Tuesday, February 19, 2008 – 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. @ NMC's University Center Campus, Room 208

“Listening to Donors – Essential Skills for the Win-Win Ask”

This 90-minute webconference is applicable to any mid-level to senior professional in a fund development position.

To make a gift request that inspires a donor to make a stretch contribution, you need to first take the time to listen to their values, their motivations for giving, their life situation, and their understanding of your organization and its need for funding. This session will provide you with the tools to sharpen your listening skills and utilize techniques to broaden your organization’s understanding of each major gift donor.

Learning objectives:

• See how listening techniques and styles as described by experts in business and life can be applied to   philanthropic fundraising.
• Understand the importance of taking notes during listening interviews through a probing tool and formalizing these notes into disciplined and timely contact reports.
• Find “hands on” ways of structured listening to both individuals and collective groups to immediately improve your fundraising programs and gift requests.

About the presenter: Thomas D. Wilson, vice president and western region manager for Campbell & Company, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars over his nearly 30 years in philanthropic fundraising. He brings experiences from 2,600 donor interviews, plus a myriad of experiences from running his own fundraising program to consulting with organizations of all types and sizes. Tom is the author of Winning Gifts: Make Your Donors Feel Like Winners, recently published by John Wiley & Sons.

Return to Calendar