Nothing But Major Gifts (Veritus Group)

We often talk to leaders and managers of non-profits who tell us they’re leading a donor-centered non-profit. That’s great! But then we start asking questions:

1. Do you have a system set up to thank donors properly?

2. Do you have an infrastructure that allows you to get information on donor impact from the program side?

3. Does finance and program sit at the table with major gift officers to discuss donor offers?

4. Do you provide administrative support for your major gift team?

Most often, the answer is no.

In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss why the “back office” of a major gift program is so crucial for success, and why a major gift program can’t succeed just on the backs of your front-line fundraisers.

This year has been unlike any other, for major gift fundraisers. Your work has been completely upended. Yet here we are, heading into what will be the busiest and best giving period of the year.

Or you hope it will be the busiest and best. There are so many uncertainties.

You can only control what you can control – what you do with your portfolio between now and the end of December.

In today's episode, Richard and Jeff share some tips and strategies on how you can end your year strong. Learn what you need to review, and the steps you can take now, to ensure that you make or exceed your revenue goals for 2020.

Do you ever get in a rut about what you should be doing with your donors to cultivate them properly? Richard and Jeff hear from many major gift fundraisers who are just tapped out of ideas. 

Today’s episode is LOADED with new ideas for you to use when cultivating and stewarding your donors, all with the intent to help you understand their passions and interests – which will allow you to solicit your donors in a more meaningful and impactful way. 

This topic is a controversial one. But stay with us for a minute! Any fundraiser’s primary objective is to connect with donors. And those donors are people with busy lives. They might only be available after 5pm, or only on weekends. They might be located internationally. For so many reasons, MGOs need to be flexible so they can meet when it’s convenient for the donor.

So, should MGOs also be expected to sit at a desk from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday?

It seems like the answer would be obvious – it’s simply not sustainable for fundraisers to work all the time. Yet many organizations promote a culture that requires 40 hours in the office, at whatever cost, regardless of the many events and donor meetings the fundraiser attends outside those hours. This has got to change if organizations want to keep great fundraisers.

Today’s episode is all about creating the kind of environment that gives fundraisers the freedom they need to nurture their donor relationships without working 60+ hours every week.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn…

• Why we believe that major gift fundraising is not a 9-5 job
• What happens when leadership doesn’t allow flexible schedules for MGOs (who are also expected to meet with donors outside of 9-5)
• What it means to manage by objectives, rather than overseeing every hour or every step of the process
• How leaders and fundraisers can advocate for a culture that supports flexibility and prevents burnout

What is it that makes The Veritus Way of fundraising so successful?

To tell you more about it, we’ve invited a couple of our clients to share about their experiences with the Veritus approach to fundraising.

Listen in to learn about how they approached integrating The Veritus Way into their work, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and what they would share with others who are working to implement a new approach to fundraising.

You may recognize some of your own challenges in their stories and successes.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll hear first-hand experiences of…

• How The Veritus Way stands out from other systems and structures
• What was most challenging about adopting a new approach
• What was most impactful in these fundraisers’ success
• Advice to others who are considering implementing a new system at their non-profit

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• Free Donor File Assessment
• What is the Veritus Way?
• Is Co-Management the Solution?

More and more non-profits are discovering that mid-level is the key to a healthy donor pipeline. If you’re wondering where to find more major donors, the answer is almost always: look to your mid-level donors.

But how do you know if your mid-level program is working as it should? At Veritus, we evaluate mid-level programs based on three key objectives: Keep, Lift, and Move. When you measure each of these components, you’ll be able to see the real impact of your mid-level program in growing your donor pipeline.

For this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff hand it over to Lisa and Kara, two of our in-house experts on mid-level programs, for a conversation about how to approach your mid-level goals and KPIs so that you can retain more donors and move those who are ready into major gifts.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• How to measure and report on the success of your mid-level program, and the three main KPIs for mid-level:

1. Keep – What are your donor retention and attrition rates for mid-level?
2. Lift – How many mid-level donors are increasing their giving year over year?
3. Move – How many of your mid-level donors are you moving into major gifts?

• Getting a baseline for your donor attrition rates and average gift sizes. (You can request our free donor file analysis here.)
• What kind of timeline to expect before you see results from a new mid-level program.

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• Cultivating Mid-Level Donors for Maximum Results
• Do You Need Goals for Mid-Level?
• Certification Course for Mid-Level Fundraisers

Are your board members actively engaged in fundraising for your non-profit? And if not – how can you encourage them to get involved?

In this episode, Jeff Schreifels and Karen Kendrick are joined by Renita Tyson for a conversation about how non-profits can build a better partnership with their boards. Renita is a Client Experience Leader at Veritus Group with a background in numerous sectors, from Fortune 500 companies to small industrial manufacturers. She’s held positions in sales, marketing, development, and senior management, and she also brings her own experience as a board member herself.

Whether you’re seeking out new board members, or you’d like to see more participation from an existing board, this episode will give you some new perspective on how to support your board members so they can do more for your mission.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• The role of board members in fundraising
• How to shift the way your board thinks about fundraising and engage them in your mission
• The resources your board needs in order to do an effective job
• Recommendations for organizations seeking to diversify their board

One of the greatest barriers to your success in relational fundraising is whether or not the rest of your organization understands and supports this work. 

We hear stories all the time from frustrated fundraisers who aren’t able to get important program information, can’t easily share the impact, and don’t have donor offers to present. 

So for this episode, we’re sharing some guidance, tips, and language to help you start talking about fundraising within your organization so you can get everyone on board and moving in the same direction. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn… 

• The problems that arise when organizations don’t understand or value the role of fundraising

• How fundraisers and leaders can educate other groups about fundraising

• How to connect with Program and Finance teams so they can see the impact donors have on their work

• How to explain a relational approach to fundraising for those without a background in it

Many non-profit leaders rely on metrics because it’s easier than sitting down with their frontline fundraisers each week and helping them stay focused and accountable to their strategic plan. But when your fundraising performance metrics are not aligned with building meaningful relationships with your donors, it can cause a whole host of problems. 

What are the metrics that really matter in fundraising, and how can managers best support their teams to stay on track with those key performance goals? 

In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by Matt and Debi for a conversation about the metrics that truly matter for your fundraising success and how we approach these metrics in our coaching work with fundraisers. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The difference between managed metrics (meaningful connections, cash flowed revenue goal, etc.) versus unmanaged metrics (visits, phone calls, emails) 

• How we define and measure meaningful connections 

• Our advice to leaders for how to provide fundraisers with coaching and accountability around the metrics that matter 

You aren’t alone if you don’t fully understand the economics of major gifts and how it should work.

Over the years, the Veritus team has run into CEOs and managers of major non-profits who didn’t get it either. In our opinion, this is just one of the reasons major gifts continues to elude non-profits… you just don’t understand the economics of it and how to be successful.

That’s okay. Because in today’s podcast, Richard and Jeff talk about the Six Economic Realities of Major Gifts, which they write about in their new book, It’s Not JUST About the Donor. This lively discussion will give you the context for where major gifts should focus (donors), why you need to be patient (it takes time to build relationships) and much more.

You may be wondering what we mean when we say you really need to adopt “The Veritus Way” of major gift fundraising.

The Veritus Way is simply the structure we apply to major gift programs, all in the context of building authentic relationships with donors. That structure includes: working with no more than 150 qualified donors in a portfolio, tiering those donors, creating a cash-flowed revenue goal and strategic plan (which includes knowing the donor’s passions and interests and communication preferences) for every donor and having consistent weekly meetings with management to keep the MGO focused and accountable.

In this podcast Richard and Jeff talk to Patrick Nugent, Sr. Vice President of Individual and Organizational fundraising at Lyric Opera Company of Chicago. He has an incredible story that highlights how he’s used The Veritus Way in his career and at Lyric Opera, and what a difference it’s made for his organizations’ revenue.

You’ll love his story.

To serve your major donors outrageously, you have to know your programs and projects so well that you’re able to inspire those donors to make a significant gift to your organization.

The most effective and best way to do that is to get to know the people behind those programs. These are the program, finance, HR, and executive team that are passionate about your organization’s mission.

In this episode, Richard and Jeff have some great tips for how you can do this.

As a fundraiser, you play two roles in any donor meeting. First, you’re there to be a partner to your donor, which means you’re seeking to learn more about their passions so you can help to match those with your organization’s programs.  

