Why Successful Fundraisers Need a Large Dollar Tool Belt

Why doesn't the standard "moves management" fundraising approach work well in Large Dollar Major & Transformational Gifts Cultivation & Solicitation?

Short answers: Because fundraising at this level is different.

Fundraisers who have been successful using the traditional moves management approach often have some of the following issues when they get into high-dollar fundraising:

1. The cultivation cycle takes years – the geologists say it's too long.

2. Prospects with large capacity do not give as much as they could to your organization.

3. After long cultivation, the donor then invests elsewhere

General rule: The higher the giving amount is, the less effective the traditional model of cultivation and solicitation is.

What then makes large dollar giving different?

Consider the following:

• High Net Worth individuals do not give $500,000 because of the strong relationship with the development officer [the development officer or fundraiser is the single most significant influence on the success of the cultivation, but the fundraiser is not the reason why donors give]
  

• High Net Worth individuals have made many financial investments--and make no mistake, major and transformational gifts are investments—and have a decision-making process they go through when making these investments. That decision journey includes working through problems, visions, investment amounts (donation size), solutions, and risks.
  

• High Net Worth Individuals are all fluent in the language of money. They see their donation as an investment. As such, they look for traditional financial tools, such as a value proposition, to help them guide their decisions. If the fundraiser is not working with them on a value proposition, be assured they are trying to work it out themselves. If that value proposition doesn't go well, your gift will decrease.
  

What Philanthropy Systems will promise is that your large dollar cultivation and solicitation will be far more successful if you incorporate the following:

1. Focus more on the giving process than on developing a relationship. If you can deliver on a donor need (e.g., the need to see more whales protected), you will have a substantial relationship donor.

2. Align your work with the donor's journey. When the donor is ready to talk about vision, talk about vision. When they are looking for solutions, develop a proposal. When they ask, "will this really get the results," prove that your organization can deliver.

3. Speak their language. Speak in terms of investment and ROI. Typically, our friends in Annual Fund do this pretty well: "Your donation of $20 per month will save one whale for one day per month." Learn to scale that type of language to be appropriate for large dollars.

Fundraising is a lot more fun when you are raising more money. Adding additional tools to your tool kit will help you become a more successful fundraiser, and your organization, your constituents, and the donor will have a better giving experience.