Want to follow Catholic blogging sites? Want to know where to find them? Look here. http://catholicblogs.blogspot.com/#C

Cross Streets: New York's Catholic Philanthropy Blog

IF you don't follow this blog, I recommend it for you to track what is going on in one of the country's largest Catholic diocese. http://blog.archny.org/notes/index.php/tag/philanthropy/

Did you see he 60 Minutes segment on High Net Worth Philanthropy?

If you missed it, here is the link to the Forbes article that was the basis for their reporting. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoppisch/2013/05/29/48-heroes-of-philanthropy-2/

Convince Your Boss to Invest in Philanthropic Research

Preston's research (2010) confirms that the nonprofit sector is now teeming with organizations active in philanthropic activity. This includes public schools and other organizations that traditionally never before entered the private fundraising arena. In an era of reduced state funding, public institutions are joining their private counterparts in the quest to secure private financial support (CASE, 2012). Yet not everyone is convinced. Even with additional investments into fundraising efforts, some people still believe that the philanthropic activity remains happenstance. For example, research at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University points to a direct link between changes in giving and changes in the overall economy. Charitable giving tends to grow in general as the economy rises, even when the economy grows at a moderate or slow rate (Giving USA, 2010). But giving tends to decline during recessions, after adjusting for inflation. The Giving USA 2010 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy asks high-net-worth households about their charitable giving (2010). The economic recovery was still uncertain in 2009, with a high unemployment rate and a slow increase toward the end of the year in gross domestic product. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which monitors the economic cycle, announced in September 2010 that the recession that began in December 2007 ended in June 2009 (Pew, 2011). But even in this era of a severely depressed economy donors indicated that the down economic conditions were not a major variable in their decision to support (Giving USA, 2011). No matter what economic conditions exist, and with a very crowded field of nonprofit organizations seeking donations, the successful organizations will no doubt be invested in state-of-the-art donor research focused on improving their fundraising methods. The pressure is growing on all nonprofit and educational fundraising professionals to be effective in their jobs and help sustain the mission of their institutions.

Why Focus Your Research on Major Gifts?

The purpose of this blog and research is to understand the underlying rationale for a high-net-worth individual’s charitable activity. The focus is exploring the exact moment, to the best they can recollect, when they made their final decision to provide a major gift to a nonprofit organization. Information about what strategic vision, meaningful story, key operating metric, or some other specific appeal, which inspired a major gift will prove helpful in assisting other major gift officers. The assistance will arrive in the form of designing effective donor qualitative research techniques when gift officers are preparing to ask a major gift donor for a major gift. By improving such qualitative research, this project will support an important part of the American cultural system: the role of philanthropic backing. This may sound trite or trivial, but private philanthropy has long played an important role in helping society change educational and other societal structures to adapt to changing times. For example, philanthropic support has made it possible for students from all societal backgrounds to attend institutions of higher education (Burlingame, 1992). The power that comes from securing philanthropic support is demonstrated by the recent experience at a private K-12 school in Pennsylvania, the Chatham Hall Academy. In October 2009, Chatham Hall received a gift of $31 million from Elizabeth Beckwith Nilsen. Her gift was the largest a girls’ school had ever received. It has become part of the school’s endowment and will be used for technology in education purposes (www.chathamhall.edu, 2009). The Nilsen gift transformed Chatham and no doubt secured the school’s future over the long term. As stated, almost all nonprofits are conducting fundraising campaigns similar to the one that produced the Chatham Hall gift, but they are experiencing disappointing results (CASE, 2012). Fewer and fewer institutions are having successful experiences in securing major gifts. Without at least one major gift that equals roughly 25 to 40 percent of the campaign total target, it is very likely the capital campaign will fail (Mutz, 2010). What may be missing for major gift professionals working in today’s 21st century marketplace is the insight that can be provided by hearing firsthand from donors who actually provided major gifts (Panus, 2011). By giving voice to their major gift experience, donors can provide a better understanding of what qualitative research techniques motivated them to give.

The 80/20 rule is now 90/10!

