Major Gifts Fundraiser Podcast-Hosted by Clark Vandeventer

Getting started in estate planning does not have to be hard, or expensive. Just start talking to your donors about including your organization in their will. Clark goes through 5 easy steps to take that cost little or no money and talks about an experience on the road with an organization where that organization was talking about estate planning for the very first time. 

In this episode Clark shares insights from several hours of interviews with major donors asking them why they give. This is an important episode for fundraisers who struggle with the challenge of raising unrestricted funds -- and also for fundraisers who have an exciting project to sell as Clark has a word of caution from major donors about your exciting project. To get a free copy of the audio pr...

In this episode Clark talks about the Mondays! Are you excited to go to work on Monday? Sure, there may be a tinge of sadness, but you ought to be excited to go to work to accomplish your goals and your mission. If you're not, maybe it's time for a gut check.

In this episode Clark talks about the importance of setting big goals and then breaking those down so that we see what we need to do month by month. He specifically talks about the number of meetings you should be having with your donors and prospective donors, and how to determine the right number of meetings you should have in a year. Set big goals! Your number should be big enough so that when...

In this episode Clark talks about how to establish a calendar that ensures you are doing the basics of a professional development operation. The higher your "minimum acceptable" the better off you'll be. Don't  be intimidated by "big" organizations. You aren't competing against them. You're just trying to improve yourself and be better than you were last year.

Season 2 of the podcast is here! In this episode Clark talks about the untimely death of Kobe Bryant, and how Clark was inspired by Kobe's intensity of purpose. He was disciplined, focused on his goals, and emulated excellence. 

Clark talks about lessons learned from a round of recent donor meetings and how a donor's philanthropic disposition can be more important than their financial capacity.

Getting started in estate planning does not have to be hard. It starts with a simple question. Just ask your donors if they've included any organizations in their will. Or ask if they'd consider including your organization in their will. Clark talks about conversations he had with donors on a recent donor trip about estate planning.

Clark often mentions how much he's learned about life and fundraising through endurance athletic events, but rarely does he go into exactly what he's learned. In this episode Clark talks about some of the big lessons from the past and his recent 100K run. You can reach out to Clark directly at clark@majorgiftsfundraiser.com

In this episode Clark talks about how it should be easy to thank our donors because our thanks should come from a place of genuine gratitude. Shares a few ideas to help you dig deep within yourself to find that gratitude. Talks about Thanksgiving traditions with family and with donors. Email Clark at clark@majorgiftsfundraiser.com to share your Thanksgiving traditions. 

Clark's simple prayer 🙏 every morning that makes life easy -- and the hard questions he asks to redeem otherwise sucky days. If this message resonates with you, please reach out to Clark at clark@majorgiftsfundraiser.com

It would be foolish to think that all you have to do to raise a lot of money on Giving Tuesday is put up a post and tag #GivingTuesday or email your donors and tell them "today's giving Tuesday!" Donors don't give because you tell them today's the day they're supposed to give. They give beacuse they are excited about your mission. Here's how to get your donors excited about your mission, and then...

Are you afraid to ask strategic questions? Fearful of what might happen when you ask a pointed "development type" question. 2,200+ donor meetings into his career, Clark is yet to be thrown out of someone's home! When you ask strategic questions, you indicate where the relationship is going. More obvious, the donor answers the question! Clark walks through 5 different strategic questions, and actua...

Have you ever heard the rule, "If you're not early you're late."? Clark heard his old mentor, the late, great Jerold Panas use that line many times. So Clark was impressed with himself as a young development officer when he was with Jerry Panas to go to a meeting and they arrived at the donor's home early. That's when Clark learned the exception to the "if you're not early you're late" rule.

Do you have a list of things that need to change at your organization? Would it be easier to raise money if you had more prospects? More territory? A better donor database program? A bigger vision? A special campaign or capital campaign? Stop making excuses. The best fundraisers take the names that they have and they do well with those names.

Great service comes from the heart, and there may not be a better story of heartfelt service than the story of Johnny the Bagger. Think about how you can create memorable experiences with your organization for everyone you interact with, donors, volunteers, and recipients of your services.

Getting in the way of success. Success is like a river -- it's flowing -- and if you just get out of your office you can't help but get swept up in it. going on donor trips generates a plethora of moves on our donors. There are visit letters, visit calls, and visit emails -- and then the visits -- and then the follow-up from the visits. And then the follow-up on all the people you couldn't get mee...

The end of October is the time to start reviewing your list and thinking about who you need to be in front of before the end of the year. Then, as mid-December approaches, you need to think about who you are going to meet the first week of the new year. 

Clark tells tells the story of a recent fundraising he went to, as a prospect, invited by a friend who had sponsored a table. There were a lot of things they did right, but one thing he really disagreed with. 

Systems are great. But in an effort to achieve economy of scale, how are you watering down the giving experience your donors have with your organization? Ask yourself this question often. 

Are you having a hard time believing that you can be really successful? Clark talks about nagging issues that erode at mental mastery. Are you experiencing any of these?

Clark talks about creating our own self-fulfilling prophecies. We become what we think about most of the time. Commit time to thinking about being a great fundraiser.. Plus, Clark talks about getting ready for #GivingTuesday

You want to know that you are doing a good job. You want to KNOW. You also want your boss to know. You don't want your boss saying, "I think she's doing a good job." You want your boss to come to you and ask you what you're doing, because your boss wants everyone doing it. This kind of success starts with mental mastery. Plus, Clark talks about getting ready for #GivingTuesday

You have precious little time with any donor to really make your pitch. In this episode Clark goes through ten things about great stories. Plus, are you ready for #GivingTuesday? Get our free Guide to Maximizing #GivingTuesday.

You're looking at a list of donors to your organization. Some of the names you know, but many of them you don't. How do you know which names to focus on? In this episode Clark talks about 5 things that get his attention when he's reviewing a list of donors. Here are 5 clues that a donor with a modest or short giving history may be your next major donor.