Nothing But Major Gifts

Do Membership Programs Suppress Giving? Membership programs, when used incorrectly, are causing you to lose out on building true and authentic major donor relationships. Now, we’re not anti-membership programs, but many organizations do not set these programs up in a way that helps fundraisers engage with their donors in meaningful ways. And the result is that these donors get stuck at their annual giving level, while they make more impactful major gifts elsewhere. In this episode, Richard and Jeffrespond to a recent question about if membership programs really do suppress giving and share more about our perspective on the role membership programs should have at your organization.

Many front-line fundraisers are telling us they are being asked to go back to the office this fall. But, with the Delta Variant causing more communities to reinstitute mask mandates and social distancing, is that wise? Do you even need that added stress right now? But here’s the real question: Should frontline fundraisers EVER be required to work from the office? And, if you are going to bring back your staff, how are you doing it in a way that honors and protects them? In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss what we’re hearing from fundraisers about the transition back to the office and what the research says about whether your team can work remotely.

You can have a mid or major gift program that is set up with the right structure, full caseload of qualified donors, great ongoing management, but if you don’t have compelling offers for donors to invest in, you won't be successful. In today’s podcast, Jeff and Richard talk with guest, Theresa Tapocsi, who leads Veritus’ efforts helping non-profits complete our Donor Impact Portfolio(DIP). The Donor Impact Portfolio is designed to help non-profits take all their programs and projects that make up their mission, and match it up with the entire budget, including overhead so that you know exactly what each of those programs and projects cost. You’ll get all the details on how this works, some of the learnings we’ve had over the years, and hear what the results have been when a non-profit invests their time and resources in equipping their front-line fundraisers with compelling offers.

As non-profit fundraisers, we’ve all been through some kind of organizational change. Some are small changes, like a new protocol for thanking donors, and some are large, like a change in CEO or Executive Director. But change is inevitable. The question is, how do you lead through change, so you get buy-in from staff and they see the vision that the change is going to create? In today’s podcast, Richard and Jeff talk with Greg Gibbs, Executive Director of Development for the University of California, Agriculture & Natural Resources, or UCANR. Greg shares his insights on how he has led his team during times of change and gives you great tips on how you can be an effective fundraising leader at your organization.

Over the last year, we’ve been talking a lot about how to create, build, and manage a great planned giving program. Now, you can have your program all set-up, but if you don’t have a continuous stream of quality leads coming in, what good is it? In today’s episode, our Director of Planned Giving Services, Robert Shafis joins Jeff to talk about how you can be more effective in generating quality planned giving leads, what the latest strategies are, and what to do with all those new leads, whether you’re a small, medium, or large organization. Lead generation is changing. In today’s episode, learn what’s working and how an effective lead generation strategy will grow your planned giving program exponentially.

We at Veritus Group have been implementing and managing mid-level programs for many years now. Over that time, we’ve discovered how non-profit leaders have misconceptions about what a successful program consists of. In today’s podcast episode, Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, Veritus Group’s Client Learning and Experience Leader, who has helped many Veritus clients launch successful mid-level programs. Jeff and Lisa discuss three things leaders get wrong about mid-level and how to overcome them, so you can be assured of having a winning program for years to come.

It’s summertime! Hopefully, you have a chance to breathe a bit. Today’s episode is all about what you can do during the summer, now that you have some time to think, that will help you have a successful year-end. Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, Veritus Group’s Client Learning and Experience Leader. Together, they’ll give you five ideas for what you can do during the summer that will allow you to achieve all of your goals by year-end.

Why is it that non-profit leaders are trying to keep overhead so low? Are they afraid that if it’s too high, donors will complain and threaten to stop giving? In almost every conversation we’ve had with donors about overhead, they are absolutely understanding that overhead is necessary to make the mission go! In today’s podcast episode, Richard and Jeff discuss how non-profits are hurting themselves and the sector at large, by being afraid to reveal the true cost of the operations and applying it honestly to the programs and projects that make up the work you are doing to change the world. So much is affected from terrible pay and burnout, to not allowing innovation… all in the name of keeping expenses low. But there’s something you can do about it. Find out what Richard and Jeff’s solution is.

Did you know that not everything Richard and Jeff say is true? Well, okay, it’s true, but it may not be exactly true for you and your situation as it pertains to how you implement The Veritus Way at your organization. Today’s podcast episode explores how The Veritus Way can work for your organization even if you don’t apply everything to the letter of the law. The podcast also welcomes a new guest host, Karen Kendrick (our Director of Learning) along with two guests: Lisa Robertson, one of our Veritus Client Experience Leaders and Greg Gibbs, head of major gifts at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Each of our guests will talk about how they are applying The Veritus Way in the organizations they work with.

