS & BOLTS OF MAJOR GIFTS AND PLANNED GIVING
Jerry W. Henry

2. WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY…
Your Questions
Major Gift Readiness
Identifying & Researching prospects
Case Study
Establishing Momentum - Creating structure, process, accountability
Planned Giving
Summary

3. POLL: WHO’S ONLINE TODAY?
Board Member
Executive Director/CEO
Development Director
Other Staff Member

4. Tool Kit Donor Bill of Rights
7 “Sins” That Keep You from Having a Culture of Philanthropy
Philanthropic Profile Assessment
Checklist of Board Roles & Responsibilities
Board Member “Thank You” log
Board Solicitation Plan
Top 10 Responsibilities of a Board
Board of Trustees Individual Development Work Plan
Sample Major Gifts Plan
Best Practices for Major Gift Officers
Major Gifts Prospect Management Flow Chart
Top 10 Metrics for Major Gift Fundraising Success
Gift Grid
Connectivity Matrix
12 Questions to Gain Deeper Perspective on Major Donors

5. WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT MAJOR GIFTS?
95/5 is not sustainable
Neither is depending upon older aged donors
Fundraising profession is changing
We have great opportunities

7. Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report – 2015
Giving grew 1.6%
Online giving grew 9.2%
#GivingTuesday online donations were up 52%
Nearly 14% of online donations are made on mobile devices

8. Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report – 2015
Smaller orgs. saw greatest increase (5.5%)
Medium orgs. decreased .7%
Large orgs. increased 1.4%

9. Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report – 2015
Human Services – down 2.8%
Healthcare – up 1.9%
Public Society Benefit – down .9%

10. Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report – 2015
Largest Giving by months:
December 17.4%
June 10.2%
October 8.2%
May 8.0%

11. $
CASE
STRATEGY
LEADERSHIP
Elements for
Major Gift Success

12. Targeted Cases, Constituents, and Methods
CRITICAL FACTORS FOR A PHILANTHROPIC MAJOR GIFT FUND- RAISING ENVIRONMENT
Donor-
focused
Research
Targeted Cases, Constituents, and Methods
Strategic Communication
Stewardship

13. Major Gift Readiness INTERNAL Staff Database Moves Management
Development Plan
Major Gift Materials
EXTERNAL
Leadership
Prospects
Additional Constituents

14. MAJOR GIFT PROCESS Research Stewardship Identification Closure
Solicitation
Cultivation
Research

15. From Suspect to Donor
Suspects-community members; little or no involvement with organization
Research to find interest and capacity
Define strategy to engage
Prospects – current donors, past Board members, event attendees
Qualify area of interest and capacity
Rank by outcome: campaign, annual fund, membership
Donors - Cultivate and solicit new and renewed gifts
Prospects for CEO and Board members should be high level, personal
Development staff to solicit larger groups through personal, mail,

16. Basic Prospect Research
What research tools do you use in your organization?
[Send your response now using Question/Chat window]

17. Internal Research Who is in Your Database? Segmented? Board Members
Advisory Boards and Committees
Donors (annual, capital, etc.)
Prospects
Suspects
Special Event Attendees
Publication Recipients
Local Businesses and Foundations
Other?

18. Internal Research Simple internal research:
Track consistency of giving.
Track size of gift.
Track gifts of time.
Track geographic distribution of file.
Track history of personal contact.

19. Internal Research Sampling of Helpful Tools:
Target Analytics [ Blackbaud.com/Analytics ]
WealthEngine.com
IWave.com
DonorSearch.net
NOZASearch.com (charitable donations)
Zillow.com (real estate values)
GuideStar.org (foundations)

20. Other Research
Internet
Peer Review
Other? [Send in using Questions Chat box]

21. Managing the Information
SET REALISTIC GOALS!
Evaluate which sites work best for you.
Only visit those top sites.
Only research a reasonable number a people per week.
Know when to stop searching.
Don’t research people you already know about!

