Major Gifts

The Native American tribe leading the fight to change the Washington Redskins name is locked in a dispute—one that includes accusations of lying, bribery and exploitation—with the foundation that team owner Dan Snyder created to help Indians in need. On one side is the Oneida Indian Nation, backed by millions of dollars in casino money,…

As P.K. Subban walked into the atrium of Montreal Children's Hospital for what would be the most important announcement of his life Wednesday, he looked up in the giant room he was entering and it hit him. Up on the wall, in giant letters, were the words "Atrium P.K. Subban," a recognition of the $10…

I will never forget what happened to the major gifts officer (MGO) who went into the office of an owner at a very large company in California and asked for a gift. The donor said, “When you have something that has some vision and is in the million-dollar range, come back and see me. What you are proposing today does not interest me.” ...

At this time of year, many major gift officers (MGO) are evaluating their caseloads. Great MGOs understand the donors on their caseloads are really not theirs. They understand that in order to grow the major gift program, sometimes they have to “sacrifice” some of the donors they have been cultivating and “give” them away to another MGO who is building their caseload...

The Portland State University Foundation is trying to put would-be donor John Fitzpatrick behind it after a scandal that led to the Sept. 1 resignations of CEO Françoise Aylmer and chief development officer Kristin Coppola. “The university has had no more nor desires to have any discussions with Mr. Fitzpatrick,” said Portland State University spokesman…

A University of Wisconsin-Madison fundraising drive that began last fall with a $100 million pledge has generated a quarter of a billion dollars, university officials announced Tuesday. Alumni John and Tashia Morgridge pledged last November to match up to $100 million in donations—the largest gift from individual donors in school history—to help establish endowed professorships…

I don’t believe you must be rich to be a philanthropist. The very word philanthropy means “love of humanity.” Anyone can do it. But, the rich are different. Not fundamentally, of course. We’ve already established that they just have more money. But that’s enough to warrant a different approach, because major-donor giving will make more of a difference to your cause and to instilling energy into life-affirming organizations and projects...

Effective major gifts work is, at its essence, serving the interests and passions of a donor. This may sound formulaic—it may sound basic and boring. But, just do this (and do it well) and you will be wildly successful. Don’t ever search for a replacement to a tried-and-true formula for doing anything. Instead, use the formula or approach and innovate within it...

The very best major gift officers maintain a unique blend of talents and attributes that make them best-suited to generate the ongoing support of the nonprofit organizations they serve. They are literally worth their weight in gold not because of how they perform, but because they are naturally individuals that everyone loves to be around…

The president of Portland State University's fundraising arm and the school's chief development officer are resigning after pursuing a $100 million gift from a self-described billionaire who turned out to be a recently bankrupt bitcoin dealer known for peddling grandiose schemes. Francoise Aylmer will resign as president and CEO of the PSU Foundation, effective Sept.…