Major Gift Fundraising 102: The First Donor Meeting

Name: Major Gift Fundraising 102: The First Donor Meeting
Rating: 4.3 (9 reviews)

How to structure an incredibly rewarding conversation and visit with your donors.

Created byAlison Baldree, RAISE: The Fundraising School

Last updated 1/2023

English

What you'll learn

How to structure an initial meeting with a major donor prospect.
What to ask to cultivate a deeper understanding of why your donors are drawn to your mission and if they are a major donor prospect for your organization.
How to objectively evaluate if someone is a major gift prospect, and how to re-evaulate after you have had your initial meeting with them.
The confidence you need to schedule that first meeting with your donor prospect and make the best use of your time together.

Course content

1 section • 8 lectures • 40m total length

Welcome & objectives1:14
Moves Management3:52
What is a “Discovery Meeting?"1:41
Discover the prospect's history, connection to the organization, financial capacity, and philanthropic inclinations during the discovery meeting to determine if they could be a major donor.
Introduction and Rapport Building7:17
Begin with introduction and rapport, thanking the donor and outlining the visit. Listen actively, take notes with a notebook, no screens, and ask questions about the donor's story and involvement.
Gauge their Involvement and Interests4:35
Learn about their Philanthropic Giving9:18
Discover how to interview potential major donors by asking about philanthropic giving, motivations, and legacy, including questions on involvement, family dynamics, and project priorities.
Clarify next steps3:08
The Major Donor Rating Tool9:09
Identify major donor prospects from records and volunteers, then use the major donor rating tool to score ten criteria 1–5 and guide first meeting cultivation.

Requirements

No previous fundraising experience required. You will learn how to start developing fruitful donor relationships.

Description

Have you ever wondered how to structure an initial meeting with a donor, especially with someone who is - or may become - a donor to your organization?

Fundraising is both a science and an art... but when it comes down to it, raising funds from individuals starts by getting to know them and developing a relationship - one that is centered around your mission and their philanthropic interests.

In this training, you will learn how to structure your first meeting with a donor and the questions to ask to help you learn more about your donors' philanthropy and personal story about why they support your mission.

Not only that, you'll learn that these meetings don't need to be intimidating (though it's OK to feel intimidated). They can be fun and make for an incredibly rewarding conversation and visit with your donors.

Another incredibly useful process that you will learn in this training is called, “Moves Management,” a framework for your major gifts initiatives. Moves Management is a simple process that will help you track the status of your individual donor relationships – from identifying who may be your best prospects for a major gift, to asking them to give, to receiving the gift – every step of the way.

This training goes into the "discovery and qualification" stages. You will learn how to answer the question, "Could this person become a major donor?" with the use of a few simple tools.

And what’s even better is that the more you begin to use the process you will learn in this course, the easier it will become. The first few times you have an initial meeting with a donor may be the most intimidating as you’re laying the groundwork and are learning a LOT… but after you've met with one, two, three, and more? You’ll begin to get excited for these meetings and feel the structure flow with ease…\

I'm so excited to jump into Major Gift Fundraising 101: The First Donor Meeting with you!

Who this course is for:

Nonprofit fundraisers, executive directors, founders, and Board members helping with development.
Those new to major gifts and raising funds from individuals.