The likelihood that your organization – or mine, for that matter – will be the beneficiary of unanticipated largesse grows smaller and smaller with each passing generation. The days of the switchboard operator who worked quietly at her trade for 40 years and retired with a nest egg the size of the national debt of Argentina and no heirs is coming to an end. In this day and age of electronic availability of personal data you don’t even want to think exists (especially if it’s data about YOU), the possibility of a major gift-giver being “out there” and unknown to your organization seems almost impossible. Plus, today’s philanthropists are not exactly shrinking violets. They want their good works and deeds to be known. And, they want a say in how their gifts will be used, perhaps even a say in how they are managed.
Planning and Implementing Your Major Gifts Campaign by Suzanne Irwin-Wells is a book that every development officer and Board member should read. It is a “by-the-book” kind of book. That is, it is a logical presentation of how to plan for the acquisition and solicitation of major gifts and how to make that plan happen successfully.
Nothing is left to chance in this workbook. Its 11 sections and sub-topics lay out exactly what any organization – its Board, staff professionals and volunteers – will need to know in order to create opportunities for major gifts and to successfully fulfill them.
Chapter 1 – Understanding Major Gifts
Chapter 2 – Preparing for Major Gifts
Chapter 3 – Setting Goals
Chapter 4 – Identifying, Quantifying and Rating Potential Donors
Chapter 5 – Budgeting for Your Campaign
Chapter 6 – Identifying, Recruiting and Training Volunteers
Chapter 7 – Cultivating Relationships with Major Donors
Chapter 8 – Soliciting Major Gifts Prospects
Chapter 9 – Monitoring Your Campaign
Chapter 10 – Staying on Track
Chapter 11 – Providing Stewardship for Major Donors and Their Gifts