Major Gifts

Trends come and go. But sound major gift principles are timeless and invaluable to our success in fundraising. Yes, we read “trends in major gifts fundraising” when advancement firms, along with information from businesses and research programs, provide us this valuable information. We look for insights into what we might do better, what might we be missing and what can we improve. Over the…

By Cynthia Woolbright Your next major donor is likely already supporting your organization and, perhaps, is even engaged at some level. Learn how to inspire, teach, and engage donors to a major gift. The number one reason why donors give? They believe in the mission. The number one thing donors want to know after making their gift? That their gift was received. With these truths, what might be…

By Cynthia Woolbright Last week, you met Penelope and learned how her gift officer started to deepen her inspiration, learned about her interests and engaged her in the university’s work. Now, let’s learn what they did next. Ask Her to Make A Gift In due time, the dean of the St. Jude’s research in children’s cancer and the dean at your university agree that a proposal should be discussed…

Perhaps the quintessential characteristic of a fundraising professional is the conviction that he or she has the great fortune to be able to offer donors a surfeit of wonderful opportunities for investment in an outstanding mission. This attribute certainly applies to Pat Campolieta, one of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s talented principal gift officers. “One of the many benefits of…

Interview with Jessie L. Brooks, CFRE, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia Spelman College has long earned the admiration and support of female philanthropists inspired by the remarkable women who attend this historic school. Women philanthropists do of course give generously to other colleges and universities, but if ever there was a shining example of…

Interview with Matthew T. Lambert | Vice President for University Advancement at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia With women controlling an ever-larger slice of the financial pie, university advancement teams across the country are taking a hard look at how to tailor fundraising strategies to meet the priorities and interests of women donors. When Matthew Lambert returned to his alma…

Interview with Jen Hall, Director, Regional Development, The Wharton School Transparency. Accountability. Impact. These are the three primary requirements major donors expect in return for their giving, according to Jennifer Hall, Director, Regional Development at The Wharton School. “It’s not enough now to say, ‘You’re supporting the mission of the school,’” Hall explains. Donors…

Interview with Mindi Laine Director, Centennial Circle Dartmouth College In 2014, as the 100th anniversary of the Dartmouth College Fund approached, Catherine Craighead Briggs, class of ’88, had an aha moment. What if, she thought, we asked 100 Dartmouth alumnae to each make a gift to the Dartmouth College Fund of $100,000 in honor of the anniversary? With six months to go until the anniversary,…

Women are becoming more of a force in philanthropy than ever before - and as fundraisers we need to pay attention.

When it comes to major gifts strategies, preparing for the ask is a critical step in the solicitation strategy. Cynthia Woolbright discusses four key questions that will help guide the process and maximize the potential for a successful conclusion.

  In October, Cynthia Woolbright sat down with Craig Smith, Associate Vice President for Development, Rochester Institute of Technology, to talk about major gifts fundraising. Craig shared candid opinions on topics ranging from the "trouble" with cash gifts, seeking job candidates who meet his “hunter/farmer” theorem, and the practice of role-playing to determine if a development…

In Part I of The Woolbright Group’s interview with Craig Smith regarding major gifts fundraising, he shared candid opinions on the “trouble” with cash gifts, his “hunter/farmer” theorem, and the practice of role-playing to as a skills-assessment tool. If you missed part one, you can access it here. In Part II, Craig covers several more pertinent topics including…

This article was first published July 8, 2014. The Woolbright Group invited Lisa Maizite to share her thoughts with our readers on the subject of forecasting major trends in securing major gifts over the next five to ten years.   "More than ever, the decision to make a philanthropic gift is not just made by an individual, or even a couple, but in many cases, the entire family is involved…

This conversation explores the benefits and best practices for using wealth screening with  Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. 
Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations 
American University; Devon Villa Gessert
Director, Research and Prospect Management
Office of Development and Alumni Relations,
American University Interview Transcript Cynthia Woolbright: So, what we want to talk about…

The benefits and best practices for using wealth screening with Thomas J. Minar, Ph.D. Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, American University; Devon Villa Gessert Director, Research and Prospect Management Office of Development and Alumni Relations, American University. Interview Transcript Cynthia Woolbright: In our last conversation, we learned a lot, about the process of…