 

And your second role is to act as a facilitator so that everyone is on the same page about the purpose of the meeting and leaves feeling like their time was well-used. This is a real skill that requires some practice.  

 

In this podcast episode, Karen and Matt share their top tips for how fundraisers can successfully facilitate a donor meeting using our Permission-Based Asking™ model. 

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• Some common challenges fundraisers have around meeting facilitation 

• An overview of our Permission-Based Asking™ model 

• Our team’s top tips for facilitating an effective meeting with a donor 

In this episode, Richard and Jeff are joined by Veritus Group's Director of Planned Giving Services, Bob Shafis. Bob will discuss with them why you should be considering several planned giving strategies now, and how to do it. 

They’ll also talk about the $2.2 Trillion Care Act that was recently enacted and how it will affect your non-profit.

Join Richard, Jeff and Bob for an informative discussion and get inspired to use planned giving as a tool that will help you now in this crisis and well into the future.

Over the years, MGOs and managers have asked Richard and Jeff if they think MGOs should get bonuses if they meet or exceed their revenue goals.

In today’s episode, they answer that question, and you might be surprised by what they say.

They also discuss how non-profit leaders and managers should treat MGOs so that they’ll want to stay much longer than the average 1.8 years!

Not only will MGOs stay longer if they are treated properly, but it will pay off with donors as they develop trust with the MGO and your organization.

If you’re at a smaller organization, you might be thinking: “The Veritus Way sounds great, but it won’t work for us. We just don’t have the resources.” Well, here’s the good news: whether you’re a one-person shop or a large-scale non-profit – our systems and processes can help you build more authentic relationships with your donors, whatever the size of your organization.

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff are joined by Theresa Tapocsi, one of our incredible Client Experience Leaders. Theresa will speak to her own experience as a fundraiser in a small organization, and what she learned while trying (and sometimes failing) to implement The Veritus Way on a small scale. Wherever you are in your fundraising journey, we know this will inspire you.

For more information on how to get started with these strategies to improve donor caseload management at your organization, check out a couple of our white papers: “Qualifying Donors for Major Gift Caseloads” and “Starting a Successful Major Gift Program.”

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• Best practices in major gifts for smaller organizations
• A real-life example from Theresa’s experience as a Capital Campaigns Manager for a small organization, and what she learned through trial and error with The Veritus Way
• How to apply the systems, process, structure, and strategies of The Veritus Way, no matter the size of the organization
• Where small organizations should focus to make the biggest impact in major gifts

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, planned giving, developing compelling donor offers, and strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• How to Make Time for Major Gifts When You’re a Small Shop
• If You’re Small, How Do You Build Your Donor Pipeline?
• Small Organizations: Where Do You Find Major Donors?

The job of a major gift officer is difficult. In this episode, we talk with Christine Tesmer, a major gift officer from Colorado Public Radio. We get insight into her success, what it takes and how she manages work and life.

We also learn how her unique background in sales prepared her for her role as a major gift officer. Her story is compelling and offers great ideas for you to be successful in your role.

There are many myths about major gifts out there that impede the growth of major gift programs.  In fact, in Richard and Jeff's new book, It’s Not JUST About the Donor, they start out one by one dispelling the myths that they’ve heard from non-profit leaders over the years.

In today's episode, Richard and Jeff talk about a few of these myths that, unless we bring them to light,  either they have hurt or will certainly hurt your major gift program.

Join them for a lively discussion and an opportunity to get this new book!

Relational fundraising isn’t just a buzzword, it’s part of the Veritus mission. Whether you’re in mid-level, major gifts, or planned giving, being relationship-focused means that you are prioritizing the long-term relationship with the donor over just getting the money.  

 

Ideally, everyone at your organization should see the donor as a vital partner in your work. 

 

It’s been our goal at Veritus to insert this model within the non-profit sector so more organizations can create thriving gift programs, build a culture that prioritizes collaboration over competition, and connect more strategically with their donors. It’s a tough but ultimately rewarding transition that many are making.  

 

In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by colleague Karen Kendrick for a great discussion about the state of relational fundraising along with the trends and insights they’ve learned this year–and the ones they're anticipating in 2025.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The major lack of truly relationship-focused fundraising in most organizations 

• The interesting trends coming out of organizations who fill out the Veritus free donor file assessments. 

• Our biggest insights about relational fundraising and how organizations can utilize AI to their advantage in 2025 

Have you ever thought it would be nice to be able to qualify,  steward, and cultivate your donors in a more efficient, less costly way – all while using new technology?

In this episode, Richard and Jeff talk with Greg Warner, the CEO and founder of MarketSmart. Greg talks about what inspired him to start his company and how hundreds of non-profits are using his software to help them connect with donors.

You’ll notice immediately Greg’s passion for fundraising and donors.  He wants to change how our industry views donors and help fundraisers do  what they do best – build relationships with donors.

We at Veritus Group have been implementing and managing mid-level programs for many years now. Over that time, we’ve discovered how non-profit leaders have misconceptions about what a successful program consists of.

In today’s podcast episode, Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, Veritus Group’s Client Learning and Experience Leader, who has helped many Veritus clients launch successful mid-level programs. Jeff and Lisa discuss three things leaders get wrong about mid-level and how to overcome them, so you can be assured of having a winning program for years to come.

What is the biggest barrier to major gift success? It’s a lack of leadership.

It was this lack of leadership that inspired Richard and Jeff to write their latest book, “It’s Not JUST About the Donor.” And it’s the focus of today's episode.

In this episode Richard and Jeff address this lack of leadership by outlining all the great leadership qualities they’ve seen where major gift programs are flourishing. Hopefully, you too will be inspired to take on these qualities that are absolutely necessary for success.

How many times has your organization pulled you into something that doesn’t directly relate to your job? This kind of scenario is all too common in the non-profit sector, and the results of it are usually negative: fundraisers lose their focus, have less impact, and solicit less giving. 

What if fundraising leaders and management stopped distracting their mid-level and major gift officers with unnecessary organizational tasks, activity-oriented metrics, meetings that aren’t related to their donors, and community events? Well, the results for your organization would probably look a little better: increased revenue, higher donor retention rates, and less staff turnover. 

In this podcast episode, Jeff, Karen, and Kendra share their top tips for how fundraising managers and leadership can let their teams do their jobs and find high-value success in their work. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The assumptions that leaders may subconsciously be making about their fundraisers 

• How to create a culture of trust and accountability 

• Our team’s top tips for keeping a fundraising team on task 

Do you wonder what it will take to take your major gift program to another level?  The answer is not about some new strategy or innovation.

The answer to bringing more net revenue from your major gift program is to get to know your donors so well you know their passion and interests and why they have them.

If you know those and why, you can match that up with everything your organization does to change the world.

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff talk about your knowing your donor’s passions and interests; they have many stories to share that highlight why it’s so important.

Does the idea of having a tough conversation with someone at work give you anxiety? You’re not alone. Most people prefer to steer clear of difficult topics and possible conflict, but the reality is that knowing how to have challenging conversations is critical in developing a cohesive and trusting team.

In today’s podcast episode, Jeff Schreifels invites Karen Kendrick, our Senior Director of Learning, and Brandyn Campbell, a communications and DEI expert, to discuss why we often struggle with challenging conversations and how to shift our own perspective to address difficult topics in an honoring and respectful way.

Introducing our guest:

Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Campbell runs Brandyn Campbell Communications and is a DEI expert. Brandyn is also an accomplished communications specialist, educator, speaker, and strategist who has worked with some incredible organizations including the Philadelphia Eagles. For the past 15 years, she’s devoted her career to providing education on navigating cultural differences to business leaders and students alike. You can connect with Brandyn through her website: https://www.brandyncampbell.com/

Do you know your organization’s coronavirus story? In other words, if a donor asked you how the virus is affecting your organizations mission would you know what to say?

Our team at Veritus is worried that many non-profit leaders and managers haven’t figure out how the virus has really affected your mission. What potential shortfall are you looking at? What added services are you now providing that you weren’t before? What is all this costing you?

In today’s podcast, Richard and Jeff specifically speak to non-profit leaders and managers about making sure you know your coronavirus story, what it will cost and urge you to boldly tell donors that story so they can help you weather the crisis.

We are hearing things in our sector that disturbs us. “You shouldn’t talk to donors now.” “We need to pull back our fundraising efforts to allow people to deal with the crisis.”

No.

If you've built solid relationships with donors, you have their trust to reach out to them, find out how they're doing, tell your organization's story in this crisis and be able to ask for the donor’s help.

