The Toughest Test with your Donors
I’ve heard it. You’ve heard it. We all have heard it. Donors say, “I have more money than I have time.” “I’m happy to write a check or give through my DAF. But please, please don’t ask me to volunteer, be a friend raiser, or serve on a committee or board. I just don’t have the time.” People have the time—they just don’t want to invest it in your ministry. How can you encourage your donors to give their talent, treasure, and time? Here are some keys to unlocking this valuable commodity.

Confidence
How have you done with the first 4 R’s of major donor engagement? (1) Research (2) Relationship (3) Request (4) Recognition. Did your donors feel loved and confirmed? Did their confidence in you and your organization grow during these steps? Remember, fundraising is based on relationships. If you simply “grab the money and run,” your relationships will suffer. You build trust by doing what you said you would do with their hard-earned money. You also build trust by spending time as friends doing life together. Not every visit or phone call is asking for money. People will only introduce you to their friends when they have complete trust and confidence that you will treat their friends with love and respect.

Chemistry
The NCAA men’s basketball “Road to the Final Four” has proven that sometimes it is not about the best team with the best players, but the team with the best chemistry. You need to build a major donor recruitment team who will help you open doors to new donor relationships. Be proactive. Donors usually don’t say, “WOW, that was so much fun giving big money to your organization, I may know 4 or 5 friends who might like to do the same!” The number one reason why people give is because of who asks. Help your key donors encourage their friends to join them in your project. Develop a donor recruitment strategy that clearly defines some simple steps your friends can take to engage their friends.

Culture
Your recruitment/donor acquisition strategy must be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). It must fit the culture of your organization and the culture of the major donors helping you. Donor acquisition by direct mail is expensive and not as effective these days (before, during, and after COVID). Won by one is the best donor acquisition/recruitment strategy. Your key donors prove they love and trust you by their generous giving. Asking them to network to their friends on your behalf will reveal how much they really love you. Major donors know other major donors. They live in the same gated communities, play golf at the same country clubs, and may have second homes in the same winter destination. If you can tap into the major donor networks within your existing constituency you will never run out of contacts. Why? Because every new and existing donor becomes a center of influence.

Multi-Faceted Offense
Good teams have a variety of offensive plays to advance their efforts.  You need to do the same:

• Personalized Mail. Assist your donor with an effective mail presentation package. Include a handwritten note.

• Phone Call. Ask your friend to ask their friend to meet in person or by zoom to hear more about your ministry. Encourage them to share why they find joy in supporting you.

• Zoom Call. One of the blessings of the pandemic is that people are more comfortable with technology. Use video calls to give your prospective donors a tour of your facilities or introduce them to various staff members.

• Donor Gatherings. Encourage your key donors to host a small group event in their home to introduce their friends to your ministry. It doesn’t have to be a formal dinner; coffee and dessert are fine. Your event should include an exciting testimonial from your host couple, 30-45 minutes of presentation by a ministry representative, Q & A, and a response card to schedule a follow up visit. Don’t ask for money that evening. You may embarrass the host couple or even worse, you may get tipped. Donors might write a small check as a favor to their friends, but not make a true prayed-through stewardship gift.

Final Thoughts

1. Use your time wisely. Invest in your donors and ask them to invest in you by giving and recruiting. Cultivating major donors is a life-long pursuit.

2. Your close ratio is very high when a major donor agrees to lead you to a friend.

3. Small group events are still a great major donor recruitment strategy.

4. Face-to-face. All the direct mail and large events in the world will not compare to what a personal face-to-face meeting with a friend or colleague can accomplish.

A Success Story
Rob, the new headmaster, was looking for ways to connect with the school’s donors and asked board members and faculty for help. Joe, a long-time faculty member, wasn’t convinced Rob was the right choice and was reluctant to introduce him to anyone. A former faculty member passed away and Rob decided to attend her funeral. He stopped at the receptionist to ask for directions. Joe was also there asking for directions. He was surprised that Rob would take the time and offered to give him a ride. Rob’s willingness to go to a funeral of someone he never met to comfort the family on behalf of the school broke the ice with Joe. When he drove Rob back to the school, Joe said, “You need to meet Bill. I’ll call and introduce you.”

