Fundraising Principles and Practices
Week 5, Module 4: Major Donors: Prospect Research and Major Gift Solicitation

• Seltzer, Chapter 7

Required online readings:

• Prospecting For Donors, by Mike Patterson and Dan D'Ambrosio, The NonProfit Times, May 1, 2005.
• The Marvel of the Gingham Dress, by Jerold Panas, Contributions Magazine, March-April 2000.
• An Introduction to Prospect Research, by Michel Hudson, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, January/February 2003. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Asking the Right Person for the Right Amount, by Kim Klein, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, December 2000. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Getting Over the Fear of Asking, by Kim Klein, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, March/April 2001. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• The Major Gift "Ask": A step-by-step plan for grassroots groups, by Andy Robinson, The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, Spring 2005.
• The Motivations of Major Donors, by Kay Sprinkel Grace, The Fundraising SourceBook, Volume Two, ed., Jerry Cianciolo, Contributions Magazine, 2001. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.

Optional readings:

• Flanagan, Chapters 5, 8, and 9
• Mutz & Murray, Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 20
• Norton, pp. 50-56
• The Ninth Annual Slate 60: America's most generous philanthropists, and where they gave, by Jodie T. Allen, Slate, February 28, 2005.
• Gifts of Significance, by James Hodge, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, June 29, 2005.
• How to Give Your Donors What They Want, by Tim Kersten, onPhilanthropy.com, June 9, 2005.
• Larger Needles in Smaller Haystacks, by Dee Vandeventer, onPhilanthropy.com, May 13, 2005.
• The Fine Art of Asking for the Gift, from Kim Klein, Fundraising for Social Change, Fourth Edition, 2000. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Demystifying the Ask in Fundraising, by Elliot Kipnis, OnPhilanthropy, December 20, 2002.
• The Art of the Ask, by Elizabeth Station, Echoing Green. Case study of Maya Ajmera, the executive director of the Global Fund for Children in Washington, D.C. and 1994 Echoing Green Fellow.
• Ten FAQs About Major Gift Fundraising, by Robert DeMartinis, About.com, February 2003.
• Prospect Research: Past, Present, and Future, by Susan Ruderman, NEDRA News (New England Development Research Association), Spring 2004.
• ProActive Research in the Small Shop, by Kathy Nadire, NEDRA News (New England Development Research Association), Winter 2002.
• East Meets West: Prospect Research on Asia, by Ming Zhong and Dina Zelleke, NEDRA News (New England Development Research Association), Winter 2000.
• The "Four Ws" of Major Gift Solicitation, by Ralph Goettler, Nonprofit World, May-June 1998. On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Gift Horse or Trojan Horse? A Thorough Physical is Critical, by Clara Miller, The Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer 2004.
• Seeking Big Donors, by Todd Cohen, The Nonprofit Times, January 1, 2004.
• Fishing for Funds - The Fear of the Great Green Ask, by Kathleen Pierce, OnPhilanthropy, June 11, 2004.
• How To Tell Donors Where Their Money Goes, by Joel Walsh, Nonprofit Leader, May 2004.
• Results Are the Best Recognition by Terry Axelrod, Nonprofit Leader, February 2004.
• The Fundraiser's Credo, by Jerold Panas, Contributions Magazine, May/June 2004.
• Thumbs Up...or the Lions, Part I by Jerold Panas, Contributions Magazine, September/October 2003.
• Thumbs Up...or the Lions, Part II, by Jerold Panas, Contributions Magazine, November/December 2003.
• The Top Givers, Business Week, December 1, 2003.
• Growing Blue Ribbon Donors, by Timothy Morral, Nonprofit Leader, October 2003.
• The Cultivation Process, by Henry Lewis, Nonprofit Leader, May 2003.
• Using Statistics to Find the Dollars, by Peter Wylie, The Grantmanship Center Magazine, Fall 2003.
• How to Ask for (Large Amounts of) Money without Asking, by Larry Bone, OnPhilanthropy, February 21, 2003.
• Do You Know How to Say Thank You?, by Larry Bone, OnPhilanthropy, January 26, 2003.
• Why Bill Gates Is Not a Prospect for Your Campaign!, by Robert Hoak, OnPhilanthropy, January 24, 2003.