Now is that time. We hope this episode inspires you as you continue to communicate with your donors.

What’s so great about mid-level? We’re so glad you asked!

More and more organizations are discovering that mid-level is the key to retaining donors and donor value. When you have a mid-level program that’s focused on building relationships with donors and discovering their passions and interests, it allows you to qualify and move more donors to major gifts.

And in addition to inspiring more donor engagement and connection, a mid-level program really makes a difference for your organization’s bottom line.

This podcast episode features Kara Ansotegui, one of our Client Experience Leaders, and Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services. Kara and Lisa together have decades of experience with non-profits, and they have a passion for the power of mid-level (and making it FUN).

We hope this conversation will inspire you to get started on mid-level, so your organization can make a greater impact toward its mission.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• The role of mid-level in building a healthy donor pipeline where donors are engaged from acquisition all the way to planned giving
• How mid-level programs improve rates of donor and donor value attrition
• How a strong mid-level program allows you to qualify and move more donors up into major gifts
• Net revenue increases that our mid-level clients have seen after starting a mid-level program

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [Podcast] Keep, Lift, Move: The Three Objectives of a Successful Mid-Level Program
• [Blog] How to Overcome the Fear and Get Started on Your Mid-Level Program
• [Course] Certification Course in Mid-Level Fundraising

With summer vacations wrapping up and back-to-school season in full swing, it’s time to start taking a close look at your fundraising plans for the fall and year-end. 

 

Are you feeling prepared for the busy months ahead? We know how valuable this time of year is in your fundraising cycle, which is why it’s so important to focus on creating a strong strategic plan for your donors.

 

In this episode, Jeff Schreifels is joined by Debi Dunham, Client Experience Leader here at Veritus, and our special guest Jarrod Williams, Director of Development for the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and an alumnus of our online academy.

 

Listen in to this episode to learn what steps you can take right now and in the months ahead to set yourself up for a successful year-end fundraising season.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• What fundraisers need to do during the fall fundraising season to prepare for a successful year-end

• How to shift your efforts so that you’re using your time effectively in November and December
• Planning touch points that will cut through the noise during a busy time for your donors

Many non-profits feel that once they’ve secured a planned gift from a donor, their work is done. There may not be any plans for follow-up or intentional cultivation of legacy donors after the gift is committed.

Yet, we know that impact reporting is essential to donor retention. And this is no different for planned gifts. Keep in mind that 50% of donors are going to change their wills in the final years of their lives, often removing provisions for organizations who they’ve lost touch with.

So, how do you report on the impact of a future gift? How do you effectively steward your planned giving donors so that they stay engaged with your mission?

On this podcast episode, Jeff and Richard are joined by Bob Shafis, our Director of Planned Giving Services, for a conversation about best practices in legacy donor stewardship. Learn how to build a plan to help your donors remain connected to your organization with confidence in the difference that their gift will make.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• How to engage your planned giving donors so that they feel connected to your organization in the years to come
• How to show the future impact of a gift, when you can't actually show the donors their gifts in action
• Creating a stewardship plan that includes a process for thanking and recognizing legacy donors
• Reaching out to planned giving donors to reconfirm their commitment

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, planned giving, developing compelling donor offers, and strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [Blog] Three Critical Elements of Planned Giving
• [Podcast] Do You Need a Legacy Society?
• [White Paper] The Seven Deadly Sins of Planned Giving

Over the past two decades, our team at Veritus has analyzed hundreds of different non-profits’ data files, and we see the same trends over and over again. While overall revenue may go up year-over-year, many donors give less over time (or go away altogether). But organizations are often unaware this is happening because the loss is covered up by gifts from new donors.  

So, what can you do about this? The first thing to do is start analyzing your donor file so you can understand where you have opportunities. For today’s episode, Jeff is joined by Theresa Tapocsi (Client Experience Leader) and Amy Chapman (Director of Client Engagement) for a conversation about how we perform our free donor file assessment to identify the hidden potential in your donor file.  

The sooner you understand what’s happening in your data, the sooner you can take action. We hope this episode helps you think about your next steps in analyzing your donor data for opportunities to better engage your donors. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The data points Veritus looks at in our free Donor File Assessment and where organizations have the greatest opportunities to improve their fundraising programs 

• How we use historical performance to determine a 5-year forecast for your organization 

• Common reasons why non-profits reach out to Veritus for our free, no-obligations assessment of their donor file 

• Tips for anyone looking to start analyzing their own donor data in this way 

When you have a healthy donor pipeline, there will come a time when you need to transition a donor relationship to someone else. Whether the donor is moving from mid-level to a major gifts portfolio or from a higher level of giving back into mid-level or direct response, you need to have protocols in place so that the transition feels seamless to the donor. 

For today’s podcast episode, Karen Kendrick speaks with Diana Frazier, Senior Client Experience Leader, and Kara Ansotegui, Director of Client Engagement Services, to ask them about their top tips for how you can meaningfully transition a donor relationship in a way that honors the donor and strengthens their connection to your organization.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• The kinds of donor transitions you need to develop protocols around (how to move a donor from mid-level to major gifts or planned gifts, or back down to mid-level)

• Some of the common issues we see in non-profits that lead to bumpy transitions for both donors and fundraisers

• How to manage transitions when you have a hybrid mid-level / major gifts caseload

There are some fundraising and donor horror stories out there that are startling... and some that are downright unbelievable. And there are many fundraisers in the non-profit sector who have had experiences that are truly bizarre and surprising. 

In this episode, Richard and Jeff share some of the stories we've heard from fundraisers that will shock you. These stories are meant to help us all learn how to create better cultures within our organization, set healthy boundaries, and to encourage you to speak up when inappropriate situations occur. 

Major gift fundraising has a problem: MGOs are leaving their non-profits after only 1.8 years on the job! How can they build lasting relationships with donors that way?

In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss why people are leaving, and how managers can work with MGOs to keep successful, experienced staff intact.

When moves management was first introduced as a strategy to help fundraisers manage their caseloads, it was a step forward in putting some much-needed structure around the donor pipeline. 

But now, some non-profits have taken the idea too far. A lot of organizations have gotten stuck on rigid definitions of what “stage” a donor is at. Moves management has led to these metrics that have caused fundraisers to forget about how actual relationships work.

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff share an alternative approach to caseload management that will allow you to move your focus back to your donor.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Having a mindset of cultivating donors all the time, instead of designating a status for “Cultivation”
• How to stay focused on the donor relationship, rather than the stage
• How to advocate for this new approach when leadership has only known moves management

With about a week remaining in the year, most fundraisers feel like they've exhausted their to-do list. They’ve worked their plan, made their last calls, and written their thank-you cards. What happens to their donors now is mostly out of their hands. 

 

While that may be true, there are still a few achievable strategies to adopt in your plan so that you can make the most of this final stretch before the new year and secure a few remaining and impactful gifts. 

 

In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by colleagues Matt Korn and Theresa Tapocsi for a great discussion about how to prepare for and approach the final week of the year, and make these final seven days count towards your revenue goals.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

 

• How to focus on the right donors and keeping the focus on your relationship together 

• Having a strategic follow-up, thank you, and impact reporting plan in place 

• Our biggest year-end insights and ideas for how to approach the final week of 2024 and look forward to 2025 

Do you have a strategy to help you allocate your time per donor?

The reality is, you only have so much time in a day. And you need to be a good steward of that time. So, while we value all donors as people, the impact they have is not equal. Some will give much more than others, and those donors need a bigger investment of your time and energy.

On this episode, Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services, to talk about the idea of tiering donor caseloads. This is a core component of the system and structure we follow as part of The Veritus Way. Join us for this conversation about the process of tiering and how it works to help you focus your time where you can make the most impact.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• The process of tiering your caseload donors A-C
• Misconceptions about what it means to tier donors and engage them at different levels
• Challenges that arise when a caseload isn’t tiered
• Differences in tiering a major gifts caseload versus a mid-level caseload
• How tiering helps fundraisers to better engage their donors

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [White Paper] Tiering Donors to Create Focused Caseloads
• [Blog] You Can’t Spend All Your Time With a Donor Just Because You Like Them
• [Video] Why “Tier” Donors in a Major Gift Caseload?

The 2023 report by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project revealed that for the first time in a decade, the national average for major giving revenue went DOWN by -4% in 2022. This has generated a lot of concern in the fundraising community about the future of philanthropy.

The good news is – you don’t have to accept decreasing revenue as the new normal. 

When this report came out, we took a look at how our clients had done by comparison. While the findings showed that nationally, major gifts revenue was down -4% for the first time since 2013, our clients saw an average increase of +22%. And for donors giving $500-$5,000 level (what we would identify as mid-level), national numbers were down -3.9% in revenue in 2022 compared to 2021. Our mid-level clients, however, were up +7%.

Getting this kind of growth isn’t rocket science. It takes dedication and commitment to implement a system and structure that’s designed to create long-lasting partnerships with your donors where they feel deeply connected to your organization’s mission.

In this podcast episode, Jeff and Richard examine the results of the report and share how non-profits can adopt strategies to reverse these trends and increase giving to their organization.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn… 

• Key insights from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project on the state of donor giving in 2023

• Strategies that enabled Veritus clients to grow their revenue, despite lower giving nationally

• What fundraising leaders can do to achieve these results for their organization

Creating change in your organization can feel like a daunting task. Where should you start? How do you stay on track?

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff interview a special guest, Ruth Ann Dailey, the Senior Vice President of Philanthropy at the American Cancer Society. Ruth Ann played a critical role in championing change in how ACS approached major gifts. And the result? They were able to double their major and mid-level revenue in just three years. Join us for an inspiring conversation about how ACS did this and how you can advocate for and influence change in your organization.

If you want to champion a change in your organization’s fundraising strategy, the first step we recommend is to get started with our free donor file assessment. There is no obligation to work with us when you do this assessment, but it will give you actionable information about the health of your donor file, problem areas, and your potential revenue over the next 5 years. Get started on the Free Donor Assessment here.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• The problems ACS identified that made them realize they needed to change, and how they found the right approach
• The process for developing leadership buy-in, as well as advice for someone at an organization where leadership is not supportive of major gifts or changing strategy
• How ACS shifted their fundraising culture to create a disciplined approach to mid and major gift fundraising to build meaningful donor relationships
• How any size non-profit can learn from ACS and achieve a greater impact for their organization
• Ruth Ann’s advice to other leaders who are looking to champion change within their organization

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, planned giving, developing compelling donor offers, and strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• Webinar Recording: How ACS Doubled Their Major and Mid-Level Revenue
• Leadership Is About Influencing Culture
• Use Major Gifts to Bring Your Organization Together
• What Can You Change?

It’s summertime! Hopefully, you’re taking some quality time off. And whenever you’re back in the office, you may even find yourself with some quiet days where your inbox is not blowing up and all your meetings are cancelled. This is a great time to reflect and plan for how you’re going to meet your goals by year-end.

In this episode re-release from 2021, Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, Director of Client Services at Veritus Group. Together, they share five ideas for what you can do this summer that will set you up for a successful year-end. 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Reviewing your caseload to determine whether any donors need to be moved

• How to get creative with your donor outreach during the summer

• Using the slower summer months to focus on professional development

• And more ideas for how fundraisers can make the most of the summer season!

You can have a mid or major gift program that is set up with the right structure, full caseload of qualified donors, great ongoing management, but if you don’t have compelling offers for donors to invest in, you won't be successful. In today’s podcast, Jeff and Richard talk with guest, Theresa Tapocsi, who leads Veritus’ efforts helping non-profits complete our Donor Impact Portfolio(DIP). The Donor Impact Portfolio is designed to help non-profits take all their programs and projects that make up their mission, and match it up with the entire budget, including overhead so that you know exactly what each of those programs and projects cost. You’ll get all the details on how this works, some of the learnings we’ve had over the years, and hear what the results have been when a non-profit invests their time and resources in equipping their front-line fundraisers with compelling offers.

Veritus Group was incredibly honored to be the Presenting Sponsor for the AADO Conference in 2024. 

 

AADO (African American Development Officers Network) is a network of more than 3,500 fundraising professionals of color. Their annual conference is the premier event for fundraising, development, and operations professionals of color, and their allies.  

 

During the conference, our team sat down with several AADO leaders and conference presenters to talk about the projects they’re working on and the path toward racial justice in the non-profit sector. 

 

Our guests on this episode are Birgit Burton, Chief Executive Officer of AADO; Nneka Allen, Founder of The Empathy Agency; and Christopher Beck, Senior Advisor for Principal Gifts and Inclusive Philanthropy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  

 

We were so inspired by this conversation and hope you’ll come away feeling encouraged by the insights shared and the progress toward racial justice in our sector. Thanks for listening! 

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The journey toward racial justice in the non-profit sector 

• Progress made and current initiatives to support people of color in the fundraising community 

• What it looks like to create a space where people can bring their authentic selves to their work in philanthropy 

You probably know that the number one reason donors either leave your organization and stop giving or reduce their giving is because they were  never told how their gift made a difference. Yet most non-profits we’ve encountered don’t make this a priority. 

In this week’s podcast, Richard and Jeff discuss three strategies to help organizations make the investment in reporting back impact and ultimately change the culture of your non-profit so that you can retain donors and increase giving over time.

As you know, The Veritus Way of Major Gifts is all about helping you design a structure, so you have the freedom and ability to create authentic relationships with your donors. The main tool we use to develop that structure is our Marketing Impact Chart.

Guess what? We’re changing the name of the MIC and in this podcast episode, we tell you what it is and why we’re changing it, along with telling you why this tool has made a significant impact with thousands of front-line fundraisers all around the world.

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Download the newly-renamed tool at this link.

Many front-line fundraisers are telling us they are being asked to go back to the office this fall. But, with the Delta Variant causing more communities to reinstitute mask mandates and social distancing, is that wise? Do you even need that added stress right now? But here’s the real question: Should frontline fundraisers EVER be required to work from the office? And, if you are going to bring back your staff, how are you doing it in a way that honors and protects them? In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss what we’re hearing from fundraisers about the transition back to the office and what the research says about whether your team can work remotely.

You probably intuitively already know this: women make up 70% of the non-profit workforce, yet there are huge inequities in pay and leadership positions for women. And the pandemic has made this even worse.

Why?

In today’s podcast, Richard and Jeff talk with Mazarine Treyz, a successful veteran fundraiser, consultant, author and speaker. They’re joined by Karen Kendrick, Veritus Group’s Director of Learning – and we'll get their perspectives on why we have this inequity, how it came to be, and what can be done to change it.

We think you’ll be inspired by these two leaders, and we hope it gives voice to help make changes in the non-profit sector to raise up more women to positions of leadership and equal pay.

It’s not easy to let go of certain donors, but there comes a time in every fundraising cycle when you’ll need to transition a donor relationship to someone else.  

 

Whether the donor is moving from mid-level to a major gifts portfolio, or from a higher level of giving back into mid-level or direct response, transitioning them to another colleague is one of the best things you can do for your program, organization, and the donor! But you need to have protocols in place so that the transition feels seamless and keeps your pipeline free and clear of any clogs.   

 

In this podcast episode, Jeff, Theresa, and Matt share their top tips and best practices for handling donor handoffs, shifting your thinking, and transitioning members of your caseload.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The kinds of protocols you’ll need to develop when a donor matches the criteria to move up or down in their giving level 

• Some of the common issues we see in non-profits that lead to bumpy transitions for both donors and fundraisers 

• Our team’s top tips for making donor handoffs a seamless process 

Professional fundraisers have lots of questions about how you can do your work better. Each week, Richard and Jeff hear from your colleagues all over the world on how they can be better fundraisers. Today’s podcast answers some of the most burning questions they get. 

They hope that their answers will help you think differently and inspire you in the work you do every day to help change the world.

How do you create compelling donor offers that will result in gifts that are significant, or even transformational? In this episode, Richard and Jeff talk with legendary fundraiser, copy-editor and author Tom Ahern about how he helps clients reach donors and motivate them to action.

Building a partnership between mid-level and direct response is crucial to your organization’s success. Yet many organizations are missing out on opportunities to align these groups in a way that will strengthen the donor pipeline.  

 

For this episode, we invited special guests Becca Burgess, VP of Client Services at Moore, and Kara Ansotegui, Senior Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the American Cancer Society, to join us for a conversation about creating a partnership between mid-level and direct response that will result in stronger relationships with donors at every stage of giving.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The difference between a high-touch direct mail campaign and a relational mid-level approach 

• Creative ways that organizations can promote collaboration between mid-level and direct response teams 

• Barriers that prevent these groups from coordinating their donor outreach 

“You can’t be serious!”

This is the reaction Richard and Jeff get from many non-profit leaders when we tell them NOW is the time to start a major gift program.

