If “people give to people,” then successful fundraising is all about relationships, human dynamics, interaction and the art of persuasion. You can talk about it in a typical seminar and return to the office with your head full of theory and bullet points. Or you can see it in action, and start doing it tomorrow.
Written by author, consultant and fundraising futurist, Penelope Burk, and performed by The Cygnus Players, our live-action seminars are in a class of their own. They feature original scenes performed by professional actors, with thought-provoking discussion led by facilitators who are experts in their fields.
Dynamic, poignant and often hilarious, these seminars are extraordinary. You will learn more in one day than you can imagine; you will never forget what you learn; and you will be thoroughly entertained.
SEMINARS
Negotiating Planned and Major Gifts
• Selling Planned Giving to your Board and securing their leadership gifts.
• Making the initial approach to a donor.
• How to talk to donors about the technicalities of planned gifts.
• Saying thank you to major donors.
• What to do when a donor puts an awkward condition on his gift.
• The right fit: how to make winning proposals.
We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This… …how to run great board and committee meetings
• Orientation that works: what volunteers need to know up front.
• How to run shorter meetings and get more accomplished.
• How executive committees strangle innovation – and how to avoid this problem.
• Using Rules of Order without going crazy.
• Building personal value into board or committee work.
• How to control adversaries and other volatile situations.
To Goal… And Beyond! Running a Truly Successful Capital Campaign
• Securing early gifts from the Campaign team.
• Targeted prospect research.
• How to approach a potential donor by letter…or by phone.
• How to handle a volunteer who arrives unprepared for a critical negotiation.
• Getting down to the business of asking for the gift.
• Closing big gifts…and going back for more.
Corporate Partners for Life
• How to get that critical first appointment.
• Cultivating corporate partners.
• How to work like a team when negotiating and closing deals.
• Maneuvering through the philanthropy and marketing departments.
• How to turn one-year deals into multi-year partnerships.
• Delivering bad news to a sponsor… without losing them.
Donor-Centered Fundraising®
• How to write great thank you letters.
• Stewarding corporate donors and sponsors.
• Organizing and running great donor recognition events.
• Talking to donors when you’re not asking for money.
• Volunteers and donor communication – a new role.
• Investing smarter in donor relations.
Original Seminars Designed Just for You
Take your training program or conference to a whole new level. Our original scenes written specifically for and about your not for profit will delight delegates and create a training program that is exclusively yours. Your staff and volunteers will still be talking about their Cygnus seminar long after it’s over.
For more information on scheduling a seminar and to discuss an agenda, please contact Jeff Dubberley, Vice President at info@cygresearch.com.
