by Betsy Steward

I love major gift fundraising and I’m excited to tell you why!

Major gift fundraisers are the spoons that stir the soup. We connect people with deep pockets… to people who know how to address problems… to people who are facing overwhelming challenges. It’s very rewarding and enjoyable! 

I didn’t always feel this way. Fundraising was not my first career. Twenty years ago, if someone had told me to ask someone for a big gift, I would have said, “huh? Nope, I can’t do that, are you KIDDING?” I wouldn’t have known even how to begin, and I would have been way too scared to even try. I was raised to think it was inappropriate to talk about money at all, much less ASK someone for some! Asking people for money—"rewarding and enjoyable”? Inconceivable. 

So, what’s happened to me since then? Two things:

1. I’ve learned about the techniques of fundraising, and how development works. There is a method to asking for money, it’s not just haphazard luck or some kind of magic. There are tools and best practices that lead to success.

2. I’ve had wonderful experiences asking people to support causes that resonate for them and for me! I’ve learned that there is almost nothing so gratifying as articulating a need with compassion, explaining a solution with enough clarity to open the eyes of a caring donor—and having that donor give generously. It’s a wonderful experience.

Asking brings out good things in me.

Asking for money requires courage and compassion: Compassion for people who need someone to speak on their behalf, and courage to ask someone who may intimidate me for an amount of money that may intimidate me, too. 

The right mindset makes all the difference. I am, by nature, an optimist, which comes in handy when you’re, say, living through a pandemic. It’s also quite helpful in fundraising, because it means I’m in the habit of imagining the future through a hopeful, positive lens. 

An exercise I often use when I’m preparing for a solicitation is to imagine the effect of a major gift. For example, one of my current clients is nearing the completion of a campaign to build a new children’s center. It will provide high-quality childcare and enrichment programs to low-income families. To get my clients ready to make a big ask, I recommend they imagine—right before the meeting is to start—the completed building, full of happy, thriving children spilling out into the new playground. That image is very compelling! When a fundraiser goes into a major donor meeting with an image like that at the forefront of their thinking, “asking” gets much easier.

Wealthy people can be intimidating, and so can asking for multiples of my annual salary! But when I get in touch with my compassion for those who will benefit, I’m able to transcend my fears. My compassion leads me to my courage.

Major gift fundraisers help everybody: those in need, and those who want to help.

It’s so easy to think of major donors as completely self-sufficient, not needing help from anyone. But imagine what it must be like to be a philanthropist: it’s a great responsibility, isn’t it? With so many compelling causes and deserving nonprofits, how do they choose? I see my role as showing them opportunities and helping them decide the best way for them, with their particular likes and dislikes, values and ideals, to make a difference. I think of myself—and I encourage my fundraising clients to think of themselves—as a “giving coach for donors” rather than as a solicitor. My goal is to encourage donors to give in a way that will not only help others, but will make them feel good, too.

Learning floats my boat.

Of course, I am inspired by the missions and the potential difference I can help to make. But I’m also excited by the mental preparation and personal growth that major gift fundraising demands. Storytelling is a critical part of successful fundraising, so my job provides me with the privilege of learning about current issues and needs, and the solutions that nonprofits provide. The “tools and best practices” that I mentioned are constantly evolving, which means fundraisers have to continually learn, listen, read and think. For lifelong learners like me—and, I suspect, YOU, since you’re reading a blog like this one—major gift fundraising provides endless opportunities for exploration, contemplation and growth. I love that! 

And finally, joy and gratitude.

I find joy in major gift fundraising because I see problems that philanthropy can solve. That excites me. I see major gift fundraising not as an obstacle but rather as an opportunity—for the donor, for the mission and for the people the mission serves. I’m so grateful that my journey has included learning how to fundraise and then asking for big gifts. It’s made a huge difference for me personally, and, I hope, for the major donors and nonprofit missions I’ve served.

Betsy Steward previously served as a Senior Consultant at the Heller Fundraising Group. Betsy is an expert in capital campaigns, board training, nonprofit organization, major donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.