Priming The Pump

⚒️Julie and I welcome your prayers as we continue to try and sell our home of 21 years!  Operation "Land the Airplane" has now become Operation "Holding Pattern" while we wait out the market...  Thanks for all of your well wishes and encouragement during this summer of disruption and excitement.  I'll continue to be on pause for audio recordings for the forseeable future.👷

In the meantime, you can listen to previous recordings by visiting The Breakthru Podcast

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Full disclosure….when reflecting on some of the more ugly moments in my career, the following scenario comes to the top of the list:

It’s Monday morning. I wake up feeling the pressure to identify new people who will give to my cause.  I wonder, what I can or should be doing as I begin the week?  I'm drawing a blank.  It feels dismaying, demoralizing and confusing.

Major gift fundraising is a uniquely challenging role.  Over time I developed a good system to avoid those Monday morning scenarios; creating a “quick-start guide” with five ways to help break through the ‘black-box-of-confusion’.  My hope is that, as you learn how to use this system, you will discover untapped sources of major gifts.  I believe it can turn your fundraising efforts into an enjoyable and fruitful venture.

#1 - Understand the Strength of Relationships (SToR) in your portfolio

Strong relationships are the secret sauce in successful fundraising efforts. You may find that it’s hard to know where you stand with high networth people.  Use these five assessment categories to accurately rate your SToR with every prospect in your portfolio:

1. Knowledge of personal details
2. Key milestones in their lives
3. Strength of alignment of their charitable passions with your mission
4. Status of discussions about money and/or giving
5. Their other charitable interests

A score of 4-5 on the SToR Assessment means you are likely ready to invite them to give.  They may even be ready for a stretch ask.  How can you know for sure?  Talk with them about it.

‍#2 - Leverage Your Connectors

‍Identify and leverage connectors in your network who can significantly amplify your reach. Connectors are individuals who:Understand your cause
Know influential people
Are respected by those peopleThis is the most essential part of your daily and weekly work in major gift fundraising.

‍#3 - Conduct Vision Trips

‍Vision trips are a clever, powerful way to engage potential givers.  Let them see firsthand the impact of your work. This is particularly effective for active or prospective connectors who may need a deeper understanding of your mission before they are ready to help promote your cause and make introductions.Although cost may seem prohibitive, vision trips are, by far, the #1 tactic I have found to inspire large gifts.  Prepare well in advance to fund this experience and discover the joy of inviting new partners to be involved in your cause.

‍#4 - Prayer and Spiritual Guidance

‍Fundraising is more than a transactional activity.  When you include a spiritual journey, integrating prayer and seeking divine guidance, the effort becomes an especially meaningful part of the work you do. Here are some prayer points to consider:

• Pray for a release of resources for your vision.
• Pray that God will stir hearts and move spirits to support your cause.
• Pray for spiritual protection and wisdom for your staff, board, and potential givers.

Keep your private journal closeby and write down names as they come to your heart and mind.

‍#5 - Use a Systematic Approach

‍A structured approach to fundraising can help ensure you cover all bases so you don’t miss any potential opportunities. One of my favorite systems is what I call “The Magic of Baskets”.

This is explained in full detail in my online course.  Here’s a quick summary:

1. On separate 3X5 cards, write down the name of every person in your portfolio.
2. Under the name, write their current SToR score and note what your next request will be (could be non-financial or simply a question which aims to increase your SToR).
3. Place three small baskets on your desk and put these cards into the basket on the left.
4. Select a card and take action on the request, then place the card in the middle basket which indicates you’re waiting for a response.
5. As responses are received, move those cards to the basket on the right (typically means you’ve ‘closed’ a deal on a gift or other request, even if they said “no” or “not now”) or, place it back in the left basket (typically means the ball is back in your court for the next move).

As you move cards from left to right, you are using the ‘magic of baskets’ system *very* well. Take a moment to reflect on one of my favorite quotes from Author James Clear:  “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.  Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there."

‍Identifying potential major givers within your existing network is about more than just finding people with financial capacity. This action involves building and nurturing relationships, understanding their passions, and aligning your mission with their personal and spiritual journeys.

By following these tips and tricks, you will unlock significant giving potential and create lasting, meaningful partnerships for your cause.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed?  I completely understand and I’m pulling for you.  Please don’t hesitate to schedule a “no-strings-attached” call if you want to talk further about your major gift fundraising efforts.

See you next week!

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‍If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now!  Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached".  Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue.  No need for that...just make the call. 🕺

‍Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:

* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.

* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.

* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).

* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party.  And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.

Before getting to the PAID stuff:

My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting.  Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that.  This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me.  That stops now.

Here's the PAID stuff:

* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly.  It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising.  It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections.  Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems.  I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.

* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental".  The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.

Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum.  She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.

I look forward to hearing about your good work!

Blessings,