The Intentional Fundraiser Podcast

What 2026 Taught Us About Major Gifts

Where did last year's lessons go? The donor who told you why she stopped giving. The appeal that worked and nobody knew why. For most of us, those lessons went nowhere

Overcoming Internal Barriers to Major Gifts

A salary is certain. A gift is a gamble. That's what one CFO told his development director. She left his office sure she'd lost. Her program director was worried a big

Staying Whole While Raising Big Gifts

Ever sat in your car after a donor visit just to catch your breath? Me too. And I think we need to talk about it. Raising big gifts is emotional work. In one week, you

Human-Centered Major Gifts

A donor rode a city bus at 6:15 a.m. He hadn't been on one since college. The woman next to him had lived in that neighborhood for forty years. She was about to change h

Thinking Global: Cross-Border Major Gifts

A 6:45 a.m. call from London. A donor wanted to give $1.5 million to the children's hospital that saved her little brother. Her gift officer was thrilled. Thirty seconds

Bringing Relationships Back from the Brink

Her mother's name was spelled wrong. It was on the plaque. On dedication day. In front of her grandkids. The mistake didn't end the relationship. What came next almost

Stacking the Deck for Year-End Major Gifts

My worst December as a fundraiser? I spent it chasing a stock transfer with no name on it. My plan had been "we'll get serious after the gala." The gala ended in mid-N

Impact Reporting That Deepens Commitment

One page changed everything. A donor said it was the first report she'd ever kept. Two years later, she made the largest gift in the organization's history. It wasn't

Today’s Gifts, Tomorrow’s Legacy

One question. A lasting legacy. Andrea almost didn't ask it. She was afraid it would muddy her donor's renewal. Her donor, Walter, had given faithfully for eleven years

Calming the Waters: Supporting Anxious Donors

He went quiet for two months. She thought she'd blown the ask. She hadn't. The donor had watched his business take a hit, watched the news every night, and frozen. He

Growing the Next Wave of Major Gift Talent

She gave me four minutes. It changed my career. Almost thirty years ago, I had a donor meeting with a man who genuinely intimidated me. My development director stopped b

When Clicks Meet Conversations: Digital and Major Gifts

The lobby test. Your website is the lobby of your building. It never closes the gift. But it absolutely sets the tone for everything that happens around it. In this we

Campaign Planning When the Future Is Fuzzy

"What's our plan if we only raise nine?" A campaign chair asked that in a planning meeting for a $14 million campaign, and the room went completely quiet. She wasn't be

Recognition That Feels Right Today

A donor wall almost cost them their best donor. At the opening of a gorgeous new wall, one of their most generous donors leaned in and said, "I didn't give so my name co

Build for What's Next

Urgency can steal our future. I’ve watched it happen in nonprofit teams everywhere. We race from grant deadlines to events to year-end goals, doing everything possible

Donor Listening That Leads to Action

What if the ask isn't for money? What if it's a question? A donor of fifteen years told one of my clients, "Nobody ever asked me what I thought. They just told me what t

Culture as Your Ultimate Major Gifts Strategy

If you vanished tomorrow, would anyone else in your building know how to talk about a donor with warmth? I've watched two organizations, same size, same budget, same t

Healthy Boundaries with Major Donors

He asked to sit in on hiring. She almost said yes to that too. Here's what changed her mind. On this week's episode, I tell the story of a major gift officer whose bigg

It Takes a Village: Internal Partners in Major Gifts

A gift once took eleven months to close. Not because the donor said no. Because one person was carrying five jobs. On this week's episode of The Intentional Fundraiser

Events that Actually Move Major Gifts

Her gala cost $40K. Her dinner cost $200. Guess which one got a bigger gift. On this week's episode, I tell the story of two events that happened the same spring, one a