In the first episode of the Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast,I got to interview my good friend, co-author of Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide To Landing Big Gifts, and podcast co-host, Roy C. Jones, CFRE, Vice President of Development at Mercy Ships. During our interview with Roy he shares about the transformations they’ve made at Mercy Ships to dramatically grow their major giving over the last three years. We also talk about identifying the ideal candidate for a major gift position, and how fundraising leaders can structure their organizations to help their staff be more efficient and effective in their work.
Over the last three decades Roy has led major gifts, direct response fundraising and overall development initiatives for organizations like Mercy Ships, World Help, Liberty University, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and several others. He’s also consulted with hundreds of nonprofits while serving as Account Director at Russ Reid. Throughout his career, Roy has raised – or helped others raise – nearly $1 Billion.