| Major donors can be a great source of revenue for | | | | necessarily make a large gift to you. Once you |
| any nonprofit organization. Gifts from major donors | | | | uncover your diamonds in the rough, you must |
| are usually pretty easy to cultivate and receive. But | | | | cultivate them and develop a relationship with them in |
| how do you identify the 'diamonds in the rough' from | | | | order to upgrade them to major donor status. |
| a large pool of potential donors? | | | | 3. Look for LIA in a potential major donor. |
| 1. Watch for donors who self-identify themselves. | | | | Look for LIA (Linkage, Interest, Ability). A donor |
| A donor who has a strong tie or belief in your | | | | must have all three or you just won't be able to get |
| organization and who has the means to make a large | | | | a big gift from them. Linkage is some commonality |
| donation is your best candidate for a major gift. | | | | with your organization - usually they've received |
| Many times, people will self identify - they will make a | | | | services from you as a client, someone they know |
| good-sized donation through the mail or at an event. | | | | has received services from you, or there's some |
| You can usually multiply this kind of gift by 10 to 25 | | | | other reason that your cause hits close to home. |
| to determine the donor's real potential. | | | | Interest is the donor's desire to help you. They are |
| 2. Consider using a wealth-screening service. | | | | interested in what you are doing. Ability is the donor's |
| There are services out there that will run your house | | | | potential to give. They must have resources to be a |
| list through a series of databases to help identify | | | | potential major donor. |
| who on your list has deep pockets. Wealthengine and | | | | Once you identify potential major donors, it's time to |
| MAGIC are two of those. This provides you with a | | | | put a cultivation plan together and get to work. One |
| targeted list of potential major donors that you might | | | | day, you'll likely reap big benefits from spending time |
| have otherwise missed. But remember, just because | | | | with these donors who love your organization. |
| they have significant wealth doesn't mean they will | | | | |