How Much Time Should It Take To Close a Major Gift?
By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA How much time should it take to close a major gift? The short answer is less time than you think. You see, I have observed that fundraisers spend far too long cultivating donors. Cultivation can even mask procrastinating over making the ask! I hear this from fundraisers quite frequently: “I don’t feel like it’s the right time to ask this person for support. I am scared they will say ‘no,’ and then what will I do? So, I keep ‘cultivating’ them.” Such delays lead to protracted cultivation and solicitation period and likely a missed opportunity—or clarity