How To Approach Major Donors For Health Causes

The First Commandment of Advancement: Show Don’t Tell A donor once shared with me why he had given so generously to an oceanographic institute on the far coast rather than to an equally renown one in his own backyard. The leader of the closer one, he said, told him, “If enlightened philanthropists like you don’t step forward to make up for cutbacks in our federal funding, our oceans will become increasingly imperiled”. In contrast, a group of scientists from the farther one invited him to join them for a dive to assess the health of several coral reefs. They swam from a healthy area to depleted area and then to a vast expanse of dead reef. The scope of the environmental degradation was profoundly sobering. “When I got back up to the surface,” the donor said, “I knew what I had to do.” The institute farthest from him had won his support by adhering to basic law of communication, “show don’t tell.” This law applies to every area and aspect of advancement. Fundraising is so much more effective when we let donors see for themselves, whether it is a social ill that we are trying to lessen or a cultural enrichment we are trying to create. When we do this well, we can in many instances obviate the need to solicit. The donor will ask, “What can I do to help.” The most effective ways of attracting and engaging new donors and raising the sights of existing ones is not to entertain them or bombard them with propaganda but to draw them into the inner workings of our organizations and allow them to interact with our most impressive mission advancers. A hospital in the Canadian Maritimes tried the usual ways – galas and golf tournaments - which generated spotty turnout while consuming massive amounts of staff time. However, when they began offering onsite lectures and interactions with top docs, they were overwhelmed by the response. The most popular of all turned out to be a talk on “gut flora” from a gastroenterologist. A donor I recently interviewed said, “the only thing that nonprofits should be auctioning are experiences.” Indeed, especially experiences that show donors who your organization serves and why it does what it does. Enterprising stewardship officers find ways to show donors how to see the impact of their giving, whether it is through tours of facilities they funded, by hearing results produced by people they empowered, or with meeting with beneficiaries of programs they have underwritten. Talented advancement writers don’t rely on amped-up promotional prose, they “show” using fact and example to demonstrate current impact and to project greater potential. The most effective proposals don’t urge donors to give; they provide donors with the information they need to draw their own conclusions. Show does not mean put on a show or show off. It means to “allow or cause something to be visible.” What we want to be more visible is mission at work. Show don’t tell. Provide experiences that money can’t buy. That’s advancement at its best.

If I had to give a brand new Gift Officer the path to success in one Linkedin Post: 📌 Define your portfolio. If it's been assigned to you, great. If not, go assign them yourself. Pick roughly 100 people who have given the largest, most recent gifts. Pick it and stick to it. Don't waste time wondering who you're going to reach out every day. It's not going to be perfect and you'll adjust over time. 📌 Start scheduling visits. Use this script: "Good morning, Bob. Kevin Fitzpatrick with Acme Nonprofit. The reason I'm reaching out to you today specifically is to scheduling a visit regarding our organization. How does next Tuesday at 10:00am look for you?" Be direct. Be clear. Don't waste their time. Use phone calls, text, and email. When someone doesn't respond wait 2 weeks and then follow up. (For context, I had about a 10% success rate with people I didn't know. So if you want to schedule 10 visits you'll probably need to make at least 100 attempts.) 📌 The Visit! Don't make RAISING MONEY be your goal. Have the goal be to serve each donor well. Ask lots of questions and listen. This is your fundraising super power. Here are some examples: "What's caused you to give so generously to Acme Nonprofit?" "What are your top giving priorities?" After you've learned as much as you can about them... "Would it be alright if I told you a little bit about what we're doing today?" Then keep your presentation very short. They'll ask questions if they want to know more about something. If they are ready to help now, ask them for a gift: "Bob and Sue, I'd like you to consider a gift of $10,000 to Acme Nonprofit that you could fulfill at any point this year." They are most likely not going to give you an answer on the spot. Before you leave the visit, ask them... "When would be a good time for me to follow up with you?" If it's not a good time to ask for a gift, make sure you have some clear next step that they can look forward to. That might include an invite to an event, a tour of your facility, or an introduction to another team member that might be of interest to them. 📌 After the Visit Write them a handwritten thank you note! No one does this. Separate yourself from everyone else immediately. When it's time to follow-up, simply call them and ask, "Sue, have you had time to consider a gift to Acme Nonprofit?" This is the basic framework. Success in major gifts comes from scheduling visits every day, being in front of your donors as often as possible so that you can get to know them, and occasionally asking for a gift. It takes a long time to get good at this. Start getting some practice in today! #OneVisitAway #nonprofits #philanthropy #MajorGiftMillions

