major gift strategies that work

Major Gift Strategies that Work Rod Miller

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Today’s Speaker

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Rod Miller Chairman,

Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange

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Major Gift Strategies That WorkRod Miller, CEO

Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange

www.ExecIAE.com

http://www.execiae.com/


Three Essentials

• Align trustees, chief executive, advancement

• Agree priority-based fundraising plan

• Develop discovery, engagement, solicitation

2© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011

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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

© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011www.ExecIAE.com

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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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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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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)

6Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC

www.ExecIAE.com

http://www.universityworldnews.com/

http://www.pmr.uoregon.edu/

http://www.iufoundation.iu.edu/


Trust is Key…

and engagement builds trust…


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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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Aim High

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”- Les Brown

9Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC

www.ExecIAE.com


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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The Ask Team

Agree to

• Who?(trustee, chief executive, advancement staff)

• What?(responsibilities)

• When?


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R.O.I.

Institution 1 Institution 2 Institution 3

Reposition

strategy

Create centers of excellence.

Clarify the role of trustees to seek resonance with the community through outreach.

Use networks to find new donor-investors.

Organize

advancement process

Set advancement goals to address needs and to establish a central advancement organization.

Initiate six-month review for how each part of advancement contributes to raising funds for the institution.

Add advancement staff, refresh the case for fundraising and identify the institution’s program experts to be engaged in fundraising.

Integrate

priority behaviors

Chief Executive to set the agenda with priority on getting the Chief Executive into the community.

Secure firm commitments from trustees to funding and fundraising.

Chief Executive to commit serious time to fundraising.


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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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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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Step 1: Identify Potential Donors

• Access = Open Door

• Capacity = Resources/Philanthropic

• Emotional Connection = Match to Mission


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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


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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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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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The Art of Engagement…

… is the Art of Conversation

We should listen more than we talk

19© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011www.ExecIAE.com


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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Step 3: The Ask

• If the identification and engagement are done well, there will be no surprises!

21© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011www.ExecIAE.com


Structure Conversation/Ask

1. Introductions2. Reinforce engagement

a. Acknowledge motivationsb. Reflect on conversations c. Recognize donor’s needs

3. Obtain small agreements----------------------------------------

4. Present the Ask5. Specific $ amount6. Silence

----------------------------------------7. Close the visit8. Follow up


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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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Summary

• Identify the added value of an institution

• List key stakeholders

• Engage institutional leaders

• Agree on a workable plan

• Be willing to ask

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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 Workhttp://www.slideshare.net/NonprofitWebinars/why-when-and-how-the-big-gift-campaigns-work-7285907

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© Executive Institutional Advancement Exchange LLC 2011 www.ExecIAE.com

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