Major gifts is a team sport, but it’s not speed dating ~ Tracy Ketchem
A month and a half later I’m still quoting and thinking about the recent AFP meeting I attended with speakers Jean Gorell & Tracy B. Ketchem from the Minnesota Medical Foundation. Here’s a recap of what they shared:
For the basis of their presentation they used a visual of the Donor’s Emotional Commitment Continuum from Advancement Resources – in Iowa. I have not worked with Advancement Resources myself but found the continuum to be a great visual for understanding how donors gain deeper connection over time.
Ignorance | Awareness | Interest | Experience | Participation | Ownership
The continuum shows the range of emotional commitment. It relates to THEIR experience. It’s not about you. It’s about their experience of you. The greater the emotional commitment and connection to your organization and their personal values – the larger the gift.
Our goal of course in fundraising is to raise more money from our donors. Two question to ask that will move the needle from one end of the continuum to the other end are:
- What is our donor passionate for?
- Impact. What is the impact of the gift they are making?
If these two aren’t deeply embedded the gifts are “go away” gifts.
The deeper their commitment is, the further to the right on the continuum – the more questions they’ll be asking. And so it’s critical that development officers, other staff, and especially board members are listening to and effectively answering the questions being asked.
What are some of the questions people ask at different places on the continuum?
Experience
Am I willing to give more?
Do I approve of the organizations methods for their fundraising or their programs?
Am I getting adequate return on my investment?
Participation
Will participate on a committee or a project.
They are willing to ratchet up their emotional commitment.
Are my contributions appreciated?
They think about their giving more.
Ownership
Larger volunteer role.
Make respectable major gifts.
Passion aligns with you…your mission is their mission.
Are my contributions appreciated?
Do I feel valued & valuable?
A great question to ask the donor to know them more intimately:
What defines a gratifying gifting experience for you?
The truth is a more gratifying gifting experience is often one where they felt and saw the impact of their gift. It might not even be that large, but it was a stretch for them.
Often people’s personal goal is to be a part of a specific community of givers because they feel great about it, want to connect with and be seen with the other people at that level of giving.
Great guidelines for how to allocate time in a donor meeting:
10-15% of time is spent connecting & relationship building
10-15% is spent on an organization update
50-55% (over half) is spent LISTENTING. IT’S about them. What they are involved in, what’s important to them.
10-15% – next steps.
Whenever possible MAKE SURE the ball is in your court when you leave the donor meeting. You owe some information or you owe some follow up that will happen at the next personal visit or phone conversation.
