Meeting With Major Donors: The Basics

AmericaÕs biggest donors gave away more than $7.8 billion in 2018, according to the ChronicleÕs annual ÒPhilanthropy 50Ó ranking of the most generous U.S. donors. But securing large gifts isnÕt easy. Building strong ties takes time; each donor has different preferences and priorities, and there are few hard-and-fast rules for a successful meeting.

How can you ensure your meetings with wealthy donors lead to lasting connections?

Join us for an online session to learn from two veteran major-gift fundraisers. TheyÕll share tips for landing a first meeting and cover the nuts and bolts of four types of encounters that can lead to a big gift: qualification, engagement, negotiation, and solicitation.

Lavinia Boxill, vice chancellor for advancement at Rutgers University, will share dos and donÕts for interactions with potential supporters and offer questions to ask to help discern a donorÕs motivations for charitable giving.

Laura Frye, director of fundraising at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, will offer advice for finding and cold-calling prospective major donors, including examples of what to say and smart ways to follow up.

Plus, youÕll get three tools to help you execute successful donor meetings and keep track of your donor communications over time.

What Will You Learn?
How to prepare for, and follow-up after, meetings with donors
Smart questions to ask to understand a donorÕs motivations for giving
Tips for knowing when and how to ask for a gift

Who Should Attend?
Major-Gift Officers
Chief Development Officers
Development Directors