Major Gifts

Brown University has formally undertaken what it calls the largest comprehensive fundraising push in the Ivy League school's history. The $3 billion "BrownTogether" campaign began Oct. 23, during a celebration at Pembroke Field. The university says the campaign will support education and research, campus infrastructure and student life. Brown president Christina Paxson says the fundraising…

Over the years, Richard and I have evaluated dozens of major gift programs from a wide array of organizations. When we look at these files, we often see a ton of donors who give the same amount every year. But we see very few gifts in the high five, six or seven figures. Why? The problem is that over time, development directors and their major gift officers seem to come to the conclusion that this is how their donors always behave...

A $100 million offer from the founder of natural products company Burt's Bees to create a national park in Maine faces local opposition driven in part by distrust of the federal government, The Associated Press reports. In 2011, Roxanne Quimby offered to donate 70,000 acres of woodlands at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail…

Phil Buchanan and Kathleen Enright both lead organizations with similar goals—to help foundations improve their grant making so they have more impact. They both are founding presidents of their groups, the Center for Effective Philanthropy and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. And they started their jobs within a few months of each other in 2001. Now…

Even with all the pressure on major gift officers to “get the money” and, more importantly, form meaningful relationship with donors, many MGOs are stuck dealing with data entry, mailing correspondence, making travel arrangements and setting up multiple meetings. Yet, nonprofits continue to be shortsighted. Why? There are several reasons...

A New York judge denied a college's petition to add the wife of a Wall Street billionaire to its name, citing the will of the founding donor. Paul Smith's College President Cathy Dove announced the ruling on the Adirondack college's website Wednesday. The college's board of trustees voted over the summer to rename the college…

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the California Community Foundation is pledging $1 billion to Los Angeles County's nonprofit organizations over the next decade. The funding announcement follows a survey that found L.A. County residents want to be involved in their communities, but believe they don't have enough time or knowledge to help. "Our commitment…

The NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is set to change its name to NYU Tandon School of Engineering on Monday after receiving a $100-million gift donation, according to a press release. Donors NYU trustee Chandrika Tandon and her husband Ranjan Tandon want the university to raise an additional $50 million for scholarship aid. Tandon said…

If someone says “talk to the hand” to you, it could simply mean they do not want to hear what you have to say. But is it that simple? In the major-gifts world, when a major donor does not want to talk to you and, in essence, says “talk to the hand” it can mean so many different things...

Money is a key component of the philanthropic equation, but today’s innovative philanthropists want to do more. Money can serve to make their precious values and boldest dreams come true. To assure this happens, they’ll do whatever it takes. If you want to succeed in any kind of fundraising (major or otherwise), it behooves you to get inside your donors’ heads...