GRANT WRITING, FUNDRAISING ISSUES, MISC.
THINKING OUT OF THE "FUNDRAISING BOX"
Our fundraising Tip of the Month comes from Mark I. Kalish, President, Kalish & Associates, Inc.

What's the secret to getting a major gift? My answer is that there is no secret or magic formula; it's all about relationships. And, like all good relationships, they take time. Not unlike the banking industry, which has coined the phrases "private banking" or "relationship banking" to describe their attempts to woo wealthy individuals, nonprofit organizations must also concentrate on developing relationships. Too often executive directors place emphasis on the wrong question: "How many asks are pending?" A better question is: "With how many people are we building relationships?"

Important too, is the type of relationship. Relationships with prospects and donors need to be meaningful to your prospects so that over time they start saying "we" rather than "they" when they talk about your organization. Cultivation is not only sending an invitation or annual report, but also meeting with them and learning where their dormant passion might lie.

Many fundraisers have noted that gifts that are relationship-based can be 10 - 100 times larger than one's annual gift. These amounts make it worth the time and money it costs to build a relationship. As fundraisers, we need to help our organizations develop and embrace a philosophy that gifts can't be rushed. Larger gifts come through skillful and planned relationship-building.

October, 2002