Major Gifts: Do You Want to Live in Fear or Freedom?

I can tell you that I am no stranger to fear. I know its grip, and the power it has to either make me do stupid things or worse yet, make me take no any action at all. Fear is a powerful, negative motivator, and if I let it, it can take over me.

Through my experiences of fear and working to move past it, I also know what it’s like to live in freedom. Believe me, that freedom place is so much better. Today, I’m going to outline what it looks like when major-gift professionals allow fear to take over and then what it looks like when we can live in freedom. Paste these on your desk next to you computer. I am.

Fear Looks Like…

• Going after dollars instead of developing relationships.
• Making unethical decisions because you need to make a revenue goal.
• Sitting at your desk doing busy work because you don’t want to see donors.
• Not picking up a phone to call a donor because you might be rejected.
• Sandbagging revenue goals because you don’t want to look bad if you don’t make them.
• Not challenging donors with a higher ask because you don’t want to lose the donor.
• Going out of your way not to challenge the board of directors to make a significant gift to the organization, so they don’t resign.
• Not talking to your CEO about soliciting donors because you know they don’t like fundraising.
• Immersing yourself into the details of events instead of working your own portfolio and getting to know your donors.
• Asking for the same amount from your donors year after year because you at least want them to give every year.
• Not asking a donor for a gift and allowing the donor to give through a direct mail piece instead.
• Not standing up to your manager when they pressure you to get money from a donor you know is not interested in that project.
• Being a lone wolf.
• Figuring out a way to hide your results from your manager, so you don’t have to have a hard conversation.
• Running from accountability and structure.

Freedom Looks Like…

• Developing long-term relationships with donors, even if it means you won’t get a significant gift in a couple of years.
• Calling your donors every day.
• Creating an environment at your office that honors and respects donors.
• Knowing your donors so well that you spend hours and hours to come up with the best projects and programs for your donors to invest in.
• Meeting with finance and program people regularly, so they know exactly what is happening to your donors and how they are crucial to your success.
• Setting up weekly meetings with your manager and proactively showing where you are with goals and your donor moves.
• Spending over half your time in front of donors getting to know them.
• Challenging donors to invest beyond what they thought capable.
• Thanking donors everyday.
• Letting donors know with high frequency how their gifts are making a difference and being creative about it.
• Thinking long-term.
• Being incredible at customer service toward your donors.
• Always being proactive with your manager and leadership.
• Inspiring your CEO to get out, talk to donors and solicit them for large gifts.
• Setting “stretch goals” above and beyond the goals you report to management.
• Allowing yourself to have someone manage and hold you accountable.
• Helping your colleagues to succeed.

What do you think? Freedom looks and feels a lot better, doesn’t it? I want to live there. Don’t you? The beautiful thing is that you can choose what path to go. It’s up to you. You don’t have to wait.