You Found a Great Major Gift Prospect. Now How the Heck Do You Get in the Door?

You found the perfect major gift prospect. Great capacity, strong giving history, real connection to your mission...and they will not respond. In this episode of Hey Fundraiser!, Mary tackles one of the hardest parts of major gift fundraising: getting in the door. You’ll learn why generic “would you like to grab coffee?” emails fall flat, how to make your invitation genuinely worth saying yes to, and why access often matters more than capacity. Mary shares practical ways to use your board, donors, leadership, volunteers, and community connections to create warm introductions; how to invite prospects to advise, react, experience, or see something behind the scenes; and why changing the messenger or communication channel can completely change your results. She also shares creative cultivation ideas that go far beyond coffee and lunch, including the story of the donor she cultivated by walking with him several mornings a week after his back surgery. And if nothing works? Mary explains when it is time to bless and release, because your job is not to get every wealthy person in the door. It is to find the people who actually want a relationship. Major gifts do not start with the ask. They start with access. 🎓 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: @...