Rob met Bill for breakfast. Bill was a former board member, major donor, and community leader. He was a wealth of information and helped Rob better grasp the school’s history. At the end of breakfast Bill said, “If I can help you in any way. Please let me know.” Rob responded, “There is one thing you can do. I don’t know anybody. Could you introduce me to the people I need to know?” Bill replied, “If you’re serious, I will connect you with all the former board chairs.” And he did. Joe opened the door to Bill and Bill opened the door to twenty-eight key stakeholders.

Recruitment is the toughest test for your donors, board members, or even faculty. Don’t give up if someone is reluctant to connect you to key donors. Keep asking. God can lead you to the right person who can unlock incredible relationships.

Have fun it works!

About the Author: Pat McLaughlin President/Founder – Pat started The Timothy Group in 1990 to serve Christian ministries as they raise money to advance their missions. TTG has assisted more 1,800 Christian organizations around the world with capital, annual, and endowment campaigns. More than 25,000 of Pat’s books, Major Donor Game Plan, The C Factor: The Common Cure for your Capital Campaign Conundrums, and Haggai & Friends have helped fundraisers understand the art and science of major donor engagement. Pat makes more than one hundred major donor visits annually and provides counsel to multiple capital campaigns.

Do you love me or do you not… you told me once, but I forgot! How do you say thanks and really, really mean it? Recognition is a very important part to all your donors but especially your mega and major donors. A very simple but appropriate thank you is all it takes to acknowledge the gift, show your appreciation, drill deeper in the relationship, and prepare the way for the next opportunity to ask. It’s not manipulative, it’s not syrupy, but surprisingly rare. If the gift is a multi-year gift (some are given monthly or quarterly) you have many opportunities to say thanks. If it’s a one-time gift you must thank your donor well to create an opportunity for the next gift. You are not saying thank you to get the next gift, but not saying thank you might keep you from another gift.

Many development departments are very proficient at donor research, relationship building, and even requesting. Unfortunately, many organizations spend more energy on receiving the gift and little or no effort on showing appreciation for the gift. How do we thank, recognize, and love our donors? Here are some simple tips:

Golden Rule
How do you want to be treated? Seriously, if you had $1,000 dollars or $1,000,000 to give to your favorite ministry, how would you want to be recognized? By mail, e-mail, phone, zoom, in person, by a board member, all the above, some of the above, or none of the above? Think about your personal giving experiences. In what meaningful way you have been recognized in the past? There you go, now go do it!

Don’t Be Late
Be timely, very timely in recognizing a ministry partner. Like milk, thank yous have an expiration date! When the check or the wire transfer comes through pick up the phone and call them. Yes, I said call them—not text, or e-mail, unless that is their preference. Even if it is, pick up the phone and say thanks. There is nothing like personally saying thank you. Make it a ministry call to share your mission, vision, and core values. Tell them what they will accomplish with their gift. Most of all, share your love and appreciation for them.  Share your heart with them. Oh, BTW do it quickly, don’t wait 3-5 days, a week, or even a month. Carpe Diem—seize the moment and say thanks NOW!

Words of Wisdom
The executive director of one of the largest foundations in West Michigan said, “Pat, if an organization does not thank us in a timely manner, they are all done receiving funds from our foundation. We are testing the character and integrity of the organization on not just receiving the gift but how they respond after the gift is given.” It’s just common sense to say thanks in an appropriate way. It’s not difficult. Make it your priority.

How Many Times is Too Many?
A friend of mine who fundraises for a large medical facility said they often thanked their key donors seven times. WOWIZER, is that too much? The thanks came from a variety of team members: the university president, the medical center CEO, heads of various departments (cardiology, orthopedics, etc.), physicians, the VP of Advancement, the major gift officer assigned to the donor, and a patient who had benefited from their gift. You make the call. Too much? Too little? Or about right. Ergonomics is the study of fit. How you recognize donors needs to fit your culture, your staffing limits, your CEO involvement. Make it fit for you.

Closing Thoughts
Will Rogers said, “Common sense ain’t common.” Recognition plans will vary. Everyone has their own ideas. Here are some commonsense ideas:

·  Develop a well-conceived plan to say thanks to every donor.

·  Ask yourself how you would want to be recognized—that’s a great start.

·  Be timely. Show your appreciation while the gift is still fresh in their mind.

·  Use multiple thankers from a variety of sources in your organization.

·  Utilize a variety of methods: call, zoom, hand-written note is very effective, text, e-mail, or a small gift of appreciation.

