Synopses & Reviews
Winning Gifts Make Your Donors Feel Like Winners
Raising money to accomplish your mission is at the very heart of a nonprofit organization's goals. While asking for gifts is part of the staff and volunteers' job, shouldn't you do everything possible to make sure your donor also comes out feeling like a winner? In Winning Gifts: Make Your Donors Feel Like Winners, longtime fundraiser Tom Wilson uses a win-win approach to help both recipients and benefactors feel great about their gifts.
What motivates donors to give, large and small, to the charity of their choice? Donating to an organization goes far beyond the fiscal incentives of a taxdeduction; gift giving is a rewarding, feel-good experience. When we give to a cause, we give back to our communities and ourselves. And those fortunate enough to develop careers in philanthropic causes have already learned that the secret to successful fundraising is securing gifts that the donor enjoys making.
Taking a people-centered approach, Winning Gifts taps into the art and science of gift giving. Based on Wilson's own experience as a leader in a well-known national nonprofit consulting companyTom, who has closed hundreds of millions of dollars of gifts during his philanthropic careerprovides this valuable step-by-step guide for philanthropic fundraisers, nonprofit managers, board members, and volunteers with the tools needed to not only secure the gift, but more importantly, make the donor feel like a winner in the process.
Taking a nontraditional marketing approach to fundraising, Winning Gifts walks nonprofits through the steps of securing winning gifts by exploring:
Background on donor motivations and values for giving
People-centered fundraising
Corporate motivations for giving
The Six I's of Philanthropic Fundraising
The Seven Faces of Philanthropy
Making your case memorable and "sticky"
How to use ethical influence in your fundraising
The role of executive director
Fundraisers, program managers, and volunteers' roles in the win-win ask
Factors that stop people from asking for the order
Direct ways these concepts can be applied in a variety of fundraising settings
Winning Gifts features numerous real-world examples of nonprofit organizations of various types and sizes, taken from the author's personal experiences, that bring concepts to life. Sample lists of questions to ask as well as sample tabulations from study interviews give readers concrete examples to work from. In addition, each chapter includes three tips to put to immediate use. Plus, Tom's listening skills chapter alone will help you meet and exceed your fundraising goals for years to come.
Essential for any nonprofit professional or volunteer, Winning Gifts will challenge and inspire you to succeed at the greatest job in the worldenabling donors to find fulfillment throughout their philanthropic investments.
Synopsis
Winning Gifts takes a traditional sales approach to getting the gift and making the donor feel like a winner for having given the gift. It covers the following topics: background on donor motivations and values for giving, donor-centered fundraising, listening to donors, the role of executive director, fundraisers, program managers, and volunteers in the win-win framework, making the case for a donor-centered approach, and direct ways these concepts can be applied in a variety of fundraising settings. The concepts will be accompanied by numerous real-world examples taken from Wilson’s own experience as a leader in a well-known national nonprofit consulting company.
Synopsis
The secret to getting gifts and making donors feel like winners.
Know the best approaches to people-centered fundraising. Understand the role of executive director, fundraisers, program managers, and volunteers in the win-win framework, the importance of listening, the case for a donor-centered approach, and the direct ways these concepts can be applied in a variety of fundraising settings. Includes numerous real-world examples taken from the author's own experience as chief philanthropy officer in nonprofits and as a leader in a well-known national nonprofit consulting company.
Thomas D. Wilson is the vice president and western regional manager for Campbell & Company. His career in fundraising spans more than 25 years and includes building successful campaigns from inception, reinvigorating stalled initiatives, and board/staff training.
Synopsis
Praise for Winning Gifts Make Your Donors Feel Like Winners
"If you read nothing else this year, put Winning Gifts on your list. From the basics to the advanced, Wilson stresses the relationship elements in all fundraising success and creates a truly donor-centered skill set for fundraising professionals in all fields. The listening skills chapter alone is worth the price of admission along with the practical advice and counsel."
William C. McGinly, PhD, CAE, PA, President and Chief Executive Officer,Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
"With Winning Gifts, Tom Wilson has provided invaluable insight into the psychology of successful giving and the long-term benefits that flow both to the recipient and benefactor."
Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: Science and Practice
"Winning Gifts is aimed toward fundraising professionals, but it is invaluable for volunteers leading and working with those professionals in the rewarding and high-stakes world of charitable campaigns. After reading Tom's book, volunteer leaders will understand the intricacies of fundraising, will see the roles they can play more clearly, will know how to work more productively with their fundraising professionals, and will have the confidence and knowledge to meet and exceed their charitable goals for the institutions and causes they hold so dear."
Val E. Vaden and Lilli J. Rey, The Rey-Vaden Family Foundation
"This is a great book... for anyone who is serious about success in major gift fundraising! In addition to its value to development professionals, I think it should be mandatory reading for CEOs and board members of nonprofit organizations to help them understand the fundamental fact that donors give to fulfill their needs and interests, not ours."
Mark A. Neville, CFRE, Director, Foundation and Corporate Relations, Mayo Clinic
"Whether you're asked to give money or get money, Winning Gifts is one to add to your 'must-read' list! Tom's practical examples and helpful hints will take you right to the finish line of your project. This is a handbook for success!"
Linda Wright, retired corporate grantmaker, U.S. Bank
"Tom Wilson has distilled his decades of experience into this fine book. It's a gem, and bound to help you raise much more money. Tom Wilson is a smart man with great fundraising experience. He generously shares it in this highly useful book. One great idea can raise millions. There are dozens in his book. It always thrills me when a great fundraiser takes decades of success and distils it into a book. For a few dollars and a few hours you get invaluable, career-enhancing benefits. Thank you, Tom!"
Harvey McKinnon, President, Harvey McKinnon Associates, and author ofTiny Essentials of Monthly Committed Giving and Hidden Gold
About the Author
Thomas D. Wilson is the Vice President and Western Regional Manager for Campbell & Company, a national consulting firm offering nonprofit organizations counsel in advancement planning, fundraising, marketing communications, and executive search. Tom's career in fundraising spans more than a quarter century and includes building successful campaigns from inception, reinvigorating stalled initiatives, and board and staff training.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgment.
About the Author.
Part I: A Winning Gift for Your Donor.
Chapter 1. People Centered Fundraising.
Chapter 2. Donor Values.
Chapter 3. Listen.
Part II: Seek Winning Gifts For Your Organization.
Chapter 4. Make Your Case.
Chapter 5. The Win-Win Ask.
Chapter 6. After Winning the Gift.
Coda - The Summary Review.
Postlude.
Appendixes.
Index.