As a front-line fundraiser, you need to possess many skills and traits. Richard and Jeff have highlighted many of them over the years. But there’s one they’ve never discussed before: how likable are you? In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss 10 traits that make up likeable people, and how important they are to have as a front-line fundraiser. All of them are important, but some of them are pretty surprising.

As you know, The Veritus Way of Major Gifts is all about helping you design a structure, so you have the freedom and ability to create authentic relationships with your donors. The main tool we use to develop that structure is our Marketing Impact Chart. Guess what? We’re changing the name of the MIC and in this podcast episode, we tell you what it is and why we’re changing it, along with telling you why this tool has made a significant impact with thousands of front-line fundraisers all around the world. ------------ Download the newly-renamed tool at this link.

You probably know that the number one reason donors either leave your organization and stop giving or reduce their giving is because they were  never told how their gift made a difference. Yet most non-profits we’ve encountered don’t make this a priority.  In this week’s podcast, Richard and Jeff discuss three strategies to help organizations make the investment in reporting back impact and ultimately change the culture of your non-profit so that you can retain donors and increase giving over time.

Your donors are busy. There's a lot of noise in their lives. The front-line fundraisers who can cut through that noise and get noticed by their donors will have the ability to win their hearts and minds. In today's episode, Richard and Jeff give you seven ways to stand out with your donor, so they'll engage with you AND allow you to build an authentic relationship with them.

You know that donor that gives every year in November a check for $1,000… and they’ve been doing it for a thousand years? Yeah, you know, that one. You’re most likely thinking, “Every November I can always expect that check to come in, but it's not really worth it to me to reach out and find out who they are. They’re not going to give more.” In this episode, Richard and Jeff tell you a story of how an MGO decided NOT to listen to that story in their head, and instead they reached out to that $1,000 donor – and the donor became a $95,000 donor! While this is just one story, Richard and Jeff have heard hundreds just like this from MGOs who are following The Veritus Way of major gift fundraising. Get inspired to rethink about how you view some of you donors and start talking to them. You’ll find out information that will enable you to ignite your donor’s desire to make the world a better place!

There are so many myths in major gift fundraising that Richard and Jeff devote a whole chapter to it in their latest book, “It’s Not JUST About  the Money.” These myths hurt not only the success of a major gift program, but the development of front-line fundraisers.  Today’s episode debunks several myths and gets to the truth of what major gifts is really about. It continues on the theme of a previous episode in November 2020.

Professional fundraisers have lots of questions about how you can do your work better. Each week, Richard and Jeff hear from your colleagues all over the world on how they can be better fundraisers. Today’s podcast answers some of the most burning questions they get.  They hope that their answers will help you think differently and inspire you in the work you do every day to help change the world.

Join Richard and Jeff for Part 2 of their discussion of six New Year’s Resolutions. In this podcast they outline the second 3 resolutions that you may have never heard of before… however, they’re resolutions that are embodied in every successful Major Gift Officer they’ve met.  Start your year off right and find out what all successful Major Gift Officers have in common.

Goodbye 2020! In today’s podcast Richard and Jeff highlight 3 resolutions to start your new year. They’ll not only inspire you, but they’ll help you become a better front-line fundraiser in 2021. We can’t think of a better way to start the new year than to have some concrete ideas on how to help you develop stronger relationships with your donors and to help you find more joy in your work.

You aren’t alone if you don’t fully understand the economics of major gifts and how it should work. Over the years, the Veritus team has run into CEOs and managers of major non-profits who didn’t get it either. In our opinion, this is just one of the reasons major gifts continues to elude non-profits… you just don’t understand the economics of it and how to be successful. That’s okay. Because in today’s podcast, Richard and Jeff talk about the Six Economic Realities of Major Gifts, which they write about in their new book, It’s Not JUST About the Donor. This lively discussion will give you the context for where major gifts should focus (donors), why you need to be patient (it takes time to build relationships) and much more.

We often talk to leaders and managers of non-profits who tell us they’re leading a donor-centered non-profit. That’s great! But then we start asking questions: 1. Do you have a system set up to thank donors properly? 2. Do you have an infrastructure that allows you to get information on donor impact from the program side? 3. Does finance and program sit at the table with major gift officers to discuss donor offers? 4. Do you provide administrative support for your major gift team? Most often, the answer is no. In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss why the “back office” of a major gift program is so crucial for success, and why a major gift program can’t succeed just on the backs of your front-line fundraisers.