Hi I'm Jason Wohlman, and thank you for joining me in this course on Major and Principal Gifts. Together we will cover six areas of study in five weeks, but first a little bit about me. I'm the associate vice chancellor for university development at the University of California Davis. It's a role I have served in for several years, and in this role, I have the honor of working with a number of talented development professionals to further the mission of the university. All total of my fundraising career spans over 28 years at three public universities. Four years at my Alma mater Minnesota State University, where I got my start in annual giving. 18 years at North Dakota State University, where I had the privilege of completing two university wide comprehensive campaigns, and now my time at UC Davis. As is the case with many of you, I did not grow up with the dream of becoming a fundraiser. Professional football player, CEO of a large business or an attorney, yes, but fundraiser was definitely not on my radar. My entry into the fundraising profession started as an 18 year old freshmen looking for a part time job, and finding an advertisement to be a student caller for the Minnesota State University annual giving fund. It was a role I enjoyed, visiting with alumni from all across the country, hearing their stories of their time on campus, and the accomplishments in their careers. It was also something I found that I was good at, and I found success in my ability to encourage alumni to give back. Two years later I was given the opportunity to run the annual giving program while still pursuing my degree. Upon my graduation, I determined that the world had enough attorneys, and I decided to stick with the growing field of university development. As my career has progressed, I have had experiences in annual and major gift work, campaign's, planned giving, foundation and corporate giving, and international development. And while management responsibilities are a large part of my current position, my favorite part of my job still involves sitting with a prospective donor, and helping them fulfill their goals of supporting a world class university. The role I play in moving UC Davis forward is truly rewarding, and makes coming into the office each day a positive experience. Now, I want to turn your attention to this course. To begin, I will give you an overview of the major and principal gift fundraising process in the history of philanthropy in the United States. You will become familiar with the terminology used in acquiring and managing major and principle gift donations. We will discuss how to develop and manage a major gifts program, and we will talk about the psychology of giving, the mindset of a major donor, and how to motivate their giving. Our second area of study will deal broadly with prospect research and prospect management. We will identify the purpose and goals of prospect research, and take an in-depth look at the elements involved. I will explain how to determine a prospect's capacity for philanthropy, and we will identify the framework necessary to manage a successful major and principal gift program, so you can put it into place for your organization. In our third area of study, you will move on to the practical aspects of cultivating prospects. I will share effective strategies for opening the door with a prospective donor, and will outline the objectives of an initial visit, and how to fulfill those objectives. You will learn strategies to draw out the donor's interests, and how to build donor involvement. This will help you set the stage for developing a meaningful relationship with your prospective donor. In our fourth week, we will cover two areas of study. There is a lot to cover in this week, but I am confident you will move through the lessons with little issues. So for our fourth area of study, I will show you what is included in an effective proposal for major or principle gift development. You will identify the essential parts of the proposal, and then you will practice writing it. For the fifth area, we will cover soliciting major and principle gifts. I will show you how to structure a solicitation strategy, you will learn to approach the ask with confidence, and I will demonstrate the use of successful closing techniques, and explain how to respond to common objections during negotiation. I will lay out the best practices, so that you can take action to achieve greater success. During the final section of our course, we will explore the vital areas of successful gifts solicitation strategy and stewardship. You will see the required gift documentation, so that you comply with gift acceptance policies. You will also see best practices to develop appropriate stewardship of donor relationships. The ultimate goal of this course is to give you the tools and confidence to successfully attract and manage major and principal gifts for your organization, so as to bring about greater good in the world. I'm excited to get started, so let's get to work.
