Meeting With Major Donors: The Basics

America's biggest donors gave away more than $7.8 billion in 2018, according to the Chronicle's annual "Philanthropy 50" ranking of the most generous U.S. donors. But securing large gifts isn't easy. Building strong ties takes time; each donor has different preferences and priorities, and there are few hard-and-fast rules for a successful meeting.

How can you ensure your meetings with wealthy donors lead to lasting connections?

Join us for an online session to learn from two veteran major-gift fundraisers. They'll share tips for landing a first meeting and cover the nuts and bolts of four types of encounters that can lead to a big gift: qualification, engagement, negotiation, and solicitation.

Lavinia Boxill, vice chancellor for advancement at Rutgers University, will share dos and don'ts for interactions with potential supporters and offer questions to ask to help discern a donor's motivations for charitable giving.

Laura Frye, director of fundraising at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, will offer advice for finding and cold-calling prospective major donors, including examples of what to say and smart ways to follow up.

Plus, you'll get three tools to help you execute successful donor meetings and keep track of your donor communications over time.

What Will You Learn?

• How to prepare for, and follow-up after, meetings with donors
• Smart questions to ask to understand a donor's motivations for giving
• Tips for knowing when and how to ask for a gift

Who Should Attend?

• Major-Gift Officers
• Chief Development Officers
• Development Directors

SPEAKERS: