WG Blog

How to Overcome The Long Major Donor Cultivation Cycle

Building a robust major donor program is essential for the long-term success and sustainability of a non-profit organization. Once established, the top 10% of your donors can contribute up to 40% of your annual operating revenue, as well as offer the crucial partnerships required to transform your mission and fund successful capital campaigns.

The Debrief Newsletter | July 2023

Westfall Gold’s results continue the upward trend with a significant 22% increase from 2019, a year when market trends did not directly affect overall charitable giving in the United States.

The Debrief Newsletter | April 2023

At Westfall Gold, our vision is to be a catalyst for generosity that touches every person on earth. We trust that the quick insights and updates offered will encourage and equip you for the journey.

Dr. Roger Spoelman Joins Westfall Gold Team

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a true healthcare industry titan, Dr. Roger Spoelman, to our esteemed team at Westfall Gold. With an illustrious career spanning over 37 years in executive healthcare leadership, Dr. Spoelman brings unparalleled expertise and a wealth of experience to his new role as the Healthcare Sales Liaison & Consultant.

How To Cultivate Major Donors | Part 4 Engaging and Cultivating

Engaging prospective donors successfully requires careful planning and strategic execution. With numerous nonprofit organizations vying for the same opportunities, it's crucial to stand out. Here are some essential steps to maximize your chances of securing a meeting and fostering long-term donor relationships.

How To Cultivate Major Donors | Part 3 Develop Your Strategies

Developing a comprehensive strategy is essential for effective donor cultivation at any level. To maximize your efforts, it is crucial to recognize that each segment of your donor base requires a different approach.

How to Cultivate Major Donors | Part 2 Identification

Once you have established a clear definition of what constitutes a major donor for your organization, your next step is to create a comprehensive list of current, previous, and potential donors who fit this category.

How To Cultivate Major Donors | Part 1 - Definition

Learn how to cultivate major donors for your organization with the first edition of our four-part educational series. Before we delve into the strategies for engaging and nurturing, it is crucial to clearly understand what constitutes a major donor.

2023 Generosity Report | Now Available

The evidence we have gathered in our generosity report makes an evidence-based case to resist that fear and move boldly into relationships with major donors and creating experiences that cast vision for transformational impact.

Westfall Gold and Braintrust Creative Combine for Greater Impact

Westfall Group is excited to announce the merger of Westfall Gold and Braintrust Creative. The combined businesses will continue to operate as independent units under the parent company while supporting each other to achieve greater levels of excellence in serving their respective clients.

Donor Seek Transformational Giving: The Good to Growth Podcast

Listen in on the conversation between Bob Westfall and Katie Appold on The Good to Growth podcast as they discuss how nonprofits can turn transactional giving into transformational generosity.

Westfall Gold Appoints Dan Clark As New CEO

An accomplished fundraising executive, Clark will succeed Bob Westfall and assume responsibilities on January 1, 2022. Westfall will transition to the role of founder/chairman.

2021 Major Donor Generosity Webinar

Watch our complimentary webinar with Bob Westfall and dynamic nonprofit leaders to discuss key trends and leading major donor development practices in this mid-year review.

Westfall Gold 2021 Mid-Year Results

Through the first half of 2021, major donors gave $151.8 million to support nonprofit organizations at Westfall Gold weekend gatherings. This record-setting display of philanthropy is a testament to the desire of donors to give generously as part of a community.

Major Donor Insights

Now, more than ever, it is critical for nonprofits to have a strong major donor base. Organizations that have effectively engaged major donors have found they have been a lifeline during the COVID-19 crisis.

Westfall Gold Celebrates $1 Billion in Transformational Giving

Westfall Gold, the nation’s premier major donor fundraising consultancy, has surpassed a major milestone – inspiring $1,000,000,000 in generous giving to help worthy nonprofits feed the hungry, fight poverty and transform lives around the world.

Always Look A Gift Horse In the Mouth

The advice given in the oft-used proverb, “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” is simple: refrain from assessing the value of a gift lest you offend the giver.However, in major donor development, it is incumbent upon a nonprofit to take a good look inside the horse’s mouth, as it were, before accepting a gift from a well-meaning donor.

Webinar: Trends Impacting Major Donor Fundraising

Join Lisa Wolf, VP of Consulting for Westfall Gold, as she talks with host Adam Christing for a discussion about current fundraising trends and what your organization can do to grow revenue in this unnerving market.

Notre Dame: Lessons in Major Donor Engagement

Like many of you, I was absolutely devastated watching the Notre Dame Cathedral burn on April 15, 2019. Even before the fire was put out, millions of dollars were committed toward restoration from donors around the world...

Focus On The Destination

As you invite donors on your missional journey are you drawing their attention to minding the gap or to the destination? Growing missional imagination and engagement requires a shifting of perspective from organizational needs towards the giver's hopes and dreams. To shift the focus, we must inform, inspire, and invite others to join in the journey with us.

Westfall Gold Major Donor Experiences Raise $102 Million

Westfall Gold, a leading fundraising consultancy, announced its nonprofit clients raised a record-breaking $102 million through 31 Major Donor Experiences in the first half of 2019.

Technology Megatrends That Will Change Philanthropy

Over the next decade, the integration of technological innovation will radically change how nonprofits engage with their constituents and supporters. Building a Comprehensive Donor Development Strategy: This article is part of a series launched by Westfall Gold to help nonprofit development leaders create an effective and comprehensive long-term fundraising strategy...

Megatrends That Will Change Philanthropy: Global Economy

Building a Comprehensive Donor Development Strategy: This article is part of a series launched by Westfall Gold to help nonprofit development leaders create an effective and comprehensive long-term fundraising strategy. An introduction to this series can be found here. Over the next decade global economic, technological, and social trends will transform how nonprofits fundraise...

Building a High Performing Development Team

Among the biggest challenges facing a chief development officer is finding, recruiting, and managing a high performing development team. Typically, there are two extremes of major gift officers. First, there are those that never ask donors for a gift. They seem to think that simply walking beside the high net worth individual, being their friend, and sharing some information about the organization will ultimately move people to give...

Engaging Donors After a Mega Gift

Securing a mega gift is an exciting moment for any nonprofit organization. The gift reflects many hours invested by the organization's leadership and relationship managers to carefully cultivate the relationship by building trust and communicating the case for support. But, your work does not stop when the gift is won...

Energizing Major Gifts

For the past two years, Donor by Design Group has been working with a cohort of nonprofit leaders from across the country on strategies for improving annual giving. While there are many learnings to be shared, I think the most interesting may be what we’ve learned in developing major gift relationships. The cause of our work starts with the community, not with the organization...

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