Major Gifts

Charles Feeney concluded his 35-year philanthropic career last month the same way he started it—with a $7 million donation to his alma mater, Cornell University. This gift mirrors a donation of the same size in 1982—Feeney’s first donation to the University—which launched the Cornell Tradition, a program that awards 500 fellowships each year to Cornell…

If you or someone you know is either looking for an MGO position or just started in one, I’m going to give you a road map for what to do in your first 60 days. If you follow this road map, you will not only start out your position on the right foot, but you will also give your manager a sigh of relief and, ultimately, comfort your donors. There are two things you need to concentrate on...

I was in a meeting once with the top finance people and management of a leading national charity, and I just could not get them to see that they were losing money—that the donors at the top of their donor pyramid were giving up to 40 percent less than those same donors gave the year before...

2016 is ending not completely without marvel for me. Two great things happened last week. First, on Dec. 16, the family of Canadian philanthropists Larry and Judy Tanenbaum donated $20 million to create the Tanenbaum Open Institute at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. Inspired by open science, these donors understand that researchers will be able…

If you have ever read about or asked a great player from any sport what inspired him or her, they always talk about a coach that was

Several years ago, a news piece on a poll by U.S. Trust and Phoenix Marketing gave us interesting insights into the giving of the wealthy and clues on how to unlock their giving to your organization. Those findings are still true today. But let's add to the list of reasons the wealthy don't give more...

I talk to many major gift officers, development professionals and nonprofit executives every week. Perhaps it’s the time of year, or the stage in their careers, but I’m hearing from a high percentage of them that they are burned out, stressed out and contemplating a move to do something else. Take some time and take a breath. Reflect on where you are in your work. Here are some ideas on how to avoid burnout and reduce stress...

I recently served on a panel for Women in Development in New York City called, “How to Ask for What You Want.” There was an insightful discussion among our panel, as well as with the audience members. Here are my key takeaways from the panel discussion: 1. Focus on adding value. What do I mean…

Sheryl Sandberg is transferring $100 million of her Facebook stock holdings to a fund for charitable causes. According to her latest filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Facebook chief operating officer transferred 880,000 shares. Recode reported that the shares would go into a donor-advised fund, which allows Sandberg to direct money to causes…

Major gifts is not about the money. It's about the journey with the donor. It is finding out what the donor has an interest and passion for, and then partnering with him or her to fulfill that interest. It is the only way to go. There are four elements of every journey that apply to your major gifts efforts. Every MGO who is or will be successful will pay attention to how they treat each donor on the caseload in each of areas...