22. Gift Grid
Identification Involvement Solicitation Solicitation Solicitation Driven by
Method Relationship Frequency
Small gift in-house file minimal mail impersonal yearly or more Institution
acquisition list phone
event
Major gift past donors established face-to-face peer every 3-5 yr.s Institution/
suspects relationship president Donor
executive dir.
dev. officer
board member
volunteer
Mega gift - past donors - personal personal one who once donor
relationship evolves donor trusts desire for
- life event - strong over time admires, change
inheritance feelings stewardship believes in “pay-back”
sale - specific recognition
interest

23. Created by Alexander Haas Martin & Partners, Inc. 2005
CONNECTIVITY MATRIX
High
MAJOR GIFTS
ANNUAL FUND
PLANNED GIFTS
Low
Passion for Cause
Low
High
Created by Alexander Haas Martin & Partners, Inc

24. Major Gift Donor Prospect Engagement GridB
Suggested Next Step:
ADVANCED BRIEFING
Organization “insiders”
Need to define ask
Determine volunteer solicitor D
SMALL GROUP CULTIVATION
“Emerging donors” = Friends rated prospects A
ASK FOR MAJOR GIFT
Current donor (upper level)
Assigned to volunteer solicitor
Ask amount defined C
INTRO BRIEFING – ONE-TO-ONE
Highly rated or identified by volunteer at high level but low/no gift history
LOW
HIGH
ENGAGEMENT AND READINESS
Gift Frequency? Assigned to solicitor? Current upper level annual donor?
C A P A C I T Y

25. Strategic Process of Major Gift Solicitation
Match motivation with gift
Endowments
Facilities
Planned gifts
Gifts for investment
Gifts for immediate impact
Gifts that convey importance
Consider role of recognition
Naming Opportunities
Gift clubs
Anonymous gifts.

26. CASE STUDY

27. CURE’s Mission Statement:
CURE Childhood Cancer is dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through funding targeted research and through support of patients and their families.
CURE’s Vision:
CURE Childhood Cancer believes that childhood cancer can be cured in our lifetime.

29. ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDATIONS WORKSHEET – page 1
ASSIGNED TO
TIMEFRAME
NOTES
Develop core list of potential Board Members
Comm. on Board
Continue individual work plans
Review Bylaws
Implement term limits
Develop leadership succession plan
Re-engage former leaders
Comm. on Board; Dev. Comm.
Develop mentoring plan
Conduct Board Retreat
100% Board Giving
Dev. Comm.; Comm. on Board
Fill vacancies strategically
Designate Finance Committee
Board approve actions of Exec. Committee
Create Development Plan
Development Comm.
Review “case for support”
Emphasize major gifts
Focus on sequential fundraising
Consider challenge gift
Assess special events
Emphasize face-to-face
Conduct monthly mtgs of Development Comm.
Weekly Exec. Dir. Mtgs with Dev. & Operations Ass’t.
Staff

30. ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDATIONS WORKSHEET – page 2
ASSIGNED TO
TIMEFRAME
NOTES
Develop Sponsorship pkg.
Staff/Dev. Comm.
Conduct electronic screening of database
Executive Director/Dev. Comm./Board (budget)
Conduct acquisition mailing
Engage mail-phone vendor to upgrade donors
Employ Director of Development
Executive Director/Board (budget)
Review job descriptions
Executive Director
Conduct weekly staff mtgs.
ED cultivates/solicits donors
Review Donor giving levels
Staff/Counsel/Dev. Comm.
Develop leadership giving society
Establish cumulative giving levels
Review gift acknowledgment procedures
Clean-up database
Staff
Draft special events policies
Draft Planned giving policy
Complete Gift Acceptance policy

32. Questions?

33. Managing Your Prospects
Moves management - process of systematically and continuously identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts.
“Moves” are intentional and purposeful, specific to the prospect, and time-limited.
Moves require action steps.

34. Managing Your Prospects
For each active prospect, there should be a last action (status closed, when it is completed) and a next step (status open, with a deadline set in the future).
For a new prospect, one at the identification/qualification stage, there will be a next step (marked open, with a deadline set in the future).

35. TRACKING Elements of Action Items Report Prospect Name
Projected Ask Amount
Assigned Solicitor and staff back-up
Potential Project or Purpose
Last Action and Date
Next Step and Date.