• Nill's Amazing Truths of Fundraising: A Series (Part 2), by Stephen C. Nill, J.D., Major Gifts Review, April 28, 2003.
• Nill's Amazing Truths of Fundraising: A Series (Part 1), by Stephen C. Nill, J.D., Major Gifts Review, April 22, 2003.
• Stewardship of Major Gifts in Small Organizations, by Betsy Clarke, Major Gifts Review, April 1, 2003.
• To Give...And To Receive: Examining the 'Exchange' Process, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, March 4, 2003.
• Starting a New Job, and a New Major Gifts Program, by Iris Nahemow, Ph.D., Major Gifts Review, February 25, 2003.
• A Day in the Life of a University Fundraiser: One Approach to Organizing the Major Gifts Process, by Bob Martin, Major Gifts Review, February 18, 2003.
• Using Gift Clubs to Encourage Major Gifts -- A Follow-Up, by James A. Keenan, Jr., Major Gifts Review, February 11, 2003.
• What Really Provokes a Donation?: It Isn't About Money!!, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, February 4, 2003.
• When a Donor Makes a Bigoted Remark -- Part I of II, by Gayle L. Gifford, Major Gifts Review, January 21, 2003.
• When a Donor Makes a Bigoted Remark -- Part II of II, by Gayle L. Gifford, Major Gifts Review, January 28, 2003.
• Ten Strategies for Fundraising Success: A Donor-Centered Approach to Development, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, January 7, 2003.
• The Importance of Follow-Up, by Kim Klein, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, January/February 2003. On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Cultivation: What It Is, and What It Is Not, by Kim Klein, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, October 1999. On Blackboard, Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Building a Donor Base with Personal Letters, by Dan De Vries, Grassroots Fundraising Journal, August 1999. On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Prospect Management, The Way the Big Boys Triple Their Income, by Bob Martin, Major Gifts Review, December 17, 2002.
• Creating Giving Clubs: Cultivating Prospective Major Donors, by Iris S. Nahemow, Ph.D., Major Gifts Review, December 10, 2002.
• Give Something They CAN'T Throw Away, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, December 3, 2002.
• The One Thing Everybody Forgets ... In Creating a Major Gifts Program, by Henry D. Lewis, Major Gifts Review, November 26, 2002.
• Step Right Up to the Major Gifts Lemonade Stand!, by Susan D. Smith, Major Gifts Review, November 12, 2002.
• The Courage of the Lead Gift: A Demonstration of and Commitment to Core Values, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, October 28, 2002.
• Overcoming Your Donors' Psychic Poverty: Downturn demands new strategies, by Kay Sprinkel Grace, Contributions Magazine, September/October 2002.
• Ensuring Your Future: A Partnership of Thoughtful Planning and Successful Fundraising, by Gayle L. Gifford, Major Gifts Review, November 19, 2002.
• $2.2 Million, But It Wasn't About Money, by Jim Toscano, Major Gifts Review, September 17, 2002.
• Where Major Gifts Come From--A Textbook Example of Effective Cultivation, Iris S. Nahemow, Major Gifts Review, June 25, 2002.
• Essential Elements Of A Donor Recognition Program, by Gayle L. Gifford, Major Gifts Review, September 10, 2002.
• Donor Recognition; or, Should We Name The Building. Part I by Henry D. Lewis and Part II by Gayle L. Gifford, Major Gifts Review, July 30, 2002.
• The Pre-Emptive Gift, and How Not to Let It Spoil Your Day, by Susan D. Smith, Major Gifts Review, July 23, 2002.
• Prospect Evaluation: Determining the 'Ask', by Henry D. Lewis and Susan D. Smith, Major Gifts Review, May 28, 2002.
• Go-Away Money is Not a Major Gift, No Matter the Size of the Gift, by Henry D. Lewis, Major Gifts Review, July 9, 2002.
• Supplementing Major Gifts: Other Ways Leadership Can Make A Difference (or: How We Raised $170,000 While 'Waiting'), by Susan D. Smith Major Gifts Review, September 2, 2002.
• Using Gift Clubs to Encourage Major Gifts, by James A. Keenan, Jr., and Henry D. Lewis, Major Gifts Review, October 8, 2002.
• The Horrid Ten: Here's why you didn't get the gift, by Jerold Panas, Contributions Magazine, July-August 2002.
• Getting Major Gifts, by Kim Klein, The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, Spring 1996.