There is no doubt that a high correlation between a major lead gift and campaign exists It holds true here, where this decline is directly connected to the major gift activity of the marketplace. In “Upward Bound,” an article in the March 2012 Case Currents magazine, author Harriet Meyers references the CASE Campaign Report 2012, which notes that of the campaigns ongoing or ended in 2010, the top 10 percent of the donors contributed 93 percent of total money raised, up from 84 percent a decade ago (2012). It used to be that 80 percent of the total amount raised came from the top 20 percent of the total number of donors. A decade ago, that increased to 84 percent of the total amount raised from the top 10 percent of donors (Mutz, 2010). This tracked with the U.S. trend of an increasing level of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people (Reich, 2010). So it stands that this trend with major gift activity would have a detrimental effect on overall fundraising results. Eugene Tempel, in his book Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, also supports this finding. Tempel contends that the primary reason organizations are failing to achieve successful capital campaigns is their inability to secure major gifts. Without major gifts as the campaign foundation, there is no campaign (Tempel, 2009). Tempel is yet another voice from those who evaluate and research nonprofit fundraising performance. So, clearly, one could easily conclude that failures in securing major gifts is due, in part, to be attributable to a lack of thorough and complete donor profiling (Rosen, 2010). Rosen proposes that working smart and from a quantitative lens can help institutions identify donors. He also suggests that missing or incomplete qualitative data accounts for the reasons donors are not responding (2010). As a result, major gift officers are searching for new, improved, and rigorous qualitative interview techniques to provide insights into what motivates high-net-worth individuals (2010). Remember the high correlation between a major lead gift and campaign success? It holds true here, where this decline is directly connected to the major gift activity of the marketplace. In “Upward Bound,” an article in the March 2012 Case Currents magazine, author Harriet Meyers references the CASE Campaign Report 2012, which notes that of the campaigns ongoing or ended in 2010, the top 10 percent of the donors contributed 93 percent of total money raised, up from 84 percent a decade ago (2012). It used to be that 80 percent of the total amount raised came from the top 20 percent of the total number of donors. A decade ago, that increased to 84 percent of the total amount raised from the top 10 percent of donors (Mutz, 2010). This tracked with the U.S. trend of an increasing level of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer people (Reich, 2010). So it stands that this trend with major gift activity would have a detrimental effect on overall fundraising results. Eugene Tempel, in his book Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, also supports this finding. Tempel contends that the primary reason organizations are failing to achieve successful capital campaigns is their inability to secure major gifts. Without major gifts as the campaign foundation, there is no campaign (Tempel, 2009). Tempel is yet another voice from those who evaluate and research nonprofit fundraising performance. So, clearly, one could easily conclude that failures in securing major gifts is due, in part, to be attributable to a lack of thorough and complete donor profiling (Rosen, 2010). Rosen proposes that working smart and from a quantitative lens can help institutions identify donors. He also suggests that missing or incomplete qualitative data accounts for the reasons donors are not responding (2010). As a result, major gift officers are searching for new, improved, and rigorous qualitative interview techniques to provide insights into what motivates high-net-worth individuals (2010).

Your Personal, Spiritual Research? Read this book!

In a calm, thoughtful way this book allows us to consider the changes that Pope Francis will be making in the upcoming Synod. Highly recommended. http://catholictide.com/the-future-of-catholicism/09/

Donor Interaction: Don't Miss the Market Research Opportunities!

