Is there ever a time to stop working with a probable donor?

By Ashley Nall, M.S., CFRE, Senior Director, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Foundation, St. Petersburg, FL

Is it ever time to stop working with a probable donor? It could be! If you are consistently getting a “no” from a major gift probable donor, it may be time to bless and release.

I follow the rule of threes – I have asked three times, for three different amounts and possibly three different projects. These three opportunities come over a varied time frame and do not immediately proceed with each other as I work to build strategy, ensuring the right people are involved. These strategies take time and time is of the essence.

In my experience, 90% of the time a “no” from a probable donor is a “not now”. In these instances, I identify the problem with my ask.  It includes a combination of the below: 

• The project was not right (Did I listen my way to the gift? Was it the right project for them? Clearly not. It was simply based on the project not aligning with where they wanted to support within the organization.)

• The timing was not right (maybe they just made a major gift commitment to another organization, or they may have a life-changing event happening).

• The right people were not in the room.

• The right person did not make the ask (maybe they expected to be solicited from their trusted friend who brought them to us or the leader of the foundation).

• The amount was not right (fortunately, I haven’t had anyone be offended that I asked for too much).

Many of these mistakes happen just once and you quickly learn. In healthcare, it may mean having the clinician or the nurse that saved a loved one’s life, present during a pivotal ask to a grateful family. They may not be the fundraiser, but they will tell a better story and as the fundraiser, I can close the conversation with the formal solicitation. 90% of the time, these are the reasons for “no” and as I work on my portfolio, I can work to turn this “not now” into a gift.

So, what happens in the other 10% of the time? Quite possibly you are working with someone who continues to say “no”. As a major gift officer, you have put in countless hours on prospect research, cultivating this probable donor and ultimately, making several asks.

In some cases, they accept your invitation to a gala, a dinner, or a meeting with leadership but ultimately, always say “no” to a gift. Maybe they say no to your major gift ask and make an annual gift.

As a major gift officer, we need to know when to bless and release a probable donor. This doesn’t mean bless and release them from supporting your organization, rather have them work with another gift officer who might be able to help get them to a “yes”.

ONE MORE THOUGHT

I am reminded of William T Sturtevant’s groundbreaking book, The Artful Journey. He reminds us to consider the following five levels of Giving:

1.   Those who will give without being asked.

2.   Those who will give then asked.

3.   Those who need to be motivated—then they will give.

4.   Those who need to be motivated. They may or may not give.

5.   The inert fifth. They are not going to make a gift no matter what you do.

Spend your time on the first three levels, very likely 80 to 85% of your time and effort. Level 4—10 to 15%. Spend 5% on Level 5, and then if no action, they should probably be dropped.