Sit down with your team today and develop a Thank You Plan. Put actions to your words then watch God do amazing things in your donors’ lives, hearts, and checkbooks!

About the Author: Pat McLaughlin President/Founder – Pat started The Timothy Group in 1990 to serve Christian ministries as they raise money to advance their missions. TTG has assisted more 1,800 Christian organizations around the world with capital, annual, and endowment campaigns. More than 25,000 of Pat’s books, Major Donor Game Plan, The C Factor: The Common Cure for your Capital Campaign Conundrums, and Haggai & Friends have helped fundraisers understand the art and science of major donor engagement. Pat makes more than one hundred major donor visits annually and provides counsel to multiple capital campaigns.

We’ve been unpacking the 6 R’s of major donor fundraising: (1) Research, (2) Relationship, (3) Request, (4) Recognition, (5) Recruitment, and (6) Report. All 6 R’s are important but perhaps the one most misunderstood, misused, and underdelivered is Request. The Ask involves both the art and science of good stewardship practice. Asks fail for two reasons: (a) we never make the ask or, (b) we don’t know what to say or how to say it.

Matthew 7:7 encourages us, “Ask and will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” James teaches, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Should we be making requests in this pandemic? Allow me to answer that question with a resounding YES!

Preparation and Perspiration

Making requests is hard work, but an ask is the ultimate opportunity to fulfill your annual, capital, and endowment funding needs. Now that you’ve completed the first two steps of research and relationship-building, the most difficult task is setting the appointment. It may take several calls, texts, and e-mails. There is the perspiration. Be faithful and persistent. You need to see your donor in person. Mega/major donors will often ask that you send them the proposal. Don’t make that mistake; your close ratio goes way up if you can see your donor in person or on Zoom.

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)

The FUD syndrome stymies many donor requests. Stewardship officers often suffer from Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Questions can paralyze us. Is the ask too big? Too Small? Or about right? Do we have the right materials? Has our research clearly identified their hot button?

It’s human nature to feel some of these conundrums as we approach a major donor meeting. We fear offending the donor. We may be uncertain if they are ready to give. We doubt if they can give at the amount we are asking them to consider. Now wait a minute. You have done the research and have drilled deeper with the relationship. If you know you have shared values, be confident!

When you schedule your in-person or zoom meeting let them know you would like to share a personalized gift proposal. A bit of perspiration (working hard to set up the appointment) will have a huge impact on your production and their participation level.

No Heavenly Hinting

Most major donors are quite sophisticated, so please avoid any form of “Heavenly Hinting.” Be specific, straightforward, and forthright. ASK! Too much proverbial “beating around the bush,” communicates to the donor that you are unprepared, unaware, or suffering from a severe case of FUD. This should be a 30-minute presentation more or less; it’s certainly not an all-day event. Major donors have shared with us some “Heavenly Hinting” statements from some of their favorite ministries:

♦ “We believe the Lord wants us to do this and there may be people whom he wants to help us.”

♦ “We believe God’s work done God’s way will not lack for God’s supply.”

♦ “We are praying that God will open the windows of heaven and meet our needs.”

These are all great statements but your Research and Relationship-building with this donor couple has prepared them and you to make a specific Request!

It’s Personal

Take along a personal request or be ready to jot down on your yellow pad a specific amount or at least a range of giving you are requesting. People tip God because we give them the opportunity to tip him! Win, Keep, Lift applies to Mega/Major Donors.

Who and Where

Who is the right person or persons to make the ask? A couple of weeks ago I made a $500,000 request and three of us went on the donor visit. We informed the donor couple in advance who was coming and why. It was a mentoring opportunity for me with their CEO, and campaign chair. They shared the story, and I made the ask. The couple received us and the ask very well.

We have coined the phrase “Kitchen Table Ask” (KTA). Where is the best place to make a request? Their kitchen table. It’s not at Starbucks, or a local restaurant. Your office or their office can work as well, but nothing is as personal as their kitchen table. Not even their living room or family room, the best place is the kitchen table.

Just Do It

This is not rocket science, it’s all about relationships and preparing each ministry partner for a sit-down KTA. Ergonomics is the study of fit. Your mega/major donor has got to fit the culture of your organization, the project, and the ask amount. Treat every significant ministry partner as a small mini campaign. Build the request around their giving interests and your needs; then go test it. Meet them in person or over Zoom and make the ask. Go for it and remember to practice Pat’s 4 C’s: See the People, See the People, See the People, and See what God is going to do with the relationship.