Recent fundraising results suggest that development professionals may be missing important prospecting information as they approach major gift donors. This is due to the fact that most fundraising research and literature have focused primarily on quantitative giving-capacity analysis (Panus, 2011). The quantitative research emphasis accelerated with the growth of the internet era and its plentiful access to hard financial information about potential donors (Hanberg, 2008). What appears missing is philanthropic research into values, insights, viewpoints, and firsthand testimony provided from the viewpoint of actual major gift donors. What would lead to this over-emphasis on quantitative analysis? The answer is easy. In a word, access. The internet makes it remarkably easy to search public courthouse records that were previously cumbersome to locate. Taking this information to a sophisticated level the market place is now full of vendors that have created a number of quantitative forecasting tools. These tools are readily available to the nonprofit industry (Guidestar, 2009). These profiles also provide philanthropic giving-capacity results for individuals, foundations, and companies (Mutz, 2010). All public record databases are scanned for the latest wealth information and then compiled into quantitative giving-capacity forecasts. Online search tools made this information available to almost the entire philanthropic community. Without question this has forever changed the philanthropic industry. One practical example of this quantitative donor research, that just about any nonprofit organization can perform, is the purchase of a prospective donor’s private residence. The value of the real estate and the amount of the mortgage are among the public records available to any interested party (Bray, 2009). Researchers also can access the most current data on valuable assets such as pension holdings and annual income levels, as well as philanthropic and biographical data (Guidestar, 2009). These quantitative capacity sources, while powerful and extremely helpful tools for major gift officers, are, however, limited to the potential financial giving capacity. A purely quantitative analysis does not inform the prospecting organization about the high-net-worth philanthropist’s personal convictions, giving intentions, passions, or pet issues (Schervish, 2009). Research further suggests that these values are constantly changing and the philanthropic industry might not fully understand these changes. Psychologist and social scientist Dacher Keltner (2012) explains that the wealthy class in the United States are different than most ordinary people. And this difference is not always in a good way. Keltner's research suggests that their life experiences make them less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish. Keltner states that the philosophical battle over economics, taxes, debt ceilings and defaults that are now roiling the stock market, and were major themes in the 2012 Presidential election, are partly rooted in an upper class ideology of self-interest (2012). In an academic version of a Depression-era Frank Capra movie, Keltner and the other authors of an article titled Social Class as Culture: The Convergence of Resources and Rank in the Social Realm, published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, argue that rich people are more likely to think about themselves. They believe that economic success have more to do with individual behavior and a good work ethic (Keltner, 2012). If Kelner is correct, and similar research findings suggest that he is (Vesterlund, 2006), then it is important that you hear directly from your wealthy donors about their views on your organization. This kind of “baked in” research has great potential for helping major gift officers gain insights about the attitudes and beliefs of their major gift prospects.

Professional Fundraisers: Be Wary of Gimmicks

Struggling to attract new donors in what one marketing consultant calls a “world of competing sorrows,” more charities are turning to parody, provocation, and stunts in advertising and awareness campaigns. Charities and creative firms are using various methods to shock audiences to attention, such as disposable-cup dispensers placed next to sources of polluted water in New York to dramatize water crises in developing countries and billboards featuring “WTF,” which normally stands for a vulgar expression but in this case stands for “Where’s the funding.” Experts differ as to whether such efforts help or hinder building connections with consumers. You need to be very careful when considering this type of approach- especially with major givers. http://philanthropy.com/blogs/philanthropytoday/nonprofits-look-to-make-mark-with-provocative-campaigns/77581?cid=pt&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=en

Le Moyne College's Hero of the Week: Clete Gualtieri

Congratulations to Clete and our gratitude for all that he does for our students!! http://lemoyne.edu/LeMoyne101/MeetSomeDolphins/DolphinStories/tabid/1997/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/190/categoryId/68/This-Weeks-Education-Hero-Clete-Gualtieri-Jamesville-DeWitt-High-School.aspx

