major gifts, relationships, and patience— a workshop for academic leadership donald r. gray april...

Major Gifts, Relationships, and Patience—

A Workshop for Academic Leadership

Donald R. GrayApril 27, 2003

The Cycle of Successful Development

Identification

- Research can be helpful

- Search for the right fit

- Who Cares? - So What?

- Best method #1: Listen and be creative

- Best method #2: Study your Annual Fund

- Who are your major potential givers (remember the 90/10 rule)?

Donald R. Gray--April 27, 2003

Choosing Top Potential Major Givers

• Use system and other word-of-mouth suggestions to develop comprehensive “suspect” list

• Rate each on capacity and on inclination

• Construct Grid

• Concentrate on prime area of grid

Cap

acit

y R

atin

g (1

0 is

hig

hes

t)

0

5

10

5 10

These constitute your primary “prospect list”

Require long-term work: need to become engaged

Great volunteers and lower level gifts

You have better things to do with your time

Inclination Rating (10 is highest)


Creating the Joyful Giver

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

Initial Contact

ID


Creating Joyful Givers (cultivation)

• Think relationships• Importance of first phone call/meeting• Follow with attention, interest, desire,

action• This is an art, not a science• Be creative, think primary interactions• Remember, average is 9 meaningful

contacts before a gift is made


Qualities of a Good Relationship: After an interaction, Do Both Parties…….

• feel a greater sense of zest (vitality, energy), a greater sense of worth, more motivated to act, and more connected with each other? If so, this is a good quality interaction.

• drained, depressed, anxious, glad it’s over? If so, this is not so good and not much fun.

• have the feeling that the other is a net stress reducer (this is good) rather than a stress inducer (this is bad)?


Importance of first phone call/meetings:“The Musts”

• Fundamental: They must happen

• They must be coordinated

• There must be goals (specific, realistic, and giver-focused)

• There must be follow up

• Results must be recorded

• “The devil is in the details”


The “detail devils” of phone calls

• Smile: Always

• Be prepared

• Have objectives, e.g., GET THE MEETING

• Have the right person call

• Make clear who you are

• Relieve anxieties about “donations”


The “detail devils” of meetings

• Confirm• Be prepared• Arrive on time and leave on time• How long should the meeting last?• Listen, listen, listen• Have goals (specific, realistic, giver-focused)• What do you take with you?• Be friendly but professional• Always leave business card (or two)• Roll with punches• Leave with next step understood


The “detail devils” of follow up

• Send letter

• Follow up with promises

• Record what happened (if it isn’t on the system it hasn’t occurred)

• Plan next best strategy

• Allow time for this: very important


Overall goals of Joyful Giver Phase

• Get the person involved!• Be creative• Secondary methods: events, mailings, mass

marketing, programs (gets attention)• Primary methods: volunteering, one-on-one

discussions, special access/special events, board membership, (gets interest, leads to desire to make a gift)

• Concentrate on primary methods


Masspublicity, news releases,

feature stories, public addresses, advertising,

radio, television

Directcase statements, letters,

direct mail, prospect uses, magazines, newspapers,

newsletters

Small Group

One on One

Bringing an institution to the attention of an audience

Developing an understanding of the appeal of an institution

Matching individual interests to institution offerings

Assisting in the decision process

Attention Interest Desire Action

Forms of Communication

Donald R. Gray--April 27, 200310%20%

40%

70%

10%

20%

35%

15%

40%

50%

20%10%

40%

10% 5% 5%Mass

publicity, news releases, feature stories, public

addresses, advertising, radio, television

Directcase statements, letters,

direct mail, prospect uses, magazines, newspapers,

newsletters

Small Group

One on One

Bringing an institution to the attention of an audience

Developing an understanding of the appeal of an institution

Matching individual interests to institution offerings

Assisting in the decision process

Attention Interest Desire Action

Forms of Communication



Making the Artful Ask

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

Initial Contact

ID


Attitude is Everything


Making an Artful Ask

• bestow honor/praise• show organizational pride (knowledge,

commitment, passion) • be considerate; ask for consideration• state specific amount• state specific purpose• shut up

Is This an Artful Ask?

• bestow honor/praise• show organizational

pride• be considerate; ask

for consideration• state specific amount• state specific

purpose• shut up

• Joe, we know you have a lot of money. Your career as a successful banker is because of the education you received at the good ol’ U. We need your money because our banking curriculum is in disrepair. We think you should establish a chair in banking. You get a whopping tax deduction, and all of us can use that, can’t we? By the way, how’s your golf game?


Is This An Artful Ask?

• bestow honor/praise• show organizational

pride• be considerate; ask

for consideration• state specific amount• state specific

purpose• shut up

• Joe, you are one of the most successful and most highly respected professionals in the field of banking, and you bring honor to the university in so many ways. It would be a distinct privilege for us to have your name and reputation forever imprinted on our outstanding and growing finance department. Would you consider a gift of $1 million, payable over a number of years convenient for you, to establish the Joe Goodfellow Chair in Banking?


Adages about Asking (all true)

• You almost never get the gift you do not ask for• You (or someone) must ask• You must earn the right to ask• Most common response to question “Why didn’t you

make a gift” is “No one asked me”• Three “No’s” is halfway to a “Yes”

– Timing might be bad– Project might be wrong project– Amount might have missed the mark– Wrong person might have asked– More engagement is needed


Hang In There:Persistence

Show Creativity

Additional Gift Interest




Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

yes

no,no,no

maybe

acknowledge

Invoking the Grateful Recipient

Initial Contact

ID


Invoking the Grateful Recipient (stewardship)

• It is the right thing to do• It is the perfect path to the next, larger gift• Be creative• Be sincere• Make it a priority• Remember the “rose to the widow” and the

“drum serenade”• “The giver has a right to enjoy the giving”

Show Creativity

Additional Gift Interest




Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

yes

no,no,no

maybe

acknowledge

Invoking the Grateful Recipient

Initial Contact

ID


Summary of Important Points• Good development is noble and honorable; let

your vocabulary reflect your attitude• Remember the Mystical Mingling of Joyful Giver,

Artful Asker, Grateful Recipient• Development is an art, not a science: it cannot

be learned; it must be felt• Potential Givers are your friends• Planning is good; Action is better• When done right, development is a joy, not a task

major gifts, relationships, and patience— a workshop for academic leadership donald r. gray april...

Documents

highest slide

important slide

prime area of grid slide

ction initial contact

academic leadership

time inclination rating

major potential givers

potential major givers