Hey Fundraiser!

Mary shares highlights from her keynote at the AFP Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Summer Symposium, a full morning with 110 fundraisers built entirely around major gift confidence. She covers the difference between cultivation and avoidance, the relationship rhythm that moves donors forward without feeling transactional, and why confidence isn't a personality trait – it's a skill set you can build.She also breaks down the three takeaways that landed hardest in the room: go deeper not wider (why 20 deep relationships beat a portfolio of 150), ask sooner with permission-based language, and why getting out from behind your desk and living your life might be the most underrated major gift strategy there is. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

Mary teaches the board fundraising framework from Small Table Big Philanthropy — the one that works because it doesn't ask board members to do anything that feels like selling. She covers the 3-questions exercise (30 minutes, dozens of new prospects), the 4 board fundraising roles (none of which require 'the ask'), the small table approach to activating board networks, and how to celebrate and reinforce board fundraising wins so the momentum continues. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

Mary makes the case for summer as the most strategic cultivation season of the year. She covers the summer small table strategy (the backyard dinner, the outdoor lunch, the informal gathering at a board member's home), the fall calendar booking strategy (book October visits now, while calendars are still open), and the specific summer actions that directly lead to Q4 gift closures.She also addresses the board's summer role — and why summer social gatherings are one of the most underutilized major gift tools in most organizations. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

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 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

Mary teaches the 4 hidden major gift prospect profiles that live in almost every donor database — and the conversations that unlock them. She covers the 3-filter database review, the re-qualification conversation, and the staircase model that shows exactly how a $500-a-year loyal donor becomes a $50,000 major gift.This episode is full of practical language you can use this week. Mary shares examples from the book — including the "graduation day" moment when a long-time mid-level donor realizes they've been waiting for an invitation to climb the staircase.Get Small Table Big Philanthropy at heyfundraiser.com. It has the full staircase system — plus everything else you need to build a major gift program that grows itself. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

Mary walks through the full mid-year major gift program evaluation. This episode is built on the Engineer step of her 4-step system: the phase where you get crystal clear on whether your strategy is working. She covers the 5 metrics that actually matter, how to run a pipeline health assessment, the 3 most common mid-year diagnoses, and how to build a realistic Q3 course-correction plan that doesn't require working 80 hours a week. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

Mary teaches the stewardship system from Small Table Big Philanthropy — the one that turns $1,000 donors into $10,000 donors and $10,000 donors into $100,000 donors. She covers the 48-hour post-gift sequence (why a phone call beats a letter every time), the mid-year impact update format that actually gets read, the annual stewardship visit agenda, and the math behind treating donors like royalty vs. treating them like ATMs.Grab Small Table Big Philanthropy at heyfundraiser.com. If this episode resonated, leave a review — it helps more fundraisers find the show. 🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...

In this episode, I will share how shifting from large galas to small, intimate dinners can exponentially increase major gift fundraising. Discover her three-step strategy to build sustainable donor relationships and learn about her Small Table Intensive workshop designed to turn theory into actionable plans.  #fundraising #donorrelationships #philanthropy #majorgifts #marypetersen  🪑 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 script.More from Mary:📘 Mary's books. What to Say and Small Table Big Philanthropy. The books behind the methodology.🔥 Major Donor Meeting Mastery. My step-by-step system for donor meetings that move the relationship forward.👩🏻‍💻 Momentum Training. My complete packaging + ask system, all in one place.💻 Connect with Mary PetersenWebsite: heyfundraiser.comYouTube: @heyfundraisersInstagram: @heyfundraiserLinkedIn: ...