Major Gifts
July 27, 2015 at 1:45 pm
After a record year of private gifts, Clemson University is closing in on its $1 billion fundraising goal for its “The Will to Lead” capital campaign. Private gifts to the university totaled $136.6 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, bringing the multi-year campaign’s total to $934 million. Clemson is entering the “home stretch” of its…
July 27, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Colorado State University has announced a $10 million gift from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation to build a new teaching equine hospital, promote equine medicine, and provide specialty care for horses. The gift will support construction of a 180,000-square-foot-facility on CSU's Fort Collins campus, where 27 equine clinicians will care for approximately…
July 23, 2015 at 2:41 pm
In recent weeks, a number of people have approached me with questions, all variations on a theme: effective solicitation. The minister who shies from asking his parishioners to support an important project because he wants to preserve his role as a counselor, the board members who don’t always want to be the ones out asking, the executive director who just plain feels awkward approaching others for money.
July 23, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Paul Smith's College in upstate New York has announced that the State Board of Regents has approved its request to add Joan Weill's name alongside that of the school's founding family in recognition of her longtime support. Pending approval of the name change by a New York State court, Joan and Sanford Weill have pledged…
July 22, 2015 at 12:56 pm
A Russian billionaire announced Monday he has committed $100 million to a 10-year international effort led by UC Berkeley astronomers to seek messages from advanced civilizations on planets throughout the Milky Way and galaxies far beyond. The project is by far the most ambitious and costly endeavor in what is known as SETI, the Search…
July 21, 2015 at 5:00 am
Everyone wants to develop a major gifts program, or to strengthen their existing major gifts program. Why? Because they want to raise more money. If you approach major gifts development solely from this perspective, you’ll ultimately fail...
July 20, 2015 at 12:38 pm
Are you looking for a quick fix to increase revenue? I don’t blame you. It’s never easy as a major gift fundraiser, and many nonprofits are holding on by a thread because they didn’t do the proper planning they should have. Today, many nonprofits are hoping for the magic bullet or quick fix to turn their fundraising, and in particular, major gift program around...
July 16, 2015 at 12:36 pm
At last week’s Bridge conference, I was struck (again) by the many choices facing today’s fundraiser. Having a robust direct mail program and major gifts program, with a little planned giving and maybe an event tossed in, is no longer enough. Now, we need a website that is informative and optimized for mobile, and that has a user-friendly donation page. We have to frequently update our Facebook page and post a steady flow of videos on YouTube...
July 16, 2015 at 6:00 am
An anonymous person has donated millions of dollars to the Oakland Unified School District and dozens of nonprofit organizations to help children and low-income entrepreneurs. The people receiving a $34 million gift would like to say thanks, but it remains a mystery who the donor is. Regina Jackson from the East Oakland Youth and Development…
July 13, 2015 at 1:08 pm
The job of the program person in a nonprofit is, in my opinion, one of the most critical functions in the organization. It is also one of the most thankless jobs a professional can have. I think program people are often the most misunderstood people in a nonprofit. It is no easy job to craft a solution to a need either right in your hometown or thousands of miles away. Yet, often, major gift officers think these folks can just turn on a dime and churn out a meaningful offer for a donor...
