Transformational major gift fundraising with Bob Westfall

I’m not gonna lie. This is, for me, a bucket list interview. This week Roy Jones and I interviewed Bob Westfall, CEO of Westfall Gold.

Why is this such a big deal for me (it’s a big deal for you too, you just don’t know it yet!)? Because Bob’s firm has raised $950 MILLION in transformational major gifts, and they’ve developed a phenomenal approach to building relationships and securing philanthropic support. I learned a ton in this interview, and I hope you do too!

Some key points from our conversation:

• To be successful at major gift fundraising you have to have the right people in the room.
• Major and Mega donors follow the principle that “eagles fly with eagles” — meaning, they want to be together with other high net worth, major/mega donors. And getting these people in the room together on behalf of your charitable cause is not just financially important to you, but valuable to your donors.
• The case (i.e., Case for Support) is critical. It must be emotional, intellectual, and transformational. But the most important of these three is that it’s transformational (i.e., that it shows the donor that their philanthropic support can make a HUGE change in the lives of those you serve).
• According to the Bank of America / US Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, 94% of major donors will give you a gift once you can help them believe in the mission of your organization.
• Further, 93% of major donors say they’ll make a major gift once an organization shows them how doing so will make a meaningful impact in the lives of people served by the organization.
• If fundraisers will intentionally deliver a transformational case every time they interact with a donor, their likelihood of securing major gifts will skyrocket! This can be as simple as leaving a voicemail telling the donor a quick impact story, sharing a news article about the impact of your work, or emailing them a quote from someone served by your org .