To grow philanthropy in the new economy, savvy nonprofit board members, executives and advancement leaders have increased efforts to solicit major gifts. Learn how to align a fundraising team to secure “stretch gifts.” Gain insights to help develop and execute strategies for your team to discover, qualify, engage and ask the right donor-investors. This webinar will offer ways to reach and find resonance with donor-investors and to sustain a compelling conversation for effective engagement and solicitation of major gifts. Hear how to execute a fundraising plan that brings real returns on investment.

1. Major Gift Strategies that Work
Rod Miller
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3. Today’s Speaker
Rod Miller
Chairman,
Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange
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4. Major Gift Strategies That Work
Rod Miller, CEO
Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange
www.ExecIAE.com

5. Three Essentials
• Align trustees, chief executive, advancement
• Agree priority-based fundraising plan
• Develop discovery, engagement, solicitation
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6. 100-day Differentials for Success
1. Match values
2. Develop culture of trust
3. ID who is pre-disposed
4. Sustain conversations
5. Know, when, where, how and
what to ask for
6. Follow-through
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7. Conclusions from Case Examples
• Institutional Leader
– Major gift fundraising
– Envision and execute
– Strategic and hands-on priority
• Major gift fundraising
– Team activity
– Trustees, chief executive, advancement
– Know roles and added value
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8. Why Emphasize Major Gifts?
“62% of the donors in the study reported “being
asked” as a key motivator for giving!”
Bank of America Study of High Net Worth
Philanthropy, Center on Philanthropy, Indiana
University
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9. News Flashes
• “…where donations to universities are still a relatively new concept…The
University of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest, launched the campaign with
the announcement it had already raised $48 million from a range of significant
donors…” November 23, 2008 (www.universityworldnews.com)
• “Despite beginning and ending during serious economic recessions, the most
ambitious fundraising campaign in state history soared past its $600 million
goal to raise $853 million…” January 30, 2009 (www.pmr.uoregon.edu)
• “Indiana University and its fundraising partner, the IU Foundation, today
announced that they are raising the goal by $100 million, or 10 percent, to
$1.1 billion…campaign, which runs through 2010, already has realized 95
percent of its initial $1 billion goal…” February 6, 2009
(www.iufoundation.iu.edu)
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10. Trust is Key…
and engagement builds trust…
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11. What Defines a Major Gift?
1. Specific dollar amount set by institution
2. Relative from donor’s point of view
3. Requires conversion from an asset
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12. Aim High
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land
among the stars.”
- Les Brown
Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC
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13. 3 Steps to Secure Major Gifts
1. Identify potential donor-investors
2. Engage potential donor-investors
3. Move from potential donor to
donor-investor, in other words… Ask
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14. The Ask Team
Agree to
• Who?
(trustee,
chief executive,
advancement staff)
• What?
(responsibilities)
• When?
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15. R.O.I.
Institution 1 Institution 2 Institution 3
Create centers of Clarify the role of trustees Use networks to find new
Reposition excellence. to seek resonance with donor-investors.
strategy the community through
outreach.
Set advancement goals to Initiate six-month review Add advancement staff,
Organize address needs and to for how each part of refresh the case for
advancement process establish a central advancement contributes fundraising and identify
advancement to raising funds for the the institution’s program
organization. institution. experts to be engaged in
fundraising.
Chief Executive to set the Secure firm commitments Chief Executive to commit
Integrate agenda with priority on from trustees to funding serious time to
priority behaviors getting the Chief Executive and fundraising. fundraising.
into the community.
© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011
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16. What is the Institution’s Story?
• What is the added value of your institution
• Clarify who you are, to help decide whom you
should engage
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17. Keep it Simple
One Hollywood producer used to say
“If you can’t write your idea on the back of my
calling card, you don’t have a clear idea.”
- David Belasco
The Clear Idea
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18. Step 1: Identify Potential Donors
• Access = Open Door
• Capacity = Resources/Philanthropic
• Emotional Connection = Match to Mission
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19. Step 2: Engage Potential Donors
• Do the math
– Relatively few will give
– Engage many who are well-qualified
– Need 5 qualified individuals for 1 major gift
© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011
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20. Engagement Essentials
• 6 to 12 engagements before ask
• Listen for what motivates potential donors
– Acknowledgment
– Noble goals
– Gratitude
• Lively case and conversation
• Deal with spontaneous gift
• Ready to say how gift will help
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21. Inspire Action: 4 Examples
1. Control cancer
2. Inspire kids to careers in science and technology
3. Link how cells age to human aging, cancer and dementias
4. Excited about symphonic music
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22. The Art of Engagement…
… is the Art of Conversation
We should listen more than we talk
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23. Systematic Approaches
1. CEO/ Board Chair: On-site briefings and “beneficiary-touch”
2. CEO: Individual visits to stakeholders to invite input on strategy
3. CEO/Board Chair: Enhancement task force
4. “Honor upon honor”
5. CDO: Visits to trustees/board members to enlist in outreach
6. CDO/MGOs: “Discovery” visits
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24. Step 3: The Ask
• If the identification and engagement are done well,
there will be no surprises!
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25. Structure Conversation/Ask
1. Introductions
2. Reinforce engagement
a. Acknowledge motivations
b. Reflect on conversations
c. Recognize donor’s needs
3. Obtain small agreements
----------------------------------------
4. Present the Ask
5. Specific $ amount
6. Silence
----------------------------------------
7. Close the visit
8. Follow up
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26. Sustained Conversations
• Find up to 7 ways to thank donors
• Between asks, set 3 other engagements
• Keep in touch with major donors as you would
with a good friend
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27. Summary
• Identify the added value of an institution
• List key stakeholders
• Engage institutional leaders
• Agree on a workable plan
• Be willing to ask
© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011
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28. Suggested Reading
Henry A. Rosso, Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991
Rod Miller, “Beyond Benchmarking Institutional Advancement: Jump-Start to Fund Raising
Excellence” in D. Cushman and S. King (Eds), Excellence in Communicating Organizational
Strategy, Albany, NY: The State University of New York Press, 2001 (Sample on-line via GOOGLE)
Planned Giving Strategies that Work http://www.slideshare.net/NonprofitWebinars/planned-
giving-strategies-that-work
Why, When and How the Big Gift Campaigns Work
http://www.slideshare.net/NonprofitWebinars/why-when-and-how-the-big-gift-campaigns-work-
7285907
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