Identifying Big Ideas to Secure Transformational Gifts
The maxim big ideas lead to big gifts has defined fundraising, and—by extension—most of academia over the last 20 or more years. The acceptance of this adage is evident not only by where the most generous gifts to academia are being targeted but also by the rapid expansion of advancement organizations across higher education globally. Institutions are often eager for transformational gifts, but the creation of the big idea to secure one remains elusive. In this virtual training, we will define the big ideas and big gifts while taking a deep dive into the processes that can generate those ideas that attract big gifts while not compromising the core mission of the institution. You will learn frameworks for sourcing ideas—who in academic, volunteer, and administrative leadership needs to be involved in the big-idea generation process, approaches to gift solicitation, and a review of funding models that could create an incentive for major donors.
