Annual Fund and Major Gifts Partnership: Pipeline Management and Donor Maximization

When the span between fundraising campaigns is measured in hours, it can be difficult to think about anything but the next major gift. And while a focus on cultivating and soliciting these high-wealth prospects is key to a successful fundraising effort, where do those prospects come from? The most effective fundraising directors know an integrated approach which consistently acquires and upgrades annual giving donors is critical to populating major gift portfolios.

This course will examine the interchanges between annual giving and major gifts, with a careful eye on strategy and tactics to enhance both programs as well as the overall fundraising effort. In this case, 1 + 1 really do add up to more than 2!

Course participants will come away with a greater understanding of the roles of both programs when they work well together, and specific steps to maximize returns in or out of a campaign. While this is a great session for development directors, this is also a good session for Executive Directors and CEOs who are looking to enhance their existing development efforts.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will:

  • Understand how a robust annual giving program works not only to generate current-use dollars, but future major gift prospects.
  • Understand how major gift officers can work with their annual giving colleagues to advance the organization and build the donor pipeline.
  • Have concrete next steps and tools for their annual giving and major gift programs to improve their current situation and advance a comprehensive pipeline management strategy.

Target Audience 
Beginner to intermediate fundraisers, although senior fundraisers and management will also benefit from the systems and strategic principles presented.

About the Presenter:
After several years in healthcare administration, Mike, a Chicago native, began his nonprofit career as the program administrator for Washington workshops, in Washington DC. He then moved to a public foundation in Los Angeles and later spent time as an executive director of development at UCLE and as the VP of development & marketing at Special Olympics Southern California.

Since moving to Houston, Mike has been a director of development/team lead for Rice University, the chief development officer of the Houston food bank and is now a director of philanthropic resources at MD Anderson.

In addition to being past president of the association of fundraising professionals (Greater Houston Chapter), he is also a member of AFP international’s political action committee (PAC) board, a member of their committee on directorship (2012-2013) and chair of their US government relations committee. He is vice chair of the development committee for the space center Houston board of directors, a member of the Fall Creek Elementary PTO, an AFP certified master trainer and a fellow of the Paul Harris rotary international foundation. Mike and his very patient wife Yvette Money enjoy an above average eight year-old daughter Caroline Fiona.

Chris Kasavich has been a professional fundraiser for eleven years, serving in a variety of positions and nonprofit sectors.

He began his career in fundraising at Rice University as their first Leadership Giving officer for Annual Giving before joining their Major Gifts team. After four years he joined the Houston Symphony as Director of Corporate Relations, where he managed the Corporate Relations team in engaging and stewarding new and existing corporate partners.