About the Author: Pat McLaughlin President/Founder – Pat started The Timothy Group in 1990 to serve Christian ministries as they raise money to advance their missions. TTG has assisted more 1,800 Christian organizations around the world with capital, annual, and endowment campaigns. More than 25,000 of Pat’s books, Major Donor Game Plan, The C Factor: The Common Cure for your Capital Campaign Conundrums, and Haggai & Friends have helped fundraisers understand the art and science of major donor engagement. Pat makes more than one hundred major donor visits annually and provides counsel to multiple capital campaigns. 

It’s Not Rocket Science… It’s Relationships

Donors don’t give to organizations; they give to people. They don’t give to direct mail; they give to people. They don’t give to proposals; they give to people. The second “R” in my book, Major Donor Game Plan, is Relationship. The deeper you develop relationships with mega and major donors the more opportunity mega and major gifts can become a reality for your ministry.

Communication

You identified your donor prospects and suspects in the research step. Now, it’s time to create an individualized communication plan. What works for one donor may not work for another. Treat every mega and major donor as a small mini-campaign. What do they need to hear from you to draw them closer to your ministry? Personal contact is always the best method. The pandemic has forced many organizations to be creative and cultivate successful relationships via Zoom. Interestingly, some donors are responding more to texts than emails. Every relationship needs to be nurtured as you educate, cultivate, inspire, inform, motivate, and eventually ask for their financial support.

Keep the information flowing. Customize the information your ministry partners receive. Do they want lots of details, not too much, or somewhere in between? Listen for their “hot button.” What gets them excited about making a difference with their hard-earned money? Key donors receive great joy knowing their gift has made a significant impact on your organization.

Value-Based Relationships

A marriage that lasts is built on a foundation of shared values. Jane and will celebrate 47 years of wedded bliss this year. We’ve been blessed with the bliss part because we share similar values such as, our faith, our children, our grandchildren, her good golf game, my bad golf game, well you get it. Our values are aligned.

Drill deeper with each donor relationship to identify their value system. Discover how their values match the values of your ministry. Are they excited about missions, human need, clean water, education, evangelism, children, the disenfranchised, health care, housing? Sharing personalized information with value-based donors about how your organization is addressing the problems they want to solve is the quickest way to mega and major gifts.

Donor Care

Many of your relationship-building experiences with your key donors will not involve asking for a gift. It’s just lunch, a visit, a ministry tour, a call, or any opportunity to strengthen your relationship. Two four-letter words impact every relationship, L-O-V-E and T-I-M-E. Donors sometimes equate love with the time you invest with them. A phone call to hear how they are doing, a visit, a handwritten note, a food delivery (masked up of course) will go a long way in deepening your relationships. Plan special donor care connections for each of your mega and major donors in 2021.

Never-Ending Love

Relationships are job one. Your pursuit to develop deep donor relationships never ends. Review these four key strategies:

1. Communicate personally and consistently with your key donors.
2. Match their values with your ministry’s mission, vision, core values, and key outcomes.
3. Care for your donors. Schedule time to show love to each key donor.
4. Slow down. Take your time. Successful fundraising is not grab-the-money-and-run. It’s a life-long friendship.

Want to extend the shelf life of your major donors? Build authentic relationships. It’s the path to bigger gifts over a much longer time. Successful key gift fundraising is a process that takes years, not weeks or months.

Some think fundraising should be as complex as rocket science fueled by expensive software that produces fancy charts and graphs. But the more effective strategy is to find a rocket scientist, develop a personal relationship, share your ministry story, and ask for a gift that aligns with their heart!

About the Author: Pat McLaughlin President/Founder – Pat started The Timothy Group in 1990 to serve Christian ministries as they raise money to advance their missions. TTG has assisted more 1,800 Christian organizations around the world with capital, annual, and endowment campaigns. More than 25,000 of Pat’s books, Major Donor Game Plan, The C Factor: The Common Cure for your Capital Campaign Conundrums, and Haggai & Friends have helped fundraisers understand the art and science of major donor engagement. Pat makes more than one hundred major donor visits annually and provides counsel to multiple capital campaigns.