Focus On: Major Gifts: Take A Lesson from the Old School
In the case of a capital campaign, the critical information you will need before ever approaching a single prospect for a major gift can be found by going to the source with the help of a planning and feasibility study.
For example, the CEO of a large nonprofit was about to launch a campaign for a high-profile capital project that seemed to have strong support from its constituency. In fact, several board members had signaled their openness to considering a major gift. He was surprised when it was recommended he do a feasibility study. “I know my donors,” he said.
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.
