b'DAYTODAY FINDING FUNDSRoy Jones, CFREPlant in the Spring Do you have a major donor contact calendar?M any nonprofits receive half their major(2) any donor that gives a single gift of $1,000+ donor revenue in December each year.or cumulatively $2,500 up to $9,999. This second As a result, they often wait until thegroup is critical because it is the pool that $10,000+ fourth quarter of the calendar year to start con- donors are identified and upgraded from. tacting these critical donors. While frequency is a strategy, it is important This approach is a mistakeand a criticalto understand the communication rhythm of reason why ministries often see spikes in attritionmid-major donors. I cut the mail/appeal frequency and decreases in major gifts. Major donors seeback to once a month for the majors and use an open ask as opposed to a suggested ask amount. I also suggest sending an insiders report from the CEO. It should be sent in a simple for-mat without graphics, videos, or photos. I often refer to this as the CEO love letter because it conveys a more personal tone and message.Every major donor should also be assigned to a senior leader on your team. I like to refer to this assignment as the staff ministry book. You never tell a donor they have been assigned to anyone; they understand they have an advocate after multiple contacts by the same person. Note: The staff mem-ber does not need to be a full-time major gift officer. themselves as investors in a cause and expect toI recommend every mid-major donor receive be brought into the inner circle with the leader- the following: ship team earlier in the year. And the larger the Monthly love letters from the CEO potential gift, the more important it is to contact that donor in a timely fashion. Six- and seven-Monthly thank-yous or emails from the figure gifts are usually asset gifts, where funds areministry book staff member Roy Jones, CFRE, has workedtransferred to a donor-advised fund or trust for Quarterly conversations/connections with with more than 70 missions, shel distribution at year-end. It takes time to reposi-ters, and food banks. He offersthe staff member or CEO Citygate Network members twotion these larger assets.free hours of training annually. InTo facilitate that level of giving, nonprofit lead-Annual face-to-face visits with the staff 2023, he volunteered more thaners need to create a 12-month calendar for majormember or CEO 200 hours serving Citygate Network members with major giving,donors. Segment your file by giving amount, pay- Remember that timing is everything when it marketing, and direct responseing special attention to two groups: (1) any donorcomes to donor communications. Plant in the fundraising support. You can reachor giving unit that gives $10,000 or more annually;spring to have a bountiful harvest in the fall. \x03 Roy at rjones@fitfundraising.com.56 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025'