Focus on Major Gifts: The 21st Century Approach to Fundraising

Catholic nonprofit organizations find themselves at a pivotal time in their history. With a weakened and forever-changed national economy, changing demographics, fluctuating endowments, and reduced government support, the entire nonprofit industry is challenged like few other times in our country's history. This is especially true for Catholic ministries. This is the view of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, a leading source of ground-breaking research and knowledge about the nonprofit sector, social investing, and the tools of government (JohnsHopkins, 2013). Even what was once considered sacrosanct, the IRS philanthropic tax benefit for wealthy donors, is now up for discussion as part of the federal budget debate (Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2013). All of this means that the philanthropic landscape in the 21st century is dramatically different than the previous century. More specifically, higher education, an important subset of the nonprofit industry, is a good example of this challenge (Barone, 2010). Everyone agrees that almost all of the more than 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States must become more financially resourceful and entrepreneurial. Why? Traditional state and federal government funding resources are drying up, even as the cost to remain a technologically sophisticated educational organization is rapidly increasing (Altbach, Berdahl, Gumport, 2005). Thus, the reliance on fundraising to produce necessary resources for institutions of higher education is greater than ever (2005). Analysis by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University confirms that this scenario is true not only for higher education, but also applicable for the majority of nonprofit organizations (Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University). For charitable organizations this means committing financial resources, research and, of course, professional staff constantly prospecting for financial gifts to support seemingly endless capital campaigns (DiMento, 2011). Finding these philanthropic dollars is essential if the organization is to meet the financial challenges inherent in sustaining the many honorable missions carried out by our country's nonprofit organizations. As a result of this need for increased philanthropic support, the field of fundraising and development has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. Caroline Preston, a respected philanthropy blogger, reports these findings from her research on the hiring of fundraising staff and investment into development offices made by educational institutions. Preston reports that almost all of the United States’ 3,500 colleges and universities now have active fundraising or advancement efforts on their campuses. Ten years ago, it was less than half of that number (Preston, 2010). But, specifically, why do nonprofit organizations and educational institutions concentrate so much on major gifts as an integral within a comprehensive fundraising program? Why not government or foundations? Or even corporations? The answer is clear. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Until then, check your organization’s fundraising efforts. Are you focused enough on major gifts?

YouTube as a Stewardship Activity

Le Moyne College allows it's students to create a "thank you" youtube piece that goes out to their donors. The College has experienced outstanding philanthropic support over the last 5 years- over $65mil- and efforts like this will only keep their success going! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UAemvt2IYk

Catholic Donors: What Motivates Major Gifts?

The Catholic Philanthropic Donor: Qualitative Attributes of Those That Give Major Gifts. Many Catholic fundraising professionals, facing budget pressures in these difficult economic times, are often puzzled why tried and true systems of donor identification no longer work. Why does one wealthy Catholic donor give, when another wealthy Catholic does not? Why are some Catholic non-profits successful in obtaining million dollar type gifts, when other organizations are not? Through a series of one on one interviews with some of Church’s most affluent citizens I will provide insights on the qualitative variables that will help the philanthropic community better understand major donor behavior during tough economic times. Keep track of this blog site over the next couple of months and read these stories!

It's not everyday that a video about wealth inequality goes viral on the internet. But this myth-shattering video is spreading across the social web, using powerful infographics to make the case that not only is wealth distributed unevenly, but that it is much, much worse than we think. You can find the video on this website. http://neweconomy.net/ My philanthropic research is focused on the motivations of high net worth (the wealthy) to share their wealth with those in the bottom 20%. What motivates wealthy donors to give major gifts? We need to keep asking this question as wealthy will hold the key to funding the non-profit world. Not government; not middle class families; but the top 1% that hold nearly 50% of the country's wealth.

Bishop Sullivan from New York- Keep him in Your Prayers

Obituary: Bishop Joseph Sullivan, N.Y. Catholic Charities Head Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, who gained national recognition as an advocate for the poor while spearheading charity work in one of the country’s biggest Roman Catholic dioceses, died Friday from injuries he sustained in a car accident the previous week, The New York Times writes. He was 83. Bishop Sullivan became executive director of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens in 1968. During his tenure it grew into America’s largest Roman Catholic human-services agency, and in retirement he continued to serve on the boards of Catholic hospitals and other organizations. Upon being named an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn by Pope John Paul II in 1980, Bishop Sullivan characterized his mission as assisting “the hurting people of society.” Later in that decade he testified before Congress about the ravages of AIDS, drugs, and crime in communities he served.

