The Top Philanthropists in the world got together at a summit last year and one of the things that was just repeated again and again from all of them was that they felt that it was much easier to make money than to give it away effectively.

There’s no better way than major gifts. But there are three reasons people shy away from making visits.

Some of your best prospects may not be on your board. What does it say to potential investors outside of the organization who look at the board and see that they’re not willing to give?

Your board, especially your board chair, needs to be making a commensurate commitment. And it should be binary not analog. Even if they can’t give a lot, they need to be in. They need to be in because of their relationship to the organization. If they’re not willing to be invested in the organization, what kind of message is that saying to prospective investors?

Nick shares a story that he encountered during a meeting with a prospective foundation. They were worried that the organization would become dependent upon the foundation. They’d prefer to start non-profits and see them become self-sustaining.

Standing up in front of your board and saying “We need names. Give me some names.” doesn’t work. They’re minds go blank, they will divulge maybe one… if you’re lucky.

Instead try this approach: develop an ideal profile of what an ideal prospect would look like.

Your Board Meetings should be at the 30,000′ level, dipping down to the 14,000′ level, knowing that you have a very capable staff to deliver on the 33′ level. NEVER NEVER NEVER should you be talking about 3″ issues!!!

It’s easier to make money than it is to give it away effectively says Mackenzie in a recent study of the top 30 philanthropists.

I know some of you on here are probably new to the organization, or to your position.
Even if this is your second day on the job, this is a trick that will make you an immediate sales expert: Be authentic.

Tom Suddes, Founder

MP3 File | Download Call Notes

Leadership Consensus Building is both a lightning fast alternative to a feasibility study and a process to:

* Engage top stakeholders.
* Gather input and feedback around your message and priorities.
* Commit to a funding plan

You should [...]

Often your board is hesitant about giving you names of people who might be good prospects. They don’t understand the process. The image they have in their mind is of you beating them up for money. If you take a couple of board members on the visits with you (visits where you share the story and present the opportunity), they’ll see that these visits aren’t a bad thing.

Nick Fellers, President | May 15, 2008

MP3 File | Call Notes

In this teleseminar we share:

A refreshing look at fundraising
How to communicate your return-on-investment
Ways to leverage the board and champion support
How to simplify fundraising
Ideas to help you ask for $1M
How to generate more (qualified) prospect names
How to answer the three double questions of every [...]

The Leadership Society Model

This 45 min Audio seminar covers 10 common questions and challenges regarding campaigns.

Nick explains his reasoning behind why board members should not be responsible for your fundsraising through group discussion.

First inspired by Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, we started ‘Campaign Week’ with events, free campaign coaching and specially published materials. Access the audio files, notes, and supplemental material for Campaign Week 2008.

In this teleseminar we share:
How to simplify your message, rationalize funding support - for operations, for major projects and endowment, six presentation tool and vision card examples, and templates you can use.

Campaign Coaching Clinic With Tom Suddes, For Colleges And Prep Schools

This Teleseminar is great for Colleges, Universities, or even High Schools who are thinking about starting, are in the middle or thinking about a campaign.

This is a 60-minute tele-clinic on how to get the visit, archived here on demand.

From training camp. What it means to be a champion for your organization, and how to involve your board.

An Audio Dealing Specifically with Closing The Ask and Getting Commitments. Covering 19 specific closes, this audio gives you stories and applicable tips to handle any visit.