# Opening the Door to Major Gifts: Mastering the Discovery Call

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/opening-the-door-to-major-gifts-mastering-the-discovery-call/
- Published: 2013-04-18T13:36:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**If you are not feeding new prospective major gift donors into your pipeline on
a regular and systematic basis, sooner or later your efforts are going to stall.**

So, whether you are new to fundraising or have been active in the profession for
years, this is a resource that can help you build new relationships and add good
prospects to your portfolio.

The book provides specific strategies that will increase your odds for success when
you are ready to meet your donors. You will learn to “warm” your prospects so they
are receptive to your outreach, to make allies of the gatekeepers who control access
to the decision makers, and to conduct a qualification call that is both casual 
and purposeful. All of these methods are designed to initiate a comfortable and 
meaningful relationship that will one day result in a significant philanthropic 
investment.

How important is the task of mastering the discovery call? Take a look at the average
portfolio of a major gift officer. A number of industry benchmarks indicate that
if there are 150 individuals in a fundraiser’s portfolio, as many as half of them(
seventy-five) might be prospects/suspects who haven’t yet been properly qualified.
Therefore, it is critical for today’s development professional to become proficient
in prospect qualification.

**John Greenhoe** presents his advice, insights, and tips in a straightforward and
logistically sequential fashion. He starts with the reasons why qualification calls
are important and then delves into researching your prospects. He then gives practical
tips for negotiating voice mail and gatekeepers en route to successfully making 
the appointment.

Greenhoe also covers the actual format of the discovery call, including suggested
scripts that you may wish to employ during your face-to-face visit. He also looks
closely at strategies for conducting follow-up calls and then concludes with a look
at future trends.

The qualification of donors is, generally speaking, not an easy task. Hard work 
and discipline are essential. At the same time, bringing new donors to your organization
can be a lot of fun. Following the techniques of this book, you’ll meet some amazing
people, many of whom will share your passion for your nonprofit.

Bottom line, if you follow the strategies detailed in this book, you will be successful.

## About John Greenhoe

**John Greenhoe**, CFRE, is an internationally recognised philanthropy expert with
more than two decades of fundraising experience. His speaking credits include engagements
in the US, Canada, Europe, South America, New Zealand and South Africa.

## **About CharityChannel’s In the Trenches(tm) Series**

You’ll know an _In the Trenches_ book not just by its cover, but by the author’s
fun, upbeat writing style. But don’t be fooled by its down-to-earth approach and
ample use of sidebars. _In the Trenches_ books are authoritative and cover what 
a beginner should know to get started and progress rapidly, and what a more experienced
nonprofit-sector practitioner needs to move forward in the subject.

## WATCH: Opening the Door to Major Gifts