Description: A good fundraising pyramid has a strong base of support from many individual donors who give smaller gifts. For many donors, this is their point of entry to your organization. Moving donors up the pyramid through their giving is imperative to building our organizations capacity to grow and serve our communities. Major gift donors are those we reach out to individually, one-on-one. How we do this effectively and based on donor needs. This interactive session will answer your questions and present how to: Determine who are your potential major donors and how many you can handle effectively, Use electronic screening-if appropriate, Use tools effectively to engage donors from annual giving to major gift giving, Engage the Board in giving and getting, Determine case for support, and Create a cultivation and solicitation plan for each donor.

1. T HE I MPORTANCE OF M AJOR G IVING
TO YOUR F UNDRAISING
Presented by
Barbara Talisman
www.3talisman.com
www.talismantol.wordpress.com
barbara.talisman@pursuantgroup.com
312.733.7520

2. Barbara Talisman
Barbara Talisman has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit consulting.
As Vice President, serves as a strategic consultant to Ketchum and Pursuant Agency
clients. Barbara brings her experience in fundraising, board development, executive coaching as
well as facilitating workshops at conferences worldwide. Talisman clients include human
service, healthcare, education, international affairs and arts organizations. Barbara started
fundraising on the campaign trail and began her nonprofit fundraising with the American Heart
Association and continued at the Anti-Defamation League.
She is a well-known and well-respected industry leader with expertise that includes board and
membership development, donor cultivation programs, major gift solicitation and grant
writing, volunteer recruitment and corporate partnership. A social media early adopter, she
demonstrates her talents and proficiency in online communication through her presence on,
Twitter, an e-mail newsletter, and her blog, Talisman Thinking Out Loud. Barbara also has a
radio show called Making a Difference, where she interviews nonprofit thought leaders who
share how they are inspiring change and rising to meet challenges with solutions that
effectively advance their causes.
Barbara is an Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) certified Master Trainer. She
speaks at industry conferences around the world and leads workshops on many fundraising and
nonprofit topics. Barbara has written for influential industry publications including Fund
Raising Management, Fundraising Success, Advancing Philanthropy, and Clout. A member of
the AFP Chicago, Barbara was honored with the President's Award from the Chicago chapter for
her outstanding service to the chapter and to the fundraising profession.
Barbara holds a Bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University. She has continued
her education through workshops and classes at ZingTrain, BoardSource, The Institute for
Charitable Giving, Vanderbilt University, AFP regional and international conferences, and
Indiana University School of Philanthropy.

3. ROUTE M AP
 Keys to success
 Why major giving is important
 Identifying major donors
 Overcoming challenges
Q & A throughout
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4. G UIDELINES FOR S UCCESS
 The larger the gift, the longer it will
take to complete
 Have a worthy project based on the
needs/interests of the donor
 People give to people, not to
organizations or institutions
 If you don’t ask, you won’t get
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5. 2009 CHARITABLE GIVING
TOTAL = $303.75 BILLION

6. M AJOR G IVING
 Board Members
 Gifts which require personal
cultivation and solicitation
 One on one relationship
 Opportunities to build that
relationship
 Minimum gifts of $?????
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7. B UILDING A M AJOR G IFT
P ROGRAM
 Review current donor base
 Board leadership and current major
donors
 Review giving pyramid
 How many individuals can you handle
with a personal touch?
 Cultivation opportunities
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8. Ultimate Gifts
Capital, planned and
endowment gifts
Major Gifts
Thru one-on-one cultivation and
solicitation, larger involvement and investment,
usually an upgrade from annual giving.
Annual Gifts
Point of Entry giving via direct mail,
special events, raffle, annual appeal

9. T HE C OLLAPSED G IVING P YRAMID
The Giving Gap Capital Giving
Annual Fund
Confidential and Proprietary to The
Pursuant Group, Inc.

10. K EY TO S UCCESS
 Case for support
 Clear message
 Identify prospects
 Research & qualify
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11. M ADE TO S TICK
BY C HIP AND DAN H EATH
 Simple Your message/vision/case for
 Clarity of message support
 Unexpected
 Surprise/Break a pattern
 Concrete


Tangible/Visionary
Paint a picture
Go for
 Credible
 Stats/Details 4 or 5
 Emotional
 About someone/picture
 Stories out of 6
 Right story/right message
 Curse of knowledge
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12. ID AND Q UALIFY
D ONORS AND P ROSPECTS
Your donor base
Connection
Capacity
Propensity
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13. W HO TO A SK ???
 What is their interest in your
organization?
 Why do they give?
 Who do they know?
 What is their level of comfort
and participation?
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14. L IVE I T – E VERYDAY
 Partner with donors or prospects
 Thank you calls to donors
 Site visits to organization events,
programs
 Notes to major donors
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15. G ET TO THE YES!
 No not for this  No not now
 No not you  No too much
 No not me  No too little
 No not unless  No go away
 No not in this way
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16. J UST D O I T !
If you can read this you are
not visiting with donors!
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17. TO FIND OUT M ORE …
 312.733.7520
 Email
barbara.talisman@pursuantgroup.com
 www.pursuantgroup.com
 www.talismantol.wordpress.com
 @BTalisman
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