Guest Post: My secret formula to major gifts success by Julie Ordoñez
My secret formula to major gifts success by Julie Ordoñez
Maybe you think you need a fancy annual gala or to connect with that local celebrity to host your event or to finally get a meeting with Oprah (I love her, BTW) and that will be the mark of major gifts success.
Here's the thing, none of those things are the cause of major gifts success. You might see organizations who have success in major gifts and they also have those things. Look, I'm not against galas, hell, I love 'em!
The photo below is a revenue snapshot of one of the galas I ran that raised $350k and it was a blast. (And we sold tickets for the first time and my boss was worried that would take away from night-of donations and it didn't! )
It's just that events like that are successful because of relationships.
We invested in those relationships before disaster struck, before we lost huge grants or funding diminished.
I chat with so many nonprofit CEOs who know that large amounts of revenue are at-risk and they wait until it's gone to invest with me. They end up stressed and overwhelmed.
But, it wasn't always that way for them.
They were once in a position where revenue was good, they even had reserves and just didn't prioritize individual giving in a strategic way. That government grant or foundation grants got smaller, or went away, with very little notice and they had to down-size big-time. Then they called me. Even in this situation, I helped this client raise six figures of unrestricted revenue in 3 months. Which is amazing! But, if we had started 2 years before they needed it, it could have easily been 7-figures+ in that time. I have zero doubt about this. And I know this because I've gotten in front of it with clients who were new to fundraising and they raised $5M in 90 days. It is possible.
You may be in a place right now where it isn't desperate to raise major gifts. You feel confident that you'll meet the goal, you just gotta put the work in. I respect it. That said, if you know you will need training and major gifts strategy to grow in the future, invest in that *before* you reeealllly need it, babe.
If your organization is reliant on a big government grant or contract, foundation funding or the opportunities that just fall into your lap (that aren't a great fit), then please invest in building an individual, major gifts strategy that will allow you to weather the storm that we both know is coming and serve as reliable revenue.
When you build authentic relationships with donors, they will show up for you when times get tough. The nonprofits who experienced exponential growth in revenue during the pandemic had 1) work in the racial justice space, 2) strong relationships with individual donors, or 3) both.
We know that foundation and government grants are not always worth the work you have to put into it. Plus, foundations, corporations and local, state and federal government change priorities all the time arbitrarily throughout the year, without consulting you, and you have zero control over this. Invest now in building a strengths-based, relationally intelligent major gifts strategy.
You may need to admit to yourself that you put off major gifts fundraising because you don't know what to say, need the language to communicate with funders or you're intimidated to talk about six and seven figure gifts with donors. You are not alone and there is no need to be ashamed.
Accepting help is wise, not weak.
You might be in a place where you are desperate. You don't know what to focus on and you need support. What used to work isn't working any more. Invest in a coach and strategist. Get the training that you need. Start now. It's not too late. I'm here for you. Book a one-off 60-min strategy session and let's get it sorted now.
Either way, if it's dire straits or it's all good, I can help you double your individual giving. All of my clients 4x their investment with me in a matter of 8 weeks or less. I work with nonprofit leaders at all levels who are determined to raise $10k+ gifts from individuals and build a strategy that works for them and raises six-figures in unrestricted revenue from individuals you're excited to talk to in 3 months or less.
The secret to major gifts success is starting before it's a desperate situation and building authentic relationships with donors who have your back. I can help you get there. If you're at all interested, grab a no-pressure Zoom chat to see how I might be able to help you build a strategy you love and fits your schedule.
In your corner,
Julie