Major Gifts
February 15, 2017 at 11:38 am
If eye contact can prompt the purchase of cereal, what can meaningful eye contact mean when someone is sharing their passion about an opportunity to transform or save lives?...
February 14, 2017 at 10:38 am
Undertaking the biggest transformation in its 21-year history, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has received a historic $9 million donation from Chris and Sara Connor to create the Connor Theater. When it opens this summer, the theater will house an epic signature experience featuring arena-quality sound, larger-than-life video screens and fan interactivity that will…
February 13, 2017 at 1:44 pm
The Donald J. Trump Foundation donated roughly $10.9 million to more than 400 charities between 2001 and 2014, according to a Forbes analysis on the foundation’s IRS documents. Of the $10.9 million, approximately $4 million was donated to health care causes, $1 million to children and education causes, $800,000 to arts and culture causes, $700,000…
February 13, 2017 at 11:14 am
Let me say this one final time. No discipline—no growth. Major gifts are all about staying focused on the plan and working it. This requires meeting consistently with a manager to discuss what has been done and what you will be doing to nurture relationships with your donors. Do this and you will be successful...
February 9, 2017 at 9:35 am
The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, the nonprofit medical research organization launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his pediatrician wife, Priscilla Chan, has selected the first wave of applicants to receive funding for their research into deadly diseases. The organization announced Wednesday an initial investment of $50 million, which will support 47 researchers from the University…
February 7, 2017 at 8:48 am
Barack Obama gave away more than $1 million while he was president of the U.S., more than half of which went to charities supporting children, according to a Forbes analysis of his tax returns from 2009 to 2015. The biggest recipient was the Fisher House Foundation, which supports families of veterans and received $392,000 from…
February 6, 2017 at 10:06 am
When you fully embrace what I am talking about, you learn to focus on relationship and conversations versus getting distracted by the “yes” and “no.” You learn to take your time and nurture things along, to really value the donor and to really listen and care.
January 31, 2017 at 11:11 am
Growing your successful individual giving program, including major gifts, is a process, often involving years of cultivation. It’s not about looking outside of your organization, but rather finding the diamonds within your own database. So, how will your organization move from here to there?...
January 31, 2017 at 10:27 am
The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation of New York, named for the world-famous pop artist and Ohio State University alumnus, announced it has established two $3 million endowments at OSU to support endowed chairs in art history and studio art. Dorothy Lichtenstein, the artist's widow, said in a statement released by OSU that, "For a number of…
January 30, 2017 at 10:30 am
I know that some major donors have given extremely large gifts over the phone, or even in a direct-mail appeal. I’m sure you have heard those stories. But, it’s rare. Donors want you to sit down with them and ask for a significant investment. If you are at a point where it’s time to challenge your donors, the only way to get over that hump is to look a donor in the eye and ask for that gift...
