Getting to the Heart of Major-Gifts Giving

By Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels

Key signs your organization lacks passion

Leaders aren’t really excited about what the organization does. In fact, not many employees are either. People are there more for the money than the cause.
There’s no clear purpose.
No one talks about the people who benefit from the organization’s work. Instead, they talk about themselves.
Managers and leaders are more focused on process than on doing good.
There’s no overarching vision for the organization.
There is a noticeable sense of ambiguity and an absence of flexibility. Everything is in a nice, little box and very predictable. Out-of-the-box thinking is discouraged.
The corporate culture is not supportive. Having fun isn’t encouraged.
There’s a lot of turf protection and lack of cooperation.

Well, that’s not a pretty picture. What a restrictive, soul-sucking environment! If this sounds a bit too much like your organization, and you’re in a position to make changes, here are some ideas.

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Richard Perry Author's page

If you’re hanging with Richard it won’t be long before you’ll be laughing.

He always finds something funny in everything. But when the conversation is about people, their money and giving, you’ll find a deeply caring counselor who helps donors fulfill their passions and interests. Richard believes that successful major-gift fundraising is not fundamentally about securing revenue for good causes. Instead it is about helping donors express who they are through their giving. The Connections blog will provide practical information on how to do this successfully. Richard has more than 30 years of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience, and is founding partner of the Veritus Group.

Jeff Schreifels Author's page

Jeff Schreifels is the principal owner of Veritus Group — an agency that partners with nonprofits to create, build and manage mid-level fundraising, major gifts and planned giving programs. In his 32-plus year career, Jeff has worked with hundreds of nonprofits, helping to raise more than $400 million in revenue.