By Hank Lewis on October 18, 2011
A recent email posed the question: I am the Director of Philanthropy for a small nonprofit foundation. Our Board of Directors and committees are all comprised of physicians. I am beginning to build a lay component and am working on developing a Development Advisory Council – made up of lay members. I am looking to [...]
By Hank Lewis on October 4, 2011
In response to an email request…. “This” committee was created with the understanding that, to obtain the gift income needed for this organization to effectively pursue its mission, an organized approach to the acquisition of major gifts must be designed, and assiduously followed. Major gifts, for this purpose, are those that are obtained from a [...]
By Hank Lewis on June 7, 2011
I received an email some time back that, with my response, suggests a way to think through the question of whether or not to use a prospect research firm. “I was a participant in your recent workshop on Major Gifts and wanted to thank you for an informative and inspiring session. My organization, The XYZ [...]
By Hank Lewis on February 21, 2011
The club “leader” sets the pace, and invites others to join his/her Club – with an understanding that they are expected to give at a specific (major gift) level, and participate in specific activities. Not everyone who gives at that (specific) level is invited to be a club member … we are talking about club [...]
By Hank Lewis on February 17, 2011
It has become common for nonprofit organizations to publish listings of donors arranged by the sizes/ranges of their gifts. In the vast majority of cases, those gift range categories are often known, erroneously, as “gift clubs.” This is a very popular, simple process. It is popular because it is easy to implement and doesn’t take [...]
By Hank Lewis on February 7, 2011
Naming Opportunities (This post is Part 2 of a 2 Part Response to a Submitted Question) The other first step is to make a list of potential “purchasers” of those naming opportunities. These must be people with the (significant) resources to be able to afford the “purchase” – people to whom you have or someone [...]
By Hank Lewis on February 3, 2011
Naming Opportunities (This post is Part 1 of a 2 Part Response to a Submitted Question) When I think of a playground, I picture swings, a set of see-saws, a jungle gym and various other pieces of equipment; and, I see multiple opportunities to raise money. There are many ways to raise money, but I [...]
By Hank Lewis on January 25, 2011
Endowment Campaigns are often thought of as another type of Capital Campaign, but there are two major (and some minor) differences between these types of fundraising efforts. • A capital campaign primarily raises funding for tangibles – bricks-and-mortar and equipment, sometimes programs. An endowment is a “savings account” from which an organization typically uses only the [...]
By Hank Lewis on October 1, 2010
There is a simple, but not simplistic, description of what major gift fundraising is all about: It’s having the right person, ask the right person, for the right amount, at the right time, under the right circumstances. The two right people are the cultivator/solicitor and the prospective donor. They’ve developed a common interest, a relationship [...]
By Hank Lewis on September 28, 2010
Raising money from wealthy people is not the same as asking buddies at work to kick in a few bucks or selling cookies. The size of the gifts expected in those cases is rather small and not a lot of cultivation goes into the process. People who are major gifts prospects have (more than likely) [...]
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]