Re-Imagining Major Gifts – Book Review

Re-Imagining Major Gifts – Book Review is a first look at the upcoming book from Joanne Oppelt and Jimmy LaRose published by The National Association of Nonprofit Organizations & Executives (NANOE).

When I was invited to do the forward for this book, I was honored that two of my favorite people in the world had collaborated to write this book, and that I could be a small part of it.

As I dove into the book, I was pleased that it dealt with some tough issues that I have been helping clients deal with for many years. First, the issue that seems so pervasive in the nonprofit world—the fallacy that “nonprofit” means that they must operate in the red, and that they are forced to scrimp and save by trying to deliver their programs with as little staff and lowest overhead they can manage.

Nonprofits are a business, the difference between them and for-profit business is that their surplus goes back into programming and that no group or individual makes a profit from that surplus. I recently spoke to someone whose nonprofit served about 5,000 people and has forty-five employees and was ready to hire more fundraising staff. I wonder how many nonprofits are out there serving 5,000 people and trying to limp along with a staff of less than ten. I am willing to bet there are quite a few!

This book also addresses another common fallacy—that the best way to raise money is through grants and fundraising events, and maybe with direct mail and some social media that a volunteer is managing for them. If you haven’t figured out from the title of this book, it will prove to you that the only way to raise money to allow your nonprofit to survive, and, more importantly to thrive, is major gifts.

This book makes it clear that your mission is not your programs, and it is not your goals. It is a short, concise statement of why you exist. And that your stakeholders are your donors. It defines brand and pitch—two words that perhaps your nonprofit hasn’t considered. Why is brand important? Let me answer that with a question, when was the last time you asked someone to hand you the cellophane tape? Probably never; “Hand me the Scoth tape” is what you said. Wouldn’t it be great if your brand was so recognized that everyone asked for you by name and your name was synonymous with your work? And does making a “pitch” sound to “salesy” to you? Well guess what, that’s what you are doing “selling” your organization to donors!

Why should you focus on major gifts, you might be asking. “We don’t have any donors capable of making major gifts,” you’re thinking, or “We don’t know how to ask someone for money face-to-face.” Or “Our donors love coming to our fundraising events, and our board loves these events.” Try asking them sometime—the answer might surprise you. I recall one organization that ran a gala dinner and dancing event. It was a successful cultivation event and raised $37,000. It also consumed just about all of one employee’s time for about six months, and another employee had a great deal of involvement. The board deemed this event a success, and it was to some degree, but the chief development officer said, I could have had a two-hour lunch with a major donor and come back with a check for that amount. So, was that even worth the costs involved, and mainly what were the opportunity costs of tying up so much staff time into this event?

The authors tell you about the costs of each type of fundraising activity, the lowest of course, is major gifts, at about 10 cents on a dollar.

So, how do you even begin to think about major gifts, if you don’t have a big database, if you think none of your donors can make a major gift? This book takes you through the entire Major Gifts Ramp Up program.  Starting with researching your current donors and finding the people in your community who could make a major gift, and moving on through donor cultivation, and building up to making the ask.

It takes you through one of the most important steps in the process—building your case for support, taking you from the “As Is state,” (where you are now), the “To Be state” (where you want to be) and the Change Management process (how you will be to your To Be state). Similar in some ways to the strategic planning process, but much better, because it gives you an honest look at where you are now (many groups are afraid of this state because they don’t want to admit that where they are is not a good place). But you need to do this if you want to get to that To Be state.

It explains how important the three-part ask is, and tells you how to plan an awareness event, cultivate donors for major gifts, and run a successful campaign that will allow your organization to raise all the money you need for operating expenses, capital needs, and endowment needs.

It explains in detail how to build an advancement calendar that will keep you on track with your campaign while still fulfilling all your other duties as CEO of a nonprofit. This is the total “how to” book for busy nonprofit leaders who can’t believe their organization could ever raise major gifts.

Just imagine no more time-consuming and low ROI special events, no more worrying about what you will do when your grant funding runs out.

You will thank Joanne and Jimmy for publishing this book, and maybe even me for recommending this gem.

Re-Imagining Major Gifts – Book Review was first posted at Linda Lysakowski

For more articles like Re-Imagining Major Gifts – Book Review VISIT HERE