How I closed $250k from a 25-year-old who drove a Prius
I drive a Prius, so don't get it twisted--there is no judgment here of 25 year-olds (I've been one) or of the Pri-i. (That's the plural I just made up.)
But the no judgment piece is exactly the point here.
I was at a happy hour networking event. Remember those? How we dreaded them and now they are... thought of longingly. At least, by me.
Well, I met this young professional who worked at Deloitte as a consultant. Nice guy. Interested in philanthropy.
He gave me his card, mentioned that he wanted to do more with his giving, then drove off in his Prius.
I follow up the next day first thing thanking him for the great chat. (This is why I say Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow up, people!)
We end up meeting again for lunch and it was just the two of us.
We talk about his passions. We talk about the impact he wants to have on the world.
He tells me that he is the executor for his great aunt's trust and that since it's a charitable trust, he is responsible for giving away AT LEAST $250,000 a year to charitable organizations.
I was stunned.
My team and I come up with a pitch. I meet him for breakfast and pitch him this amazing way to use technology in schools to invest in education. He loves it. He says YES.
The amount? $250,000. Over the course of the next 3 years.
You might say, "Julie, you got super lucky. I don't have any donors like that."
Don’t you, though?!
Don't you have donors who you judge as not being able to give a major gift? We all do.
And how many people walked right past that young man because he doesn't drive a Tesla or he's 25 or he works full-time in a low-level position and couldn't possibly be a major donor?
It was one of the biggest and most important lessons I learned: not to judge a book by its cover.
You literally do not know about anyone's finances--not even Google or a fancy wealth engine will tell you what your donors will tell you from their mouths.
And this is why you need to apply for CourageLab: the 6-week group coaching program for ambitious nonprofit leaders ready to make major change and raise major gifts.
You need to believe that you live in a world ready to say YES. This is one of the keys to my fundraising success.
I believe that I'm surrounded by people who want to give and make a difference. The people who don't want to do that are harder to find.
