Securing a solicitation meeting with a major donor is a huge accomplishment. So, after you congratulate yourself on getting the meeting set, make sure you are fully prepared for the meeting itself.
Whether your meeting is about your matching gift for your fall appeal, your capital campaign, or your major gift fundraising goals, LAPA Fundraising has some terrific tips to prepare for your next major gift meeting.
In her post, Preparing for A Major Gift, Catherine Mason says, before your meeting be sure to answer some of these key questions: What is the purpose of the meeting, Who should attend? What should you ask? And finally, be sure to have a plan for follow-up.
Your meeting is to help you connect with more deeply with your donor.
Remember, you want to learn more about what is important to them. To get at the core of what they believe and why they like being associated with your organization. Here are a few of Catherine’s suggested questions for your donor meeting:
- Why did you first give to us?
- What interests you most about us?
- How do you compare us to other organizations working for this cause?
- Why do you continue to give to us?
- What are the most critical results you expect us to produce?
- How do you feel when you make a gift?
The secret behind asking one or two open-ended questions? It allows you to follow the golden rule of major donor solicitation: Talk less, listen more.
