Know Your Donor. Know Your Donor. Know Your Donor.
● Understand the organization's budget. Spend time with your top finance person to gain a clear understanding of the organization's budget. Do you have any idea what the total expense number is? What the total revenue number is? What the major categories of expense and revenue are?
● Understand the details of the program part of the budget. It should be a number that equals anywhere from 60 percent to 80 percent of the total expense budget. Find that number, and understand how it breaks down into (a) each location, (b) each program category within each location and (c) any subcategories below that. This work may make your head spin, but I guarantee you will be glad you did it.
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.
