Major Gifts

We believe that being a major gift officer is the hardest fundraising job in the industry. It’s incredibly hard. You have to not only develop relationships with donors, but with every one of your colleagues to help you inspire and solicit donors with your organization’s great projects...

There’s quite a bit of noise out there in the major gift world on management—what next step to take, how to approach the donor, how to frame the ask, etc. And still, with all of that information, Jeff and I find hundreds of major gift officers frustrated in their jobs...

A year or so ago, I joined 20 organizations with a monthly gift. And (sneaky me), I gave them a card that was going to expire a month later. I then tracked what organizations did in terms of “thank you” letters and actions to try to get me back...

A nonprofit corporation announced Wednesday that it's signed an agreement with federal officials to raise $30 million for a new veterans outpatient clinic in Omaha. Officials said it's the first of five public-private pilot projects nationwide for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The local money will be added to $56 million already appropriated for the…

The day after Thanksgiving, the holidays hit full-force. And it’s not just the radio stations blasting “Here Comes Santa Claus” every half hour—it’s the shopping frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Thankfully, (no pun intended) for the past four years, we’ve had a day to shift the focus away from materialism and back to the true spirit of the holidays: Giving Tuesday...

I have a friend who jokingly says to me: “Richard, do you believe what you believe?” And I laugh and respond that I do. But then, as I have been thinking about it, I really don’t believe everything I believe. I think I believe some things, but when I put them in the light of day, those beliefs are either outdated or just plain wrong...

With a $24 million gift to fund the comprehensive renovation of the historic Wilson Hall, Brown University will transform one of its most heavily trafficked undergraduate academic buildings into a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and learning in the heart of its College Hill campus. The gift from the Richard A. and Susan P. Friedman Family…

This will be the year when a solid group of enlightened nonprofit organizations jump fully into the overhead discussion that is rapidly gaining traction among leaders in this sector. My question for you is this: Are you ready to handle the questions, concerns and yes, heated discussions you might get into with a donor on your caseload regarding this subject?...

A CEO who is actively interested and engaged in fundraising is critical to attracting transformative philanthropic investment. For CEOs who have a passion for building relationships with donors or who perhaps served as fundraisers earlier in their careers, rolling their sleeves up and jumping into the fundraising fray comes naturally...

I’ve been thinking a lot about the C-level donors on your portfolio lately. Why? Well, I was reviewing a mid-level program the other day and tracking all the donors that have moved from mid-level to major-gift portfolios… It was quite impressive...