02/28 Focus Week webinar slides

1. Scaling New Heights:
Tailored Strategies for Securing Your
Next-Level Major Gifts
Cherian Koshy, CFRE, CAP®
VP, Kindsight (formerly iWave)

7. Preparing for
Major Gifts

8. KEY INDICATORS OF READINESS FOR PURSUING MAJOR GIFTS
1. Do you have a donor management database and record gifts in a timely
manner?
2. Is your system for depositing gifts efficient, well-organized, and
documented?
3. Are all gifts acknowledged within 48 hours?
4. Do donors receive personal thank you calls or emails?
5. Do donors know how their gift was used and understand the impact?
6. Do you have an up-to-date gift acceptance policy?

9. IDEAL MAJOR GIFT DONOR PROFILE
For those who don’t have a major gift strategy, the profile of the ideal major
gift donor is one who:
● Is already in your donor database;
● Has a deep passion for your mission;
● Has been giving to your organization for five years or more;
● Has the financial capacity for a major gift;
● Has made a major gift before;
● Is a current or former board member or volunteer

11. CHALLENGES TO BE PREPARED FOR
● Limited Resources: Scaling a major giving program can be challenging when resources are
constrained, such as limited staff, budget, or time to dedicate to cultivating major donors
● Organizational Support: Development directors and staff fundraisers may face challenges in
major gift fundraising due to insufficient organizational support, unrealistic goals set by
executive directors, or board members who may not fully understand or prioritize major gift
fundraising efforts
● Identifying Major Gift Prospects: Nonprofits may struggle with identifying potential major
gift prospects, conducting prospect research effectively, and determining how to approach and
engage individuals with the capacity to make significant donations
● Training and Coaching: Fundraisers may lack the necessary training or coaching on how to
effectively solicit major gifts, leading to uncertainty in approaching potential donors and
maximizing fundraising opportunities
● Accountability and Structure: Establishing clear accountability systems, defining roles and
responsibilities within the major giving program, and maintaining effective tracking
mechanisms can be challenging but crucial for successful scaling efforts

12. The FUNDS Cycle™

13. Find
Underst
and
Nurture
Discuss
Support

14. THE FUNDS CYCLE
Find
Identify based on demographics and
psychographics
• Who is your major donor?
• Where do they spend time?
• What do they like/dislike?

15. THE FUNDS CYCLE

16. THE FUNDS CYCLE
Understand
Understand based on:
• 1st Party Data: 1:1 Conversations, Giving To Your Org
• 2nd Party Data: Philanthropic Giving to Other Orgs
• 3rd Party Data: Capacity to give and giving instruments

17. THE FUNDS CYCLE
Nurture Nurture through:
• Seeing the mission in action
• Participating in the mission
• Reading/hearing stories
• Time

18. THE FUNDS CYCLE
Discuss
Discuss:
• Pre-existing donor offers
• Offers based on new ideas

19. THE FUNDS CYCLE
Support
Ask for support:
• Invite the donor to participate financially
in an offer they have already indicated
they would like to support.
Give support:
• Provide the donor with thanks, reporting,
and engagement in the mission

20. KEY TAKEAWAY
Resources are needed at every step!
● Find requires tools and external fundraising intelligence as well as staff
time to be able to focus and prioritize
● Understand requires the same as Find but also staff resources to meet
with donors, document information, and calibrate strategies
● Nurture requires additional staff time and potential resources for
collecting and disseminating stories
● Discuss requires additional staff time
● Support requires tools, resources, and additional staff time
HUMAN EXPERTISE + RESOURCES + TIME = MAJOR DONOR RESULTS

21. KEY TAKEAWAY
HUMAN EXPERTISE + RESOURCES + TIME = MAJOR DONOR RESULTS
There are no shortcuts

22. Building the Ask

23. B.H.A.G.
● The Big, Hairy, Audacious…GIFT
○ What if? $10K, $100K, $1M gift
● Take the time now to build the gift offer(s). Be proactive and
prepared.
● Connect 1:1 with people who show incredible commitment to the cause.
Get their feedback on the donor offers - be authentic!
● Build smarter ways to give options (donor advised funds, appreciated
securities, etc.)

24. DECISION MATRIX

25. DECISION MATRIX

26. KEY THING TO REMEMBER
THE MOST PERSUASIVE PERSON TO GET
SOMEONE TO DONATE TO YOUR
ORGANIZATION IS…?

27. KEY THING TO REMEMBER
THEMSELVES

28. ENGAGEMENT CONTINUUM
Should I
donate?
How can I
donate?
They do
great work
We do
great work.

29. DONATE
FRAMEWORK
D esired State
O bstacle
N umbers
A necdote
T estimonial
E ngagement

30. A HEART STORY + A HEAD STORY

31. Getting the Visit

32. SECURING THE APPOINTMENT
Determine your objectives:
1. What do you need to know about the donor in advance and what do
you need to know after?
2. What do you need the donor to remember?
3. What needs to be different after this meaningful visit?
4. What questions are you going to ask?
5. What questions is the donor going to ask?