36. S.T.E.P.S. Strategies Toward Effective Prospect Solicitation#
PROSPECT
BACKGROUND
LONG-TERM GOAL/STRATEGY
NEXT STEP/RESPONSIBILITY 1 2 3 4 5 6

37. Assigned to (Solicitor) Projected Request Amount
Prospect Name
Assigned to (Solicitor)
Projected Request Amount
Potential Project/Purpose
Last Action
Last Action Date
Next Step
Next Steps Deadline
Jack Smith
Judy Jones (DOD)
$500,000
Leadership level commitment as part of Major Gift focus. Projects of possible interest: New Program Fund for Special Needs
Judy and Cal Moore [volunteer] met with Jack to discuss the new program highlights.
Judy to send Jack invitation to the special lecture in October Cal to follow up with Jack after lecture; include Jack's wife Maria.
Judy to send invite by and followup on rsvp. Let Cal know if they are attending.
Jack wanted to know how the new program would benefit the organization, since he feels the staff is overworked with current programming.

38. SUMMARY
Practice intentional contacts: cultivation, solicitation, closing
When you close one action, open another
Meet regularly—and use tools between meetings ( , voic )
Stay focused!

39. Questions?

40. POLL: What is the most challenging part of the Major Gift process?
Making the actual ask. 

Dealing with objections or deflections. 

Knowing how much to ask for. 

Identifying qualified donors.
Setting up the initial visit.
Other? (Please use Questions to list)

41. Challenges New or inexperienced staff Reluctant leadership
Burnt out volunteers (or staff)
No sense of urgency
No ending to look forward to
No vision or compelling project
No cultivated prospect pool
Crisis of the moment

42. SUMMARY Agree to make Major Gifts a priority Define your “Major Gift”
Relationship Building
S.T.E.P.S.

43. “Where there’s a will….
you want to be in it!”

44. NUTS & BOLTS OF PLANNED GIVING
Internal Readiness
Planned Giving Options
Marketing Planned Gifts
Prospect Identification

45. INTERNAL READINESS Organization & Staffing Board
Planned Giving
INTERNAL READINESS
Organization & Staffing
Board
Use of Planned Giving Professionals
Policies/Guidelines

46. Planned Giving
OPTIONS
Outright Gifts
Stock
Real Estate

47. OPTIONS Charitable Lead Trust Expectancies Deferred Gifts Bequests
Planned Giving
OPTIONS
Charitable Lead Trust
Expectancies
Bequests
Retirement Plans/IRAs
Life Insurance
Deferred Gifts
Charitable Gift Annuity
Charitable Remainder Trusts
CRAT
CRUT

48. MARKETING Print materials Integration with Annual appeals
Planned Giving
MARKETING
Print materials
Integration with Annual appeals
Stand-along mailings/
Seminars
Personal Visits
Recognition society

49. PROSPECT IDENTIFICATION
Planned Giving
PROSPECT IDENTIFICATION
Current Planned Giving donors
Annual fund donors
Board, volunteers, staff
Professional Financial Advisors
Planned Giving Committee

50. RESOURCES Firms with free resources: Crescendointeractive.com
Planned Giving
RESOURCES
Firms with free resources:
Crescendointeractive.com
Sharpenet.com
Stelter.com
DonorSearch tool:
DSGiving.com

51. What Characterizes Successful Planned Giving Programs?
Significant investment in cultivation of donors
Proactive and strategic professional staff
Executive tutored, skilled, and connected
Active volunteer-staff partnerships
Case exhibits three particular values:
core mission and values
“customer” oriented
donor-focused
Visits happen every week.

52. Questions?

53. POLL: What is the biggest challenge you’re experiencing with the CMF Challenge?
Getting my Board members to participate.
Articulating how the match works.
Finding enough real prospects to contribute.
Other? (Please use Questions to list)

54. SUMMARY

55. SUMMARY Don’t let difficult times become an excuse to do nothing.
Take time to reaffirm your mission.
Develop relationships with donors based on their needs.

56. SUMMARY Focus on quality not quantity.
Determine the most effective ongoing cultivation activities.
Engage people in your organization; don’t just involve them.

57. SUMMARY Build and cross bridges wherever possible.
Exhibit proactive accountability.
Inform donors about how they can help your organization.

58. SUMMARY Inform donors about how you can help them.
Avoid “analysis paralysis.”
Remember, the best cultivation is often the ask.

59. The harder you work, the luckier you get with major gifts!
I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
--attributed to Thomas Jefferson
(as well as to Mark Twain, Samuel Goldwyn,
“Old Amish Saying,” and a host of others!)
The harder you work, the luckier you get with major gifts!

60. Questions?

61. THANK YOU!