1. People give to what they understand. Make it simple and understandable.

2. You cannot give what you do not possess. Look for people that have resources.

3. People give to people, justified by the cause. Build trust with people.

4. People's highest giving motivation is to give to a well managed organization that they have been touched by.

5. Not every contact with a person is an ask.

6. If you're a leader, but not the full time develoment director, you should spend 30% of your time on development of the top donors.

7. No one gives everything to one charity.

8. People will support you, AND the project.

9. Look for a stop and think gift (a gift large enough that the person has to stop and think whether or not they could commit to it)

10. Remember the ceiling of complexity. There is an amount that you cannot ask above, because you don't have that level of credibility.

11. There is no RIGHT way to raise funds. Find the right way for you.

12. Do you as a staff member personally give money to the mission. I think every staff member should.

13. Do your research - company websites, or other, to find out as much as you can about the person you are prospecting.

14. Remember the importance of an involvement step in the organization - seeing your work in person, getting a custom tour, etc.

15. Money follows vision.

16. The larger the potential gift, the longer you should wait before asking for the gift.

17. Best Book I've read on Major Donor Fundraising: The Artful Journey by Bill Sturtevant

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About the Author:

Jeff Groenewald is Director of Development and Strategy at Media Voice Generation in Burlington, Ontario Canada. These are 17 tried and tested principles that guide him as a fundraiser.

copyright © 2008 Jeff Groenwald - reprinted with permission
This article is protected under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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