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People Raising: Newsletter Archives

Two Strategies to Find Major Donors (9/1/07)

All of us as fund raisers hope, pray, and work toward the goal of uncovering major donors. There are a number of places to look in your search, but I want to focus on 2 simple and practical strategies you can use to find major donors.

1. Utilize existing donors in your search

Those who are supporting you and your ministry certainly can be advocates for your cause. They wouldn’t be giving to you if they did not believe in you and your mission. Now the next step is to get them thinking through their network of contacts to see who they might connect you to. As you look to existing donors, keep in mind that major donors know major prospects. It is only natural to focus on that group. They can open doors for you that would be impossible for you or me to go through.

Note: Space does not permit full development of the steps needed to successfully approach and follow through key donors who can and need to be advocates for you. The 6-hour People Raising training program fully develops these critical steps. You don’t want to drop the ball on this wonderful opportunity to build a group of major donors!

I am confident if given the chance to look through your list of donors, it would take me little time to identify existing donors who are giving far below their capacity. In many cases major donors are sitting on your list untapped. There are many reasons they are untapped. In some cases you might have been satisfied with their giving, but never approached the concept of asking based on capacity. In most cases, they simply have not been challenged. This can change as you boldly present your vision. Let me encourage you to begin that journey of discovering those donors that can play even a greater role for your ministry and cause for Christ.

"I appreciate your sensitivity in treating donors as people. It’s not just a source of income, but we truly are partners, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ."

Steve Past