What to Say When Major Donors Say 'I Need to Think About It'

Mary teaches from What to Say and her 25+ years of major gift experience on the single most common response to a major gift ask. This episode breaks down the in-the-moment response, the 48-hour follow-up, how to create structure without pressure, and the difference between 'thinking about it' and a quiet no.She also covers the 4 most common objections in her book: 'I need to think about it,' 'This is too much money,' 'I'm not interested,' and 'I want to talk to my spouse.' Full language for each.Get What to Say at heyfundraiser.com — it's your word-for-word playbook for every major gift conversation. Share this episode with your entire development team. 🎓 The Professional Development Budget Kit. Free Download! Everything you need to get your organization to say "yes" to funding your growth: templates, talking points, and an ROI calculator.💸 Major Gift Intensives. We're headed to 6 cities in 2027. Are we headed to yours? Join us for a 3 day deep dive into major gifts! Only 30 seats per city.🌻 The 2027 Growth Pass. Only 5 seats available. The Growth Pass bundles Mary's three flagship live experiences into one powerful year of learning. One Major Gift Intensive. One Ask Workshop. One Small Table Intensive.🪑 The Small Table Intensive. Half a day. Build or rebuild your major gift program around fewer donors and deeper relationships, using the methodology from my book Small Table Big Philanthropy.🎯 The Ask Workshop. Half a day. The exact words to use when it's time to ask for 5 and 6-figure gifts. Walk in nervous about the ask. Walk out with the scripts.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @...