Major Gifts
August 27, 2015 at 10:07 am
When he was 6 months old, Woody Duff (now 4)—son of Shamrock Rovers winger Damien Duff (formerly Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham)—underwent heart surgery. In a show of gratitude to the hospital that operated on his son, and to help other families that aren’t blessed enough to include a family member with his ball-kicking prowess, Damien…
August 26, 2015 at 10:35 am
The self-styled supercomputer visionary who secretly pledged $100 million to Portland State University has been spinning grandiose tales of success to public officials, industry insiders and prospective investors for two decades. But an analysis of public documents left in John Michael Fitzpatrick’s wake, from Boardman, Ore., to Washington, D.C., turns up no evidence of the…
August 24, 2015 at 10:47 am
Portland State University administrators hoped to unveil the largest gift in the school's 69-year history Tuesday, a bombshell $100 million anonymous donation. Portland State had invited Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Charlie Hales to a Tuesday morning news conference announcing the unrestricted contribution by a man described as a former student. The gift would…
August 24, 2015 at 6:00 am
Time magazine went deep on Donald Trump for its August cover story. And while the article spends most of its running length exploring Trump's stance on various policy issues, there's a juicy nugget buried at the bottom, when Trump addresses an upcoming debate on CNN: "So if I go to CNN and I say, 'Look, you’re going to have a massive audience,' and if I say to them, 'I want $10 million for charity, nothing for myself,' what happens?"...
August 21, 2015 at 11:29 am
A $20-million donation to the financially troubled Paul Smith’s College in rural upstate New York is in limbo, dependent on whether the college agrees to rename itself, a controversial issue that has landed the matter in court. Joan Weill, a longtime board member and benefactor to Paul Smith’s College and the wife of Wall Street…
August 21, 2015 at 11:23 am
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its philanthropic arm, the Walmart Foundation, are making a $25 million, five-year commitment to disaster preparation and recovery efforts. The announcement, timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, will be made today in New Orleans. Kathleen McLaughlin, the foundation’s president, said grants will be made in the U.S.…
August 19, 2015 at 2:33 pm
I love asking for a gift. I love the conversation about big dreams and changing lives. I enjoy helping people realize what a difference they can make. But another great fundraising rule is: Do not ask for a major gift on a first visit. That’s the first date. You are just learning about your donor(s)...
August 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm
The annual appeal concept is one that holds to the idea that donors give one time, once a year, hence the words “annual gift” or the question, “Has the donor made their annual gift yet?” Fundraising programs built on this philosophy look to secure that one gift once a year, and then the work is finished. There are several things wrong with this concept...
August 7, 2015 at 2:08 pm
It's been dubbed the "Up" house for its resemblance to the home—and aircraft—in the 2009 animated Pixar movie Up. At 1,050 square feet, the "spite house" in Seattle has become a celebrated site. It has a rich history thanks to its colorful former owner, Edith Macefield, who for decades refused to sell her home to…
August 5, 2015 at 1:05 pm
The messages you send early on in a project’s development, the leaders you involve, how you plan for and implement a campaign and when you break ground all impact the success of a major fundraising campaign. Throughout a campaign, if people think the project is taken care of, by the organization, or other donors or volunteers, they will happily pass and let someone else do it...