Year End Giving Idea: Support Cardinal Dolan and St. Patrick's Cathedral

Need a year end giving opportunity? How about supporting Cardinal Dolan and his team preserve a New York Landmark? Their planis for the full restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral that includes work on the exterior and interior of the Cathedral, as well as its stained glass windows. This work is not cosmetic, but a necessary repair that will ensure that the Cathedral endures for future generations. Missing and loose mortar must be replaced to avoid further damage. The interior needs to be cleaned extensively. It also includes restorative work on the entire Cathedral campus, as well as the completion of a new garden, a public greenspace that will serve as a tranquil place for reflection and meditation at St. Patrick’s. The total cost for this full restoration is approximately $175 million. This is an enormous challenge particularly in light of the ever-increasing needs of our New York community. We are committed to restoring and preserving this magnificent treasure, one that serves to inspire us all, no matter our faith. We have secured the funds necessary to complete the first phase of work, which will ensure the restoration of the exterior of the Cathedral from the Fifth Avenue entrance through the transept. Broken storm glazing panels need to be repaired. Stained glass windows will be restored. Over the next three years, they will be leading an extraordinary effort to raise approximately $50 million to complete the restoration of the Cathedral building. Upon its completion, there will be remaining work on the Cathedral Campus. However, at this juncture, the Cardinal's priority is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Consider supporting the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral as you think about year end gifting. Join Cardinal Dolan. Become a Cathedral builder. How to Be a Cathedral Builder? If you would like to learn more about our efforts on behalf of St. Patrick’s, please contact: Helen Lowe Campaign Director (646) 794-3358 restore@saintpatrickscathedral.org

Research Target: Those Philanthropists that Behave Like Bill Gates

Bill Gates’ philanthropic efforts have helped save over 5.8 Million lives 14th January 2012 by Drew Olanoff. Microsoft founder and former CEO Bill Gates has become well-known for his efforts in raising money and awarenessfor charities via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. According to the below infographic, he has given $28 Billion to charity since 2007, which is 48% of his net-worth. The Gates Foundation has focused on eradicating Malaria, helping third-world countries grow rice, and a crusade to end Polio. Gates is carving out his legacy with his post-Microsoft efforts, which are both admirable and impressive.

Philanthropic Field Research: John List from the Univ of Chicago

Is a Donor in Hand Better than Two in the Bush? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment Landry, Craig, Andreas Lange, John A. List, Michael K. Price, and Nicholas G. Rupp American Economic Review, (2010), forthcoming This study develops theory and conducts an experiment to provide an understanding of why people initially give to charities, why they remain committed to the cause, and what factors attenuate these influences. Using an experimental design that links donations across distinct treatments separated in time, we present several insights. For example, we find that previous donors are more likely to give, and contribute more, than donors asked to contribute for the first time. Yet, how these previous donors were acquired is critical: agents who are initially attracted by signals of charitable quality transmitted via an economic mechanism are much more likely to continue giving than agents who were initially attracted by non-mechanism factors.

Research: Best Places to Find Information on Catholic Philanthrophy Best Practice

