Are Big Foot and Individual Major Gifts Mere Legends? Three Truths About Building Donor Relationships and Making the Ask

Fundraising MV: Are Big Foot and Individual Major Gifts Mere Legends?

Three Truths About Building Donor Relationships and Making the Ask  

Monday May 9th, 2022 at 11:30am

Major gifts from individuals can often seem like Big Foot—there is a legend that they exist, other organizations seem to just “get” these large gifts, but there’s just not enough evidence that it’s real to you. Yet, according to Giving USA, individual donors comprise nearly 90% of all philanthropy each and every year. Rarely do donors make major gifts as first-time contributions or to organizations they’ve just gotten to know. This session explores three core truths to help you shape a multi-channel individual donor engagement plan that attracts, inspires, and retains donors at all levels from annual supporters to mid-level donors and ultimately major gifts investors. 

Attendees will learn: 

• what matters to donors and how that affects their giving decisions

• creating greater engagement with your current donors so they are inspired to  continue and increase their giving

• how to set themselves up for successful solicitations

Zoom Info:

Monday, May 9, 11:30am-12:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting

ID: 6585316212
Passcode: 123456

‪(US) +1 646-558-8656‬

Passcode: 123456

About the Instructor:

BARBARA O’REILLY, CFRE

FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL

Whether it was leading record-setting reunion classes, securing tens of millions of dollars from global corporations following some of the most devastating natural disasters around the world, or overseeing a team that grew donor engagement of major individual donors committed to historic preservation, Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE understands that fundraising is much more than just raising money. It’s about enabling donors to realize their philanthropic dreams for issues that are most important to them and to be part of the change they want to see in the world. Barbara brings to her clients nearly thirty years of major gifts, annual fund, and campaign fundraising experience at major non-profit organizations including Harvard University, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oxford University in England, and the American Red Cross.

Barbara became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2015 and an AFP Master Trainer in 2018. She serves as immediate past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Washington DC Metro Chapter and as a former member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, The Fundraising Think Tank in the U.K. She is a longstanding Partner in Advancement of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, a member of the Association Foundation Group (AFG), and Windmill Hill Consulting is a member firm of The Giving Institute. She is also a member of the faculty of the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute.

She is a frequent guest presenter at national and international conferences and on various webinars hosted by Network for Good, DonorSearch, Bloomerang, Firespring, OneCause, Boardable, UST, and Qgiv. Barbara received her BA in English from Barnard College/Columbia University and her ALM in Celtic Studies from Harvard University.