The power of fundraising doesn’t come from frantic activity. It comes from alignment. People keep asking me for some step-by-step guidance here and I've never done one of these styles of posts before....but here it goes: If I were the Chief Development Officer of a nonprofit and needed to significantly increase funding by the end of the calendar year, here’s exactly what I’d do 👇 Step 1: Identify Your Power Partners Not just a big list of names in a database. Instead, identify the 20-30 donors who genuinely align with your mission, values, and current strategic goals. (If you can't name them offhand, this is your starting point.) Step 2: Identify what is truly valuable to each type of funder and how it aligns with their motivations and interests. Step 3: Map Your Assets Understand all of the unique assets your organization brings to the table. Whether it's your social media reach, your storytelling, volunteer opportunities, or deep community engagement. Step 4: Block Time for Real Connection not endless emails or automated stewardship. Focus on authentic, one-on-one conversations. Schedule meetings with clear intentions, rooted in curiosity and mutual benefit. Prioritize these conversations like your fundraising depends on them. Because it does. Step 5: Track Alignment, Not Just Dollars: Fundraising cannot be transactional; it's relational. Track where your donors are in their alignment journey with your mission. Are they excited? Curious? Or drifting away? If you're only tracking dollars raised, you're missing the real indicators of your fundraising health. Step 6: Prioritize Aligned Opportunities: That massive donor who hasn’t responded to outreach in months? They’re not your priority right now. But the donor who just opened up about a personal connection to your cause? Lean into that alignment and nurture it. Always prioritize mutual benefit, strategic alignment, and shared impact. Step 7: Equip Your Team for Alignment Fundraising: If your fundraisers spend hours toggling between unclear tasks, they’re not effectively engaging donors. Provide clear systems and tools that support aligned fundraising, foster authentic relationships, and track meaningful engagement. If you consistently operate from a place of alignment and authenticity, you'll not only see fundraising results but you'll also decrease stress, burnout, and overwhelm. Fundraising is about people. And when you put aligned relationships at the core of your strategy, everything else falls into place. What do you think? What steps did I miss? What else would you add?

"I can't seem to get that first meeting." If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this from a fellow fundraiser, I'd have... well, a pretty sizeable donation to make this year-end. 😅 Getting that crucial first meeting is often the biggest hurdle in donor cultivation. After years of trial and error (and yes, plenty of rejection), here are my top 3 takeaways for securing that elusive first meeting: 1. Do Your Homework: Before reaching out, thoroughly research your prospect. Show genuine interest in who they are. 2. Offer Value First: Instead of asking for a meeting right away, share something of value. Maybe it's an insightful article related to their interests, or an invitation to an exclusive event. I've had success sending personalized impact reports showcasing projects aligned with their passions. 3. Leverage Warm Introductions: Cold calls are tough. I've found that getting an introduction from a mutual connection can increase your chances dramatically. Don't be shy about asking board members or current donors if they know your prospect. Bonus Tip: Be persistent, but respectful. I once secured a major gift from a donor it took me 18 months to meet. Patience and tactful follow-ups pay off. Remember, that first meeting is just the beginning of a potentially transformative relationship – for both the donor and your organization. What's your most successful approach for securing first meetings? Let's build a toolbox of strategies we can all use.