Yes, even in the midst of uncertainty, your organization should either be starting or heavily investing in your current major gift program.

Why? Because this is where you’ll eventually see most of your NET revenue come from.

Need inspiration to do it? Well, in this podcast episode, our guest is Joyce MacDonald, the President and CEO of Greater Public Media. They’re the association for all PBS and NPR stations around the U.S.

Joyce has a great story of how she identified public media’s need to create a real major gift program and what she did to make it happen – and she’ll inspire you to do it yourself! It was no small feat, but Joyce is making it happen.

Most of the time, when we ask a major gift fundraiser what the Return on Investment (ROI) of their portfolio is, we get nothing but a blank stare – and then a look of panic.

Well, you don’t have to panic. In this episode, Richard and Jeff talk about how to calculate your ROI. They tell you what’s acceptable for a new portfolio vs. a mature one. They discuss how it should grow over time, and they let managers and leaders know it takes TIME to develop.

Then they list 12 reasons why there is low ROI in many major gift portfolios. Richard and Jeff go over what you can do to avoid these pitfalls so that you can realize net revenue and ROI growth, year after year.

Looking for inspiration to help you plan for the fall fundraising season? Look no further!

Since we’re privileged to work with so many different non-profit organizations, we have a bird’s-eye view of the latest fundraising trends and themes. From year-end planning to giving trends to technology in the relational giving space – exciting things are happening.

On this podcast episode, Jeff and Richard are joined by Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services, to share some tips based on what’s working well for our clients. Listen in for some great ideas and strategies to energize your fundraising program this fall!

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• Fundraising trends and themes we’re seeing with Veritus clients
• Strategies our clients are using to provide exceptional donor service (and how you can apply these in your own organization)
• Common challenges that non-profits are facing in the second half of 2022

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• Exceptional Donor Service Starts With You
• Do You Provide a 5-Star Donor Experience?
• Discovering Your Donor’s Passions and Interests

Did you know that not everything Richard and Jeff say is true? Well, okay, it’s true, but it may not be exactly true for you and your situation as it pertains to how you implement The Veritus Way at your organization.

Today’s podcast episode explores how The Veritus Way can work for your organization even if you don’t apply everything to the letter of the law. The podcast also welcomes a new guest host, Karen Kendrick (our Director of Learning) along with two guests: Lisa Robertson, one of our Veritus Client Experience Leaders and Greg Gibbs, head of major gifts at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Each of our guests will talk about how they are applying The Veritus Way in the organizations they work with.

This pandemic has been a stress test for many non-profits. The biggest threat to the future of a non-profit in times like this is the lack of multiple funding streams for a non-profit.

Today, those organizations that rely heavily on events, or corporate and government funding, are struggling. And non-profits that only rely on direct-response to bring in the majority of their revenue are reeling.

Why? Because having a diverse array of funding streams, especially those who promote individual donor giving, will help you get through economic downturns. And as you know, we’re in a massive downturn at the moment.

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff discuss why you need to diversify your funding, how to detect where you’re hurting, and how to create a plan to change it.

Imagine this scenario: you’re a leader of a non-profit, and you run into a major donor at an event. They ask how things are going at the organization. How do you respond?

A: “Things are great! We’re on track to meet our revenue goals by the end of the year.”

B: “Right now, we’re focused on growing our XYZ Program so we can provide more services for families in need. We’ve seen some incredible results through this program already; can I share a little about what we hope to do in the year ahead?”

It’s pretty clearly B, right? And yet, a lot of fundraisers are so focused on the money that they struggle to talk about their mission in a way that connects with donors.

For this podcast episode, we’ve invited a special guest to help us discover what it means to speak in terms of your mission. Luke Wilson, CEO of A Rocha Canada, will share how focusing on his organization’s mission has transformed his conversations with donors.

As you’re listening in, think about your own elevator pitch and whether it’s working to engage donors with your mission in a meaningful way.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• Why so many fundraisers and non-profit leaders struggle to talk about their mission
• What gets in the way of having more meaningful donor conversations
• The difference between a money-focused conversation and a mission-focused one

This episode sheds light on some of the craziest misconceptions we’ve heard from leaders and managers about major gifts, and what you can do as a major gift officer to help educate them and set them straight.

Major gift fundraising is too important to be left to folks who don’t know what they’re doing. There’s too much riding on your organization’s future not to know how a major gift program should be run correctly.

Get inspired to help your manager or non-profit leader understand how major gifts actually works.

Even before the pandemic, finding and hiring the right candidates for fundraising roles was a challenge. Now, many organizations are struggling to even get a good pool of candidates, let alone find the right candidate from within that pool. 

In this podcast episode, Jeff and Karen are joined by special guest Paul Towne, Executive Search Consultant with Cooper Coleman. As a search consultant who works exclusively with non-profit and social impact organizations, Paul has extensive knowledge about how to attract the right candidates and identify the best match for the position. 

We hope this conversation gives you some helpful ideas and tools to use when you’re hiring for your next fundraising role!

Show Highlights: In this episode, we discuss… 

• Why organizations are having such a tough time hiring fundraisers

• How the rise of remote and hybrid work has impacted the job market

• How to attract diverse applicants and select candidates who are a good fit for your organizational culture and community

Your donors are busy. There's a lot of noise in their lives. The front-line fundraisers who can cut through that noise and get noticed by their donors will have the ability to win their hearts and minds.

In today's episode, Richard and Jeff give you seven ways to stand out with your donor, so they'll engage with you AND allow you to build an authentic relationship with them.

Asking your donors for gifts isn’t something you should save for the year-end giving season. When you’re tuned in to your donor’s giving preferences and interests, you can bring them additional giving opportunities even outside their regular giving season.

For this episode, we invited two guest fundraisers and clients of ours to share their expertise on this subject. Sarah Coen-Frei, Senior Individual Giving Manager at Minnesota Public Radio, and Fritz Gutwein, Major Gift Officer at Bread for the World, join Veritus Group’s Karen Kendrick (Senior Director of Client Engagement) and Diana Frazier (Senior Client Experience Leader) for this conversation about how to approach asking year-round. 

We hope you find these tips helpful as you work toward your next donor asks!

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Moving away from transactional asking (e.g. waiting for year-end appeals) to adopt a more relational model

• How to use Permission-Based Asking when asking your donor for a gift

• Inspiring donors to give outside of their regular giving season

For your organization to continue to grow, you need to invest in an organized program for identifying and stewarding planned gifts. Planned giving is an essential part of relational fundraising, yet so many fundraisers avoid it simply because they don’t have a system that supports them to engage donors in this way.

So for this podcast episode, we’ll be talking about the three legs that make up a successful planned giving program. Listen in to learn how to build a program that will support your fundraisers in securing more planned gifts for your organization’s mission.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• How we define the three legs of planned giving, and where these areas can support each other

• Organizational division of labor for these functions – whether you have a distinct position for each role, or one person who manages them all

• What can go wrong when an organization is not properly supporting all three areas of planned giving

• Opportunities for collaboration between major gifts and planned giving

What is it like to be a Black fundraiser in North America? Do you believe the experiences and challenges that Black fundraisers regularly live through and survive in the non-profit sector? 

In today's podcast episode, Richard and Jeff talk with the editors of Collecting Courage, a collection of stories from Black fundraisers in the U.S. and Canada. Nneka Allen, Nicole Salmon, and Camila Pereira each have powerful stories to tell. Join us as they share about their experiences working in the non-profit sector and inspire all of us to make change happen. 

You can learn more about Collecting Courage and find where to purchase the book here: https://www.collectingcourage.org/

And you can connect with the editors through LinkedIn here:
- Nneka Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnekaallen/
- Nicole Salmon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolesalmon1/
- Camila Pereira: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camila-pereira-phd-8b085814/

Is your organization considering creating a capital campaign in the near future? Before you spend a bunch of time, energy and money on it, you have to listen to Richard and Jeff talk with Amy Eisenstein, the CEO and Co-Founder of Capital Campaign Toolkit. Amy has a unique approach to capital campaigns, one that could save you thousands of dollars if you heed her advice.

She has some really good questions for you to answer as you consider whether or not you should start a campaign. She also gives you tips and advice for what not to do.

Please listen closely and alert your CEO and board to what Amy has to say. It could be the best advice you get all year.

Why is it that non-profit leaders are trying to keep overhead so low? Are they afraid that if it’s too high, donors will complain and threaten to stop giving? In almost every conversation we’ve had with donors about overhead, they are absolutely understanding that overhead is necessary to make the mission go!

