“[W]hatever you do … don’t ever forget that people always come first. If you pay attention to them and show that you care every bit as much about them as you do their philanthropy, well, truly wonderful things can happen.”
We have all heard about donors making million-dollar-plus gifts and the impact such generosity had on the recipient charity. In America, this generosity is evidenced regularly with hundreds, even thousands of million-dollar gifts occurring annually.
Like most fundraisers, I think about what truly motivates a person to give that much away and what I can do to see about getting such a gift for my clients. There is no doubt that a worthy organization with a particularly compelling need can be successful in attracting seven-figure gifts. But, I have found over the years that almost as important is taking the time to get to know your donors and paying particular attention to “the little things.”
Read the full article by John Marshall, JB&A Vice President
Tags: Salvation Army, Stewardship
#1 by Gary Rick on August 19th, 2009 - 8:46 am
Thank you for the great story. I am a believer that we make a difference in any non-profit one relationship at a time. This man took time out of his day to show concern. He didn’t know her husband had died or the circumstances that would follow. Here is to putting the routine day-to-day paperwork to the side for a while and taking time to show genuine care.