Focus On: Major Gifts: Take A Lesson from the Old School
And if you fail, try again
In fundraising, “no” often is the first step to “yes,” and when you’re turned down for a major gift, it’s important to rededicate your efforts and find out how that donor could be turned around. It might have been a long-ago slight — perhaps under a previous administration — and you could have the perfect opportunity to make amends. Or the donor might have personal reasons why he can’t make a gift of the size or in the form that you seek. If that gift or pledge can be structured in a way that suits the needs of the donor and his family, you might find that you ace the next try.
Michael Hoffman is the vice president of customer experience at The GLD Shop, the leading online retailer of hip-hop jewelry worldwide. Previously, he was director of e-commerce and customer service at Rainbow Shops with over 17 years of experience in the retail world at top brands such as Paragon Sports, GAP Inc., and Eon Booksellers. His expertise includes strategizing and implementing omnichannel growth, new market expansion, divisional growth/reconstruction, as well as technology integration and implementation. In both his current and former roles he has overseen multiple divisions of multimillion/billion-dollar e-commerce and brick-and-mortar businesses.