It is important that Catholic Philanthropic leaders know where to go for suggested research and and information about stewardship education. Below is a laundry list of some of the best places to look when trying to research best practice in Catholic philanthrophy. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops At www.usccbpublishing.org (Under Catalog: Leadership; Stewardship) (Publishing Services, USCCB, 3211 Fourth St. NE, Washington, DC 20017-1104) (1-800-235-8722) • Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response (Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship, available in both English and Spanish) • To be a Christian Steward (Summary of Bishops' Pastoral in pamphlet format) • Stewardship and Young Adults: An Invitation to Change the World (Pamphlet geared to young adults in promoting stewardship) • Stewardship — A 3-D Way of Life: Not for Adults Only (A videotape that explains and promotes stewardship among teens of your parish) • Stewardship - A 3-D Way of Life: Money Back Guarantee (A videotape to explain and promote adult stewardship in the parish). International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) At www.catholicstewardship.org (202-289-1093) (Materials are available in both English and Spanish) Stewardship: Disciples' Respond - A Practical Guide for Pastoral Leaders (A manual for parish and diocesan leaders for the purpose of promoting stewardship as a way of life) • Children's Stewardship Manual (A manual for parish and diocesan leaders who are interested in promoting stewardship for children) • Keeping Stewardship Alive: Proven Stewardship Ideas (A manual and CD of creative and practical ideas submitted by parishes, dioceses, and individual contributors for the purposes of promoting stewardship beyond the first years) • Matthew R. Paratore, Former Secretary General of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, has written a series of reflections on stewardship. They can be found on the ICSC website. Liturgical Press At www.litpress.org (keyword: stewardship) (1-800-858-5450) • Called to be Stewards: Bringing New Life to Catholic Parishes (A book by Patrick McNamara with examples of bringing a stewardship approach to funding and ministry) • Creating a Stewardship Council (A booklet detailing the development and formation of a stewardship committee) • Grateful Caretakers of God's Many Gifts: A Parish Manual to Foster the Sharing of Time, Talent and Treasure (A manual by Msgr. Joseph Champlin to help foster stewardship in the parish) • The Heart of Stewardship: Sacrificial Giving (A short video by Msgr. Joseph Champlin and Dutch & Barbara Schultz to promote stewardship as described in the Pastoral Letter) • Parish Stewardship Manual (Step-by-step timetable with examples of letters, prayers, and bulletin announcements; packets with reflection guides, posters, and sample mailings are also available) • Sharing God's Gifts (A small educational reflection guide that explains the meaning of stewardship) • Sixty-second Stewardship Sermons (A resource book for pastors and deacons in preparing stewardship homilies. These short "sermons" on stewardship can also be used in newsletters and parish bulletins.) • Sustaining and Strengthening Stewardship (A book by Jim Kelley with bulletin announcements, stewardship Scripture passages, and questions and answers on stewardship) • A Way of Life (A booklet by Msgr. Joseph Champlin with four faith-sharing sessions on stewardship). Our Sunday Visitor At www.osv.com (1-800-348-2440) • Why Catholics Don't Give, And What Can be Done About It (A book by Charles Zech, Chair of the Economics Department at Villanova University) • Best Practices in Parish Stewardship (a book by Charles Zech, based on surveys of stewardship parishes across the country) • Grace in Action (Newsletters that can be used as bulletin inserts with feature stories on stewardship) • Stewardship by the Book (English and Spanish available in both CD ROM and Paperback, this book by Sharon Hueckel, has stewardship bulletin announcements that reflect the Sunday Scripture readings) • Living Catholic Stewardship: Joyful Generosity (An informative reflection guide written by Sharon Hueckel on stewardship) • Living Catholic Stewardship: Discerning Your Gifts (A reflection guide on discernment for discovering an individuals gifts and talents by Lorene Hanley Duquin) • What the Church Teaches: Stewardship (A short concise reflection guide on the Church teachings regarding stewardship) • Taking Care of God's Gifts: Stewardship A Way of Life (K-2) (A stewardship coloring and activity book for children in grades K-2 by Laurie Whitfield and Robert Cammarata) • Taking Care of God's Gifts: Stewardship A Way of Life (3-5) (A stewardship coloring and activity book for children in grades 3-5 by Laurie Whitfield and Robert Cammarata) • Catholic Stewardship: Sharing God’s Gifts (An informative paperback booklet by Colleen Smith that is sure to motivate people to a better practice of stewardship) • Living Catholic Stewardship Conferences, sponsored by Our Sunday Visitor, provide outstanding speakers and presentations on the various topics of stewardship. For more information go to: www.osvenvelopes.com (under Stewardship Products & Services; Conferences & Events)