In today’s podcast episode, Richard and Jeff discuss how non-profits are hurting themselves and the sector at large, by being afraid to reveal the true cost of the operations and applying it honestly to the programs and projects that make up the work you are doing to change the world.

So much is affected from terrible pay and burnout, to not allowing innovation… all in the name of keeping expenses low. But there’s something you can do about it. Find out what Richard and Jeff’s solution is.

Many non-profits have a membership model as a key part of their fundraising strategy. And while membership donors can be some of the most loyal and consistent in their giving, a membership model can also be limiting. Donors are going to give what you ask for. If you ask donors to give $120 a year (for a free tote bag!), that’s what people will give you.

But your donors have the capacity and the desire to do more – if you bring them an offer that matches their passions and interests. If you’re not incorporating relationship-based fundraising into your strategy, you aren’t tapping into your donors’ potential to give transformationally.

On today’s podcast episode, we’re doing a deep dive on this topic, and we’ve invited a special guest. Joining us today is Joyce MacDonald, CEO of Greater Public. She’ll share what happened when organizations she worked with shifted from basically a membership-only model to invest in mid and major gift fundraising programs. Listen to find out the results!

And if you’re looking for support in starting up or growing your major gifts program, check out our Certification Courses for Major Gift Fundraisers and for Fundraising Managers and Leaders.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

· The history of membership models

· How to move from a membership mindset to a mid / major gifts approach

· What you can learn from the success of public media stations in developing major and mid-level gift programs

· How to get started on this path and make the case for change using real numbers to gain buy-in from leadership

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

· Take the Next Step: Request Your Free Donor File Assessment

· The Problem with Giving Societies and Membership Programs

· Do Membership Programs Suppress Giving?

Successful fundraising programs depend on great managers who can provide fundraisers with feedback, accountability, and encouragement. It’s a full-time job, and it requires a certain set of skills.

Yet many non-profit managers are expected to continue to manage their own caseloads in addition to their team’s. They may have been moved into their role without training or support. And on top of that, the skills that make someone a successful fundraiser don’t necessarily translate to being an excellent manager. This is where a co-management solution comes in.

In this podcast episode, Richard and Jeff explain what we mean by “co-management.” They share how Veritus partners with non-profit organizations to provide this service and how it compares to in-house management of frontline fundraisers.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you'll learn...

• What “co-management” means and how it works for non-profit organizations
• How co-management solutions compare to in-house management
• Benefits of co-management and how to overcome obstacles

If you put off your year-end planning until October or November, you may find yourself scrambling to get things done at the last minute, without any broader strategy behind your communications. Which is why we recommend starting now! 

But we know it can be overwhelming to think about everything you need to do at year-end. So in this episode, we’re sharing some of our favorite tips and ideas to help you build efficiencies into your year-end plan, so that this time of year can stop being overwhelming and start being fun, creative, and impactful.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll discover… 

• What gets in the way of effective year-end planning

• Tips for fundraisers looking for efficiencies in their year-end planning and strategy

• How non-profit managers and leaders can help their teams create an effective plan for year-end

In most of the higher education institutions where Veritus Group has conducted data assessments, they’re performing terribly.

What’s wrong here?

Universities have resources. They have dozens (if not hundreds) of major gift officers, researchers, and stewardship officers. And yet what we find is that they don’t have real relationships with donors and alumni.

Some of them are still raising millions if not billions of dollars… yet they could be doing so much better forming authentic relationships with donors and alumni!

In today’s rebroadcast of an episode from January, Richard and Jeff talk about their experiences with university major gift programs, tell stories about their MGOs, what their challenges are, and ultimately what can be done to turn those programs around.

Do you want to get rid of the donors in your portfolio? We would hope not. Yet by the way many major gift officers are cultivating and stewarding donors, you would think they are.

In this episode, Richard and Jeff outline ten different ways that MGOs are actively trying to get rid of their donors without even knowing it. Hopefully, you aren’t practicing any of these ten.

In fact, if you’re doing the opposite of everything we say in the podcast today, you’re probably a pretty good MGO. 

Your work as an MGO, as you know full well, is to build authentic relationships with your donors. It’s not easy, but don’t make it harder on yourself by doing any of the ten things we outline today.

There are so many myths in major gift fundraising that Richard and Jeff devote a whole chapter to it in their latest book, “It’s Not JUST About  the Money.” These myths hurt not only the success of a major gift program, but the development of front-line fundraisers. 

Today’s episode debunks several myths and gets to the truth of what major gifts is really about. It continues on the theme of a previous episode in November 2020.

Over the last year, we’ve been talking a lot about how to create, build, and manage a great planned giving program. Now, you can have your program all set-up, but if you don’t have a continuous stream of quality leads coming in, what good is it?

In today’s episode, our Director of Planned Giving Services, Robert Shafis joins Jeff to talk about how you can be more effective in generating quality planned giving leads, what the latest strategies are, and what to do with all those new leads, whether you’re a small, medium, or large organization. Lead generation is changing. In today’s episode, learn what’s working and how an effective lead generation strategy will grow your planned giving program exponentially.

Today’s podcast episode is a little different. We’re talking about the spirituality of major gift fundraising. No, we’re not talking about religion, but we ARE talking about how fundraising has a spiritual nature to it – not with a capital “S,” but with a small “s.”

Richard and Jeff explore the mystical act that happens at the moment a donor gives, and the organization receives that gift.

Find out not only why we think fundraising is a spiritual endeavor, but also how you can continue to keep your heart soft and focused on the need, so you can continue to help your donors find joy and fulfillment in their giving.

Gratitude feels great in the moment... but this feeling is fleeting. When it comes to celebrating the impact your donors are making, and being grateful for their support, you cannot thank them too much. 

In today's episode, Richard and Jeff talk about why showing gratitude is so important in building meaningful donor relationships and in your own mental well-being. They also discuss ways to bring thankfulness into your work to keep you rooted in why you do what you do. 

If you want more content related to how you can support your own mental well-being, check out our Webinars page and look for the webinar titled "Depleted? Overwhelmed? Start Setting Boundaries." 

We’ve all been in meetings where the conversation gets sidetracked. Maybe someone present is very chatty and wants to spend the first half hour catching up. Maybe one individual has another topic they want to discuss, outside of what was outlined in the agenda. Or maybe no one is clear on why they’re there at all, so the conversation wanders until the time is up.

How can you make sure your donor meetings stay on track, while being respectful of everyone’s time and contributions? In this episode, Karen and Diana share their tips for how to effectively prepare for a donor meeting and what you can do when things don’t go according to plan.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• How to prepare for meetings and set expectations with all participants

• What you can say when a conversation gets off-track

• How to use Permission-Based Asking to move the conversation forward in a way that feels authentic and honoring

• How to handle emotions that may come up, in yourself and in your donor

Pivoting is good, but it implies that once we get back to normal, we just go back to what we used to do.

Well, this pandemic is giving us the opportunity to not only pivot, but to permanently change.

Change what?

Change the way we evaluate MGOs and major gift programs.  Richard and Jeff believe that the old metrics that most non-profits use to measure major gift officers perpetuates transactional giving.

In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss why we need to let go of the old metrics and suggest a few new ones that actually help major gift officers develop authentic relationships with donors.

Isn’t that what major gifts should be all about?

Find out what metrics every non-profit should evaluate that actually help you build relationships and go from transactional to transformational.

At Veritus, we’re all about relational fundraising, but too often, we hear about non-profit leaders making random budget cuts that negatively impact this tried-and-true approach. 

 We know that leaders are under a lot financial pressure at their organizations. Tough decisions have to be made when times and budgets are tight. But it’s important for decision-makers to understand how these cuts can impact relational fundraising, and why they need to invest in relational major gifts when things start to feel pinched.  

 In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by colleague Kendra Loper for an in-depth conversation about how leaders can better support their fundraisers’ work and when to think twice about slashing parts of the budget. 

 Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• How to shift your mindset about budget cuts and their revenue ramifications 

• The ways you can get creative and outsource fundraising work if budget cuts are mandatory 

• Our top tips and best practices for current managers who need to make budget cuts 

Are you concerned that the donors on your file are too old? Are you scrambling to get younger donors?

Don’t be.

In major gifts and planned giving, the vast majority of your revenue will come from donors who are 55 and older. So why is everyone  so enamored with younger donors?

