One Visit Away

In this episode I tell a story about one of our benefactors who wound up giving a gift after a 7 minute first visit.  You'll learn about the importance of asking for a specific amount, the importance of referrals, why you need to ask when is a good time to follow up, and why you need to focus on generating revenue for your organization.  

This is a bonus episode where I was interviewed by my friend Jeff Schiefelbein on his radio show Undivided Intention.  This is not a typical episode of One Visit Away. It is much more personal and involves many other topics besides fundraising.  I hope you enjoy our conversation, but be forewarned since this is a bonus episode I did not edit anything out, so commercials are included.  

In this episode I share one of my own stories! In this episode you'll learn why it's important to always be visiting with prospects and benefactors, why you should never make up answers, why you shouldn't give up when you've tried several times to schedule a visit, and why you should listen to suggestions your benefactors make as it could lead to millions of dollars of increased giving for your organization.  

In this episode we hear from Maria Puccini the Executive Director and Co-Founder of In My Shoes.  Maria shares a story that is my favorite story shared on the show so far! It illustrates many traits that make someone successful in development: an enormous amount of passion, humility, the ability to take painful constructive criticism, a deep desire to put the needs of those your organization serves ahead of your own, and persistence.  All I can say is WOW! I am excited and can’t wait for you all to hear this incredible story from Maria. 

Should you travel to visit with a Benefactor or Prospect? Can someone increase from $2,500 to over $100,000? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? If you want to know the answers to these questions, listen to this episode of One Visit Away! Dan Bailey the President and Founder of Just Say Yes tells some great stories about his transformation in major gifts and how it has impacted his organization.  There is a great deal to learn about development in this fun and exciting conversation! 

Val Hrbacek is the Director of Development of Birth Choice Dallas.  In this episode you will find great insights on how to succeed in major gifts even while bringing your toddler to work everyday! Listen to this episode and among many tips you will understand the importance of making thank you calls as they can lead to more than 1000% increases in giving as well as the importance of not assuming a benefactor's capacity.  

How do you go from hearing that someone will never give to your organization to them becoming one of your most important benefactors? Find out by listening to this episode of One Visit Away, where your host Kevin Fitzpatrick shares one of his favorite stories from the beginning of his career as a major gift officer.  This episode will inspire you to schedule more visits so that you can raise more money for your non-profit!

Joseph Hamaty with the Steier Group tells stories that will get you excited to schedule more visits and raise more money for your organization! The Steier Group has helped raise over $2 Billion for capital campaigns.  Joseph shares several stories that help illustrate why they have had such great success.  These stories are equally informative as they are entertaining!

In this episode we hear from Fr. Richard Hermes, S.J. and Nick Suszynski.  If you work in Major gifts, fundraising, or are thinking about starting a capital campaign, this episode will help you tremendously.  Before being named President of Jesuit Tampa, Fr. Hermes had almost no experience in fundraising. After he got to Jesuit Tampa, he and Nick led Jesuit through an incredibly successful capital campaign. The original goal was $35 Million, but due to the bold vision Fr. Hermes presented, the determination of Nick Suszynski in heroic follow-up efforts, the extreme generosity of their benefactors, and of course everyone involved doing everything For the Greater Glory of God, they surpassed their goal and raised $50 Million!Your organization is not stuck. Listen to this episode now and you’ll realize you’re just One Visit Away from a transformational gift for your organization!

In this episode, you will learn how to schedule more visits through the use of referrals, the importance of never giving up on a relationship, and how to respond to being cursed out of someone's office! You do not want to miss this episode with Evan Woolsoncroft.  Evan was born and raised in Kansas. He attended Kansas State University. Upon graduation he started missionary work with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students). FOCUS is a collegiate outreach non-profit that shares the Gospel, prays, trains and ministers to college students. As a missionary he raised his own salary and mission expenses to support his work. After serving one year at the University of North Texas and two years at Missouri State University, he stepped into professional development full-time with FOCUS as a philanthropy officer. In this role, Evan, worked with major gift benefactors, foundations, campaigns, annual giving, and planned giving. He recently finished his Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Catholic Philanthropy from the University of Mary. Evan now works for FOCUS as the Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement Senior Officer. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and two young children.