Charles Collier: Hall of Fame Fundraiser

http://philanthropyjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/charles-colliers-therapeutic.html Charles Collier’s therapeutic fundraising By Todd Cohen The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates famously likened his job to that of a midwife. Just as a midwife works to help women bear children, Socrates saw his role as helping people give birth to their own answers to life’s questions. For over 35 years, Charles Collier served as a philanthropic midwife, helping donors create gifts that would make an impact on causes they cared about, while at the same time protecting the financial security of their families. Collier, who was diagnosed two years ago with Alzheimer’s disease, retired in December as senior philanthropic adviser at Harvard University, where he worked for 25 years and advised the school’s wealthiest donors. His illness, now in the early-onset stage, may have slowed his speech a bit but not his thinking. Reflecting on his career, Collier sees two key abiding strategies for generating major gifts and planned gifts, regardless of the size of the charitable organization or the gift. The first is to understand donors and their connection to the organization, and the second is to understand the problems and concerns facing donors’ families. Fundraising for the Ivies Collier spent most of his career raising money for higher education, including four of the Ivy League’s eight schools. After majoring in religion at Dartmouth and receiving a master’s degree in divinity from Harvard, Collier initially worked as a teacher and coach at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire before embarking on his fundraising career. His first fundraising job was at Dartmouth, where he worked for a year for the annual fund before serving for three years as a major-gift officer at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., his alma mater. He then spent two years at Brown as a planned-giving officer, and five years at Princeton, where he was head of planned giving, before joining Harvard in 1986 as director of planned giving. Five years later, Harvard named Collier to the new post of senior philanthropic adviser. Gratitude as motivation The length of time it takes to engage a donor and secure a gift typically is shorter for a university, college or independent school than for a nonprofit “because people either went to the schools or their children have,” Collier says. “And this has been important to their life story, and so gratitude is a huge motivation. So a major-gift officer can “go straight to talking about what the organization did for you or your family,” he says. That is an approach that a fundraiser at any nonprofit can use, he says. “Find out their life story, and what was meaningful to them,” he says, “and build on the things that were really important to them.” Collier says major gifts and planned gifts, regardless of how a nonprofit measures them, take longer to develop, and require more work with a donor. “That means you want to have a relationship which in my view should be deeper than money,” he says. Family wealth, anxiety In Wealth in Families, a book he wrote that Harvard published in 2001, with over 114,000 copies distributed, Collier talks about a family’s human and intellectual “capital.” Taking that perspective is “not just a way to be with donors,” he says, but it also is a way “to help them make important decisions.” A big question and concern for many wealthy people is how much money to give to their children or spouse, says Collier. A son or daughter still may be in college or facing personal problems, for example, and his or her financial future may not be clear. A parent also may want to make sure not to give a child too much money, or too little. For many donors, Collier says, concern about finding the adequate level of support for children or a spouse can be the major obstacle to making a major gift, or making it significantly larger. “Family comes first,” he says. In the face of those concerns, he says, many fundraising professionals simply may push the donor to make a gift immediately. But his advice is to think about a major gift as a long-term process. That requires having a “difficult” conversation, but that kind of conversation “builds a bond with the donor,” he says. “If you ask good questions, they will figure it out for themselves.” Collier credits his study of family-systems theory as helping to engage in those tougher conversations with donors. Once described as a “financial therapist,” Collier says he is not a therapist. “But I ask therapeutic questions,” he says. “A lot of money in a family is an object of anxiety,” he says. “So you have to address that anxiety and think about it.” Fundraising trends Collier has seen several trends in major-gift and planned-gift fundraising, including an increasingly more complex aspect to the technical side of creating a gift, the importance of collaboration on the part of the fundraising professional, and a desire on the part of the donor to want the gift to make a big impact. Those trends reflect what is happening at nonprofits of all sizes, regardless of what they consider a major gift, he says. Donors want to know who will be responsible for developing and carrying out a project they are funding, for example, as well as the reason and aspirations for the project, the logic and evidence behind it, what its impact will be and how that impact will be measured. That effort requires a team approach, including not just fundraising professionals, but also program staff, a nonprofit’s legal advisers, and the donor’s professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants and financial planners. “When you’re doing bigger gifts, a lot of people are involved,” Collier says. “It’s a team.” Making a difference He says his career gave him the opportunity to “work with colleagues and donors who are wonderful people” in trying to help make a difference. “It’s really meaningful that you can make the world a better place,” he says. And his focus on planned giving gave him a chance to engage in “a little bit deeper conversation” with donors about their personal and philanthropic aspirations, and their families, he says. Collier now is helping to raise money for a gift to Andover from his class, which celebrates its 45th reunion in June. He also is volunteering for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. “What I’m doing is probably not much help for them,” he says, “but just being with them has been really helpful to me.”