• Responding to Put-Offs, by Kim Klein, Fundraising for Social Change, Fourth Edition, 2000. On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Clean Up Your Language, by Kim Klein, Fundraising for Social Change, Fourth Edition, 2000. On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• Case Study: Scripting Donor Visits, by Shawna Hershfield, John Brown Limited.
• Donors Raise a Red Flag Over Privacy, by Holly Hall, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 23, 2000.
• Few Charities Meet Federal Guidelines for Online Privacy Policies, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 23, 2000.
• Four Federal Guidelines Aim to Protect Privacy Online, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 23, 2000.
• Hard Rock Mining: Biographical Research on the Internet, by Randy Bunney, Contributing Editor, Internet Prospector. Last Update: August 1999.
• Rating and Evaluating Prospects: Whom Do You Ask For How Much, by Tony Poderis, Fund-Raising Forum, n.d.
• Tapping The Philanthropic Well, by Tony Poderis, Fund-Raising Forum, n.d.
• Major Donor Campaigns: The Heart of any Successful Fundraising Effort, Zimmerman-Lehman.
• Asking Naturally, Terry Axelrod, Raising More Money.
• Ten Things You Should Know About Transformational Gifts, by Kay Sprinkel Grace. Contributions, January-February, 2000.
• How do I figure out how much someone can give to my organization?, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management FAQs.
• How do we ask for a "major" gift?, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management FAQs.
• Steve and Michele Kirsch's Reasons for Giving, Kirsch Foundation.
• Venture Philanthropy: The New Model, Steve Kirsch, Kirsch Foundation.
• Major Philanthropists in Technology, Kirsch Foundation.
• Model Major Gift Policy Manual, 7th Edition, (Sample Policy Provisions), American Philanthropy Review.
• Rating and Screening Prospects: Development offices now have dozens of tools for sizing up potential donors, by Helen Bergan, The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, Spring 2002.
• Big Donors Do Not Come From Mars, by Andrew Thomas, Global Connections, December 2001 (Resource Alliance). On Blackboard: Course Documents: Major Donors and Major Gifts.
• The Anonymous Gift: How Should You Manage It?, by Susan Carey-Dempsey, onPhilanthropy, March 29, 2001.
• Wealth and Wealth Transfer: What Tomorrow May Bring, by Paul Schervish, Philanthropy Interactive/CharityAmerica.
• Recent Trends and Projections in Wealth and Philanthropy, by Paul G. Schervish and John J. Havens, Social Welfare Research Institute, Boston College, November 1, 2000.
• Inspiring Philanthropy in Your Donors, by Norah McClintock, Front & Centre (Canadian Centre for Philanthropy), January 2000.
• Relationship Fundraising is Successful Fundraising, by Marianne Lord, Philanthropy Interactive/CharityAmerica.com
• Effective Stewardship and Donor Relations, by Susan O'Leary, Philanthropy Interactive/CharityAmerica.com
• Pros and Cons of Giving Publicly vs. Giving Anonymously, from Who Knows You're Rich?(Issue #28), by the Kirsch Foundation.
• Whose Ask is It, Anyway?, Fund-Raising Matters, Summer 2001 (Goettler Associates).
• What is a Major Gift?, Fund-Raising Matters, Summer 2000 (Goettler Associates).
• Drop the Jargon, Get the Gift, by Craig Smith, Senior Consultant, John Brown Limited.
• Five Ways to Ruin Your Ask, John Brown Limited.
• Inspiring Philanthropy in Your Donors, by Norah McClintock, Front & Centre (Canadian Centre for Philanthropy), January 2000.
• Eight Rungs of the Giving Ladder, Watchdog Report (American Institute of Philanthropy), Summer 1997.
• The Further Adventures of the "Gang of Ten" -- For a Few Dollars More, by Susan D. Smith, Major Gifts Review, August 20, 2002.
• The Future of Relationship Fundraising: What's Next?, by Ken Burnett, The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, Spring 1996.
• All in the Mind: Is relationship fundraising common sense, a soft option, or a panacea?, by Ken Burnett, Contributions Magazine, May-June 2003.
• Just What Is a Donor, and Other Tiny Essentials of Fundraising, by Ken Burnett, Contributions Magazine, March-April 2002.

Competencies:

Zimmerman, Robert, Major Donors: The Key to Successful Fundraising, Zimmerman-Lehman, 1998.

Go to online conference:





URL: http://www.sover.net/~paulven/sit/major.html