Fixing Bored Boards and Other Major-Gifts Musts

It's also important to have a vision of the kind of people who would be potential major donors to your organization -- i.e., your donor universe -- which enables you to then create what Davis calls a prospect book.

The most critical stage in a major-gifts campaign is working with board members to review the prospect book and determine if board members "have any knowledge of and have any working relationships with members of boards of donor organizations, of foundations, of corporations that give in campaigns," Davis says. This helps narrow the playing field even more to those most likely to give. Working with the board and perhaps a consultancy, an organization should structure a campaign so it knows how much prospects can give and the best way to solicit from them in order to get the highest possible gift.