This episode teaches you why older donors should be the bread and butter of your major gift program – and why you shouldn’t be anxious about finding  younger donors.

Usually, people have the best of intentions. But it’s shocking how many organizations have internalized some misguided views of fundraising without realizing how their mindset is hurting their donor relationships.

There’s plenty of wrong thinking out there, and on today’s episode, we’ll talk about what it looks like when fundraising leaders and professionals don’t prioritize the donor. Remember, donors are not a means to an end. They’re the lifeblood of your organization and partners in achieving your mission.

Keep an open mind as you listen in today; if you’ve made these mistakes, that’s ok to admit. Making mistakes is all part of the process. But if you aren't learning and growing each time, then you're missing out on opportunities for positive change.

Show Highlights: In this episode, we’ll share how non-profits unintentionally damage their donor relationships when they…

• Don’t understand the role of fundraising
• Promote a misguided view of the role of the donor
• Fail to recognize the spiritual nature of giving
• Treat donors as a means to an end
• Set up a system and structure that is disconnected from the donor journey

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [BLOG] Mistakes You’re Making That Suppress Major Donor Giving
• [VIDEO] What’s Holding Non-Profits Back From Treating Their Donors Well?
• [WHITE PAPER] Building a Culture of Philanthropy

Join Richard and Jeff for Part 2 of their discussion of six New Year’s Resolutions. In this podcast they outline the second 3 resolutions that you may have never heard of before… however, they’re resolutions that are embodied in every successful Major Gift Officer they’ve met. 

Start your year off right and find out what all successful Major Gift Officers have in common.

More and more, fundraisers are being overworked and underpaid. They’re frequently pulled in different directions and asked to accomplish tasks that don’t fall under their domain – all without a solid support structure. It’s caused many to leave the sector entirely.  

There is so much important work to do in our world and we need to take care of our people in order to solve these big problems. That means implementing mindful, self-care practices so you’re ready to approach your work with the energy and focus it deserves.  

 

In this podcast episode, Karen and Megan share their top tips and best practices for managing burnout and overwhelming stress, and provide you with tools to quiet your inner critic.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• The way fundraisers are experiencing and dealing with burnout in the industry and the best ways to resolve physical and emotional exhaustion 

• Some of the benefits that fundraisers receive when they practice self-care and mindfulness  

• Our team’s top tips for handling stress and cultivating self-compassion 

Many fundraisers can share about a time where a donor overstepped one of their personal boundaries. Yet historically, the non-profit sector has not been proactive about preparing for when a donor says or does something inappropriate.

A fundraiser is tasked with bringing in funds for an important cause, but that should never come at the expense of their personal well-being. Fundraisers need to be clear on their own personal boundaries, and they need to feel the support of their organization when a situation arises. 

In this episode featuring special guest Rachel Wyley, CEO and Founder of Culture Kinesis, we talk about the power dynamics at play and how fundraisers and leaders can respond when a donor says or does something that crosses a line.

Show Highlights: In this episode, we discuss… 

• The power dynamics at play in conversations between donors and fundraisers 

• How to define your own personal boundaries for both physical and psychological safety

• The lack of support for fundraisers who are dealing with uncomfortable or inappropriate situations

• What can leaders do to better protect and care for their staff

• How fundraisers can respond when a donor says or does something that crosses a boundary

In the last decade there's been a lot of talk about building a culture of philanthropy. But who's actually doing it? And what does it actually take to do it?

In this episode, Richard and Jeff interview Mark Rovner, the founding principal of SeaChange and a much sought-after keynote speaker.

Mark will give you some great ideas on how YOU can help change your non-profit’s culture, how to be effective in doing it, and how not to lose hope in the process.

Your donors give because it makes them feel connected to their heart and passion for making a difference in the world. And your organization is probably not the only one they’re giving to, which means that your donors are getting a lot of messages from the organizations they sponsor. 

With so much competition for their attention, how do you stand out from the rest and win your donors’ hearts?

In this episode re-release from 2021, Richard and Jeff offer seven ways that you can stand out with your donors, so you can build more authentic relationships and encourage donors to engage with you as partners in your mission.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn… 

• What it means to bring your authentic self to your donor relationships

• The power of listening and asking good questions in your donor conversations

• How to build strategic, personal touch points into your communication plan that will remind the donor that you know who they are as an individual

Richard and Jeff kick off their podcast by discussing how donors give best – not as an annual duty, but as an ongoing response to their desire to do good in the world, through your organization.

The "Nothing But Major Gifts Podcast" is a production of Veritus Group, an industry leader in major gifts fundraising. Learn more at VeritusGroup.com.

We all have a desire to connect with others, but we’re often afraid to bring our whole, real, and complete self to our work, which often becomes a liability over time. A lack of authenticity in fundraisers has real, revenue-related consequences for the non-profit. 

 

But how do you foster authentic professional relationships, and not just deep, personal bonds? How do you balance building trust with someone while still achieving your donor and organizational goals? 

 

In this podcast episode, Karen is joined by Nick Khoury, a brilliant strategist and communicator who has spent his career helping people and organizations thrive through the power of authentic relationships. Their conversation dives into a variety of key areas and attributes that fundraisers can develop to have more effective relationships with their donors.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• How curiosity, courage, and consistency serve as the building blocks for successful donor relationships 

• The importance of clear expectations and having a solid plan, so you can avoid wasting time for both parties  

• Our biggest insights and ideas for how to approach and build authentic relationships 

In the non-profit sector, if you aren’t willing to advance into management, there is very little opportunity to grow as a fundraiser, take on new responsibilities, and increase your salary.  

This is a frustrating reality, because not everyone is right for management.  

 

Leadership requires a different skillset and specific perspective, one that’s interested in finding success and delivering results through others. It’s not as simple as taking your best frontline fundraiser and putting them in charge. 

 

In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by special guest Greg Gibbs, who shares whether management is the right track for your career, and provides some tips to help current managers get better at their jobs. 

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

 

• The greatest challenges managers face in the non-profit sector 

• How to determine whether a fundraiser is ready to take on a managerial role, and how to nurture them in the process 

• Our top tips and best practices for current managers looking to improve the structure of their organization  

As a front-line fundraiser, you need to possess many skills and traits. Richard and Jeff have highlighted many of them over the years. But there’s one they’ve never discussed before: how likable are you?

In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss 10 traits that make up likeable people, and how important they are to have as a front-line fundraiser. All of them are important, but some of them are pretty surprising.

In today’s episode Richard and Jeff give you an update on stories they're hearing from other major gift officers and start answering a number of questions from your colleagues about how you should fundraise, given this crisis we're all in.

At the end of the episode we also direct you to our COVID-19 Resource Page and tell you about two new courses we've designed just to help you through this crisis and, because we don’t want cost to be a factor, we’ve decided you can pay whatever you can to take this four week, eight-hour course over the month of April.

How do you keep donors moving from direct response giving, to bigger gifts, into your major gift program? Fundraising expert Jeff Brooks talks with Richard and Jeff about the major gifts "pipeline" and the best things you can do to keep, lift and move your donors forward.

How can you focus on being present when there is an endless list of things pulling your attention? Learning to be more present takes practice, time, and boundaries. It requires a change of mindset to stop seeing our value tied to what we produce.

In today’s episode, Karen Kendrick does a podcast takeover to speak with Wes Avants and Janis Cooper about how to create boundaries, what activities can help you feel more present, and why self-care is such an important priority for fundraisers, especially during busy seasons.

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, visit our website in the Webinar section, under Resources, to find an on-demand webinar about creating boundaries. https://veritusgroup.com/webinars

Introducing our guests:

Janis Cooper

Janis Cooper is a coach and learning development facilitator. She guides individuals, leaders, and teams in ways that offer new insights into themselves, and others, so they may build more effective and influential relationships. Janis uses a variety of tools, assessments, programs, and practices that build self-awareness and help shift negative thoughts and behaviors to ones that produce positive thoughts and outcomes where personal and business success is generated. Janis operates Janis Cooper Consulting. She also provides Leadership, Staff Development, and Wellbeing programs for Best Friends Animal Society, a U.S. animal welfare non-profit organization. She can be reached at janiscooper@janiscooper.com.

Wes Avants

Building on his background in psychology and leadership development, Wes Avants helps individuals increase their practice of being calm, curious, confident, and clear so they can cultivate meaningful connections and trust with others. Over the course of his career, Wes has come to believe that self-awareness, self-compassion, and moral courage are keys to unlocking the fullest expression of one’s effectiveness and personal satisfaction. Wes and his wife Cindy live in The Woodlands, Texas, where they enjoy cycling, painting, movies, yoga, and sharing coffee on their back porch. They have two grown children and are proud grandparents.

When an anonymous check for $100,000 arrived at the American Brain Foundation, their fundraising team was blown away. The organization certainly wasn’t so large that this level of giving was typical. Who was this anonymous person, and what made them decide to give so generously? 

In this episode, Jeff and Diana interview two members of the team at the American Brain Foundation (ABF) – Jane Ransom, Executive Director, and Lisa Dahlberg, Philanthropic Advisor – to learn how they responded to this unexpected gift. Their efforts to connect with this anonymous donor ultimately led to a multi-million-dollar commitment for ABF. Listen in to learn how a transformational gift like this is possible for your organization.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• How an anonymous gift led to a multi-million-dollar commitment

• The steps that ABF took to learn more about the donor’s passions and goals

• The internal culture at ABF that supported this transformational partnership

When you get back to the office or start up your computer again after a holiday, it always takes a while to get re-oriented. If you do a little prep now, you’ll thank yourself when you come back with a clear game plan to follow!

We hope you have a peaceful and relaxing holiday season, with some time off that helps you to recharge. And when you get back to work, you can feel confident that you’re starting the year off right with these areas as your top priorities during your first week back.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn…

• Where to focus your time and effort during your first week back after the holidays
• The value of doing a “year in review” session with your team or manager
• How to prepare for a caseload refresh so you have all the info you need in advance
• The importance of saving time for self-care and setting the tone for the new year

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [Blog] Five Things You Must Do in Caseload Management at the Beginning of This Year
• [Podcast] New Year’s Resolutions: Part One
• [Blog] Here’s What MGOs Should Do in January

Did you know that Veritus Group is an international consulting agency, with offices in the UK & Europe (in addition to our US & Canada team)? We often get questions about how The Veritus Way works in different cultural settings, so we wanted to spend some time sharing about our work with international clients and highlighting what’s been working well for them. 

 

In this episode, Jeff is joined by Sara Di Lullo, Director of Client Engagement for Veritus UK and Europe, along with Karen Kendrick, Senior Director of Client Engagement for Veritus Group in the U.S. and Canada. Tune in to hear Sara and Karen share how our clients are taking a relational approach to major gifts in an international context.  

 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• Some of the concerns we hear most often from leaders or fundraisers who aren’t sure if The Veritus Way will work for them 

• The challenges to implementing a culture shift and adopting a strong major gifts strategy 

• How our approach has been working for our international clients 

In today’s episode, Richard and Jeff talk with Veritus Group's new Director of Planned Giving Services, Robert Shafis. Robert is one of the most knowledgeable, sought-out experts on planned giving in the country. And now he’s working with Veritus to help non-profits everywhere do planned giving right!

Specifically, Robert highlights some of the main problems and misconceptions about planned giving, and what can be done to turn those problems into solutions. Then he offers everyone listening the opportunity to receive a free planned giving assessment.

When we talk to passionate fundraisers who are deeply committed to their donors, their most common complaint about their work is that they don’t feel supported by their managers. People leave organizations because of it, yet management skills are often undervalued in the non-profit space. 

In today’s episode, Karen and Jeff talk through some of the obstacles that may be holding you back as a leader for your fundraising team, and how you can take steps to turn things around. For anyone managing a team of frontline fundraisers, we hope you’ll tune in to this episode for strategies to help you be the kind of manager who inspires your team to do their best work.

And if you could use an external partner to support your work as a manager or non-profit leader, we’d love to chat. Schedule a call today for a no-pressure conversation about ways we can support you and your team so you can achieve even more for your mission.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Some of the most common issues that cause managers and leaders to be ineffective in their roles

• Practices and actions that define the most effective non-profit leaders and managers

• How to change the culture at your organization and address any management issues that may be holding your team back

Does your organization encourage you to bring your authentic self to your work in the non-profit space? Or do you feel pressure to self-censor certain parts of your identity?

Many non-profit employees say that their workplace culture has created an environment where they’re not comfortable or do not feel safe bringing their authentic selves to work. And this is particularly damaging in fundraising, where you need to bring a certain amount of vulnerability because of the deeply personal nature of your work with donors.

To help promote authenticity in non-profit organizations, we’ve invited two special guests, Paul Towne and Rachel Wyley, to guide us along this journey toward authenticity.

Paul Towne is an Executive Search Consultant at Cooper Coleman. Paul has devoted his 20-year career to advancing social good, splitting his time between raising funds for some of the world’s most impactful organizations and championing technology that promotes charitable giving and organizational effectiveness.

Rachel Wyley is the CEO and Founder of Culture Kinesis, an agency which focuses on cultural reimagination and supporting organizations and individuals to do the foundational work that’s needed before starting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives – the mindset work, the unlearning work, and the community building work that supports you in creating an inclusive culture.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• What’s going on in the non-profit world that makes people feel like they need to self-censor at work
• The cost to non-profits and individuals when authenticity is not embraced
• Resources for how to have these conversations and shift your organizational culture

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [BLOG] In Fundraising, Vulnerability Is Your Greatest Strength
• [PODCAST] The Confidence to Have Tough Conversations
• [BLOG] Why Every Non-Profit Leader Needs to Join in the Journey for Racial Justice

Talking about your mission with donors can sometimes feel challenging, especially if you’re an organization that provides indirect services. Do you know if you’re effectively communicating your mission and impact to your donors?

It may seem pretty straightforward for organizations that provide direct services like housing, meals, or other tangible items. But what if your organization is an advocacy group or a similar kind of organization that gets results through others?

On today’s podcast episode, Jeff is joined by Karen Kendrick, our Senior Director of Learning at Veritus Group, for a conversation about how organizations with an indirect impact can talk about their mission in a way that resonates with donors. Telling your story is just as important, and maybe even more necessary, when your mission is less direct.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

• The biggest challenges that non-profits have when it comes to speaking about their mission (whether they provide direct or indirect services)
• How to shift your mindset so you can communicate about your mission in a way that connects with donors
• Strategies to help you develop your mission statement, and examples of what works well

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com.

Additional Resources:

• [WHITE PAPER] Transporting Your Donor to the Scene
• [VIDEO] How do you report back on impact when your non-profit doesn’t offer direct services?
• [BLOG] Donors As Mission: A New Paradigm

When you work at a non-profit organization, just as in any job, there will be times that you feel stuck, discouraged, or uninspired. This work is hard, and it’s not uncommon to experience feelings of burnout or frustration. 

If you’re in a space like that, how do you shift your energy so you can bring your best self to your work with donors?

For this episode, Karen and Renita share some questions to ask yourself on those days to help you approach your energy differently. We hope these suggestions leave you feeling encouraged with some strategies to help you move forward and find more satisfaction in your daily work!

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… 

• Mindset challenges that affect how you feel and show up in your work

• Practices to help you avoid burnout as a non-profit professional

• Steps leaders can take to support their staff

Many fundraisers aren’t starting their caseloads from scratch – they’re inheriting a donor caseload that was previously managed by someone else. Whether you’re a new hire, or you’re moving into a new role within the same organization and taking on a new caseload, this transition can be complicated.  

How do you introduce yourself to these donors who already know your organization, but not you?  

In this episode, Matt Gill and Diana Frazier offer steps you can take to help you navigate this transition depending on the specifics of your situation. We hope these tips will help you feel more confident about stepping into your new role in a way that honors the donor and strengthens their connection to your organization! 

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  

• What to do based on the different scenarios in which you might be inheriting a caseload (starting at a new organization, or moving into a new role at your current organization, or redistributing caseloads)

• Protocols for introducing yourself to donors and where to use warm hand-offs from a previous caseload manager 

• Tips for leadership on how to support fundraisers who are taking on a new portfolio 

In this episode, Richard and Jeff will inspire you for major gifts fundraising with some great thoughts and ideas you can implement right now.

They talk with Frank Mumford, a major gift officer with Greater Twin Cities United Way, who shares his experience and tells a story about how noticing "little things" can have a big payoff with your donors.

Goodbye 2020! In today’s podcast Richard and Jeff highlight 3 resolutions to start your new year. They’ll not only inspire you, but they’ll help you become a better front-line fundraiser in 2021. We can’t think of a better way to start the new year than to have some concrete ideas on how to help you develop stronger relationships with your donors and to help you find more joy in your work.