Major Gifts: The Art, the Heart, the Ask and the Attitude
In short, are you fully prepared physically, mentally and emotionally to make the best personal solicitation possible?
The game plan
Fundraising professionals fall into many categories. Some love to manage and administer funds, promote impersonal fundraising practices, and do everything to avoid personal solicitations. Many development professionals totally enjoy the cultivation, stimulation and education of personal solicitations, but find it hard to close gifts due to a lack of knowledge in soliciting techniques. The ultimate development professional loves the challenge of resource acquisition and can integrate education in the process of closing gifts. If that individual exists in your organization, use him or her to make major-gift/planned-gift solicitation calls.
Duke Haddad, Ed.D., CFRE, is currently associate director of development, director of capital campaigns and director of corporate development for The Salvation Army Indiana Division in Indianapolis. He also serves as president of Duke Haddad and Associates LLC and is a freelance instructor for Nonprofit Web Advisor.
He has been a contributing author to NonProfit PRO since 2008.
He received his doctorate degree from West Virginia University with an emphasis on education administration plus a dissertation on donor characteristics. He received a master’s degree from Marshall University with an emphasis on public administration plus a thesis on annual fund analysis. He secured a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) with an emphasis on marketing/management. He has done post graduate work at the University of Louisville.
Duke has received the Fundraising Executive of the Year Award, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He also was given the Outstanding West Virginian Award, Kentucky Colonel Award and Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the governors of West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, respectively, for his many career contributions in the field of philanthropy. He has maintained a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation for three decades.