33. SECURING THE APPOINTMENT: EMAIL
Email
1. Subject lines - critical to success
2. Keep to one ask - a visit
3. Be human
Voicemail
1. Script but make it sound unscripted
2. Keep it short
3. Remember your goal

34. Conducting the Visit

35. Find common ground
Build empathy
https://www.pnas.org/co
ntent/109/21/8038.full

36. Mirroring
https://www.pnas.org/co
ntent/105/11/4507

38. Tools & Resources

39. ABC NONPROFIT Announces Stock Donations in Fight for MISSION IMPACT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Smith, VP of Development
Des Moines, IA. — ABC NONPROFIT leading in the fight for MISSION IMPACT, announced it’s now accepting
asset gifts such as stocks, mutual funds, and bonds. .
ABC NONPROFIT is already seeing an interest in stock, mutual fund, and bond gifts from donors around the
country. Much like traditional donations, these gifts go towards supporting MISSION IMPACT.
“We’re excited to expand our giving options to now include stock gifts, which allows individuals, partners, and donors
yet another way to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people,” said ABC Nonprofit, CEO and President.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, ABC Nonprofit has seen a steady increase in needs from our
community. Stock donations will help fund direct support programs that address the MISSION IMPACT.
Transferring stock is quick, easy, and one of the most tax-efficient ways of giving to ABC Nonprofit. The IRS views
giving stock to a 501(c)(3) favorably, so you can both claim the gift as a tax deduction, and avoid capital gains
taxes.
To learn more about how you can give a stock gift, visit www.abcnonprofit.org
PRESS RELEASE

40. Many donors benefit from donating stock to our organization, they can avoid the capital
gains tax they would have to pay on any increase in value of stock since being purchased.
This can be a great option since they may have stock that’s appreciated in value over time
and if sold would result in a big tax bill. We appreciate the generous gift you make to us
every year because it makes an important difference. By making a stock donation, you can
make a meaningful gift while also avoiding a tax consequence. There are even ways to use
this strategy to help you rebalance your portfolio or maintain your positions in the same
assets and reduce future tax bills.
Gifts of long-term, appreciated stocks and bonds are a smarter way to give because they
provide a potential double benefit: You will be eligible for both a charitable tax deduction for
the value of the securities on the day you transfer, and you may not be responsible for taxes
on any gains from the time you acquired them. To make a gift of stock, please provide the
following to your broker to initiate the transfer:
WEBSITE LANGUAGE

41. "Hi. I'm Cherian Koshy. I'm a new staff member here at ___ and one of the first things I'm
doing is connecting with some of our most loyal supporters to learn more about their ____
experience. I'd love to meet with you to learn more about ___ - is next Thursday or Friday
better for you?"
"Hi. My name's Cherian and I'm with ______ . I'm calling because as someone who personally
sees the impact your ___ years of support has made here, I'd love to connect and learn about
your passion for _____ . I’d love to chat over a cup of coffee. Is next Thursday or Friday
better for you?"
"Hi. This is Cherian calling from _____ . Do you have two minutes to chat?"
PHONE INTRO

42. "Hi Fred, this is _____ with _____ . I'm calling because I'd like to set up a time for us to visit.
Your support over the last_ years has been transformative -together we've ______ and I'd
like to learn more about what you'd like to accomplish with your giving that is meaningful to
you. I'll also follow up with an email should you prefer to set something up that way."
"Hi Fred, this is Cherian Koshy with _____ . I am personally reaching out to donors to _____ ,
and share some updates. I would love a few minutes to chat and will try to reach you later this
week. If there's a time that's better for us to connect feel free to give me a call at __ I look
forward to speaking with you soon, Fred-Thank you!"
"Hi Fred, this is ___ with _____ . I was speaking with one of our board member - ____ who
thought it might be a great idea for you and I to connect. I'd love to share more about what's
happening here and learn about your passion for __ . I can be reached at __ . Thanks again
and looking forward to meeting you!"
VOICEMAIL INTRO

43. "Hi ___ ,
As a (personal connection such as grateful patient/graduate/etc.,) and (title) for
(organization), I want to thank you for your long-term support. Because of donors like you, in
the last year/decade/etc. (share meaningful impact).
I would like to visit with you to personally thank you, as well as update you on how donors in
your neighborhood are helping (organization) carry out our mission of __ . Which day is
better for you, next Thursday or Friday?
(Name), I look forward to meeting you."
EMAIL INTRO

44. "Hi ___ ,
I Just left you a voicemail but wanted to follow up with email should this be easier. As (title) and
(connection) I would like to personally thank you for your support to (organization); it has all added up to
make a huge difference.
Here at (organization) we're making a new effort to increase the personal connection between
(organization) and supporters. To do so, we're looking to set up one-on-one meetings with our donors, both
big and small, to share some updates from the organization and discuss our newest campaign.
I will be near your office on (specific dates/times) and would love the opportunity to visit with you over a
cup of coffee or wherever is most convenient for you. The conversation should not take longer than 30-45
minutes, and I am happy to work around your schedule.
Is there a time that works best for you?"
EMAIL CHASER

45. Questions?

46. CREDITS: This presentation template was created by
Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics &
images by Freepik
THANKS!
Cherian Koshy
VP, Kindsight (formerly iWave)
Founder, NonprofitOS
linkedin.com/in/cheriankoshy
https://www.cheriankoshy.com/resources/