Millionaires Are Generous Donors if Asked Properly

I was pontificating with my wife, Ruth, the other day, explaining that fundraisers have no control over one of the Big Cs of fundraising. “Ideal donors,” I announced, “have the Capacity to give, have a strong Connection with the charity, and are Committed to support the charity over the long term.”

I then explained that a fundraiser can do something to strengthen Connections with donors (invite them to sit on the board) and to strengthen donor Commitment (invite them to leave a legacy), but I said that fundraisers have no control over the big C of Capacity.

“Either donors have the capacity to give or they don’t,” I announced with evident satisfaction.

But Ruth corrected me.

“I believe you are mistaken,” she said sweetly, “Fundraisers can change a donor’s capacity to give. They can reduce it.”

So I stand corrected. And gladly so.

Your job as a fundraiser is to find millionaires and then work with all your charm and might and passion to reduce their capacity to give. With the donor’s full cooperation, of course.

The good news is that millionaires give generously to causes that move them.

According to a Merrill Lynch Cap-Gemini report, North American millionaires are two to five times more likely than their European counterparts to give to causes they value.

And according to Toronto-based Taddingstone Consulting, a private group that tracks the attitudes and behaviours of Canadian millionaires, Canadian millionaires regularly donate close to three percent of their annual income.

The secret to reaching hidden millionaires in your city is to know what they look like, know where to find them, and know how to approach them. That’s why you should attend the Uncovering Local Millionaires webinar. Details below.

Seