You delivered a well-crafted major gift proposal to current generous givers. This particular donor couple has been close to your institution for years and made one of the larger gifts to your last major campaign.
Based on your recent visits and discussions with them, you know the gift amount proposed was in the ballpark (it was a stretch but doable). Additionally, the gift invitation seemed timely as they shared the happy news of recently selling part of their $50 million business. And, you know the proposed purpose of the gift – to endow one of your programs in memory of her mother – was spot on.
It’s been over three months since you met and invited their support. At the conclusion of the warm and positive meeting they assured you they would, “get back to you soon.”
There has been no response. You’ve sent an email follow-up and left two voicemail messages and they haven’t responded.
Finally, you receive an email that simply reads, “We aren’t going to be in a position to give right now.”
You are stunned. “What happened?” you mumble to yourself.
Between being shocked and disappointed, you struggle to put this broken puzzle together. How has this otherwise generous couple made a decision that seems to contradict their history of giving as well as their more recent signals regarding this gift opportunity?
As an experienced development professional, you know there are 5 basic reasons why people decline to make a major gift when invited:
- They are not willing or able to give the amount proposed;
- The purpose of the proposed gift does not align with their values or interests;
- The timing of the ask is not good for them;
- Their relationship with institutional leaders is not sufficiently personal;
- The person who invited the gift does not have an influential relationship with them.
You quietly go down the list to explore how this gift invitation was derailed.
You are confident they have the money to make the gift and they have responded generously in the past. Further, they expressed their enthusiasm for the idea of memorializing her mother in this way. The timing of the proposal was perfect as their business sold for more than they believed it would.
Then, you reflect on the fact that your relatively new CEO still has not yet spent considerable time with these donors – or, really, with any of your institution’s major donors. She has been in the position for over a year, but engaging with your most generous donors simply hasn’t been a priority for her.
Further, you think about how you asked for the gift yourself. It was the quickest way to coordinate the visit. While there is a member of your Board of Trustees who knows this couple well (and even helped them start their first business over 20 years ago), it was taking too long to get everyone’s schedules to align.
“But,” you counter in your own mind, “these donors love our institution and they are generous people. Their relationship with the new CEO or whoever invites them to give shouldn’t matter that much!”
And then you remember an elementary rule of major gifts fundraising:
People give to people.
As a development professional your role is not to ask for major gifts. Your role is to ensure that major gifts are given.
When you are producing at a high level, you are the director as much as the actor. The architect as much as the mechanic. The strategist as much as the tactician.
The details, timing, and specifics of your major gifts proposals won’t make them winsome, compelling, or delightfully irresistible to donors. It’s the people you involve – both before and during the invitation to give – who do that.
This article was originally published in our March 2023 Gonser Gerber E-Bulletin. To learn more about our Bulletin, or to subscribe to our mailing list, visit our website https://www.gonsergerber.com/services/institute/bulletin/.
