MAJOR GIFT DEVELOPMENT
Major Gift Development
The word philanthropy does not mean “fundraising,” but rather, it is from the Greek word philanthrôpía, which translates to “love of humanity.” Knowing this difference is at the heart of creating a successful Major Gift program; after all, people give because they want to make a difference in the lives of others. They want to feel that their giving is having a real impact.
Baker Street Consulting Group has designed and implemented a number of various Major Gift initiatives in concert with our nonprofit partners. These can take the form of Giving Societies that recognize annual and cumulative giving, Capital Campaigns and Planned Giving Programs. They can be an integral component of the Annual Fund or they can be part of the campaign and planned giving endeavors. Regardless of how they are designed and structured, Major Gifts have the potential to elevate an organization to the next level.
Baker Street consultants can help you create a new Major Gift program or assist you in expanding upon a program you may already have in place. We can also assist in creating an attractive High Impact Donor Recognition program, marketing plans and other communication tools for building donor relationships. We have created very effective Donor Loyalty and Retention programs for both Annual Fund and Campaign Programs.
How We Can Help
Assess your organization’s potential to raise more philanthropic revenue, determine the feasibility of raising more money (annually or multi-year pledges) and create strategies for reaching higher dollar goals
Write a solid, detailed Major Gift Program Plan tailored to your organization’s particular needs and strengths
Assist in identifying, recruiting, training and mobilizing an enthusiastic leadership force to head the initiative, and to inspire its success
Teach your team effective strategies for working with Major Gift Prospects and making the “Ask” that gets the results you want
Create a shared base of knowledge among Board and staff members on the key ingredients of the Major Gift Program – how it works and each person’s role in making it productive
Conduct prospect research to identify and assess the number and giving potential of your current (or future) pool of Major Gift Donor Prospects
Prepare a Case for Support and toolkit of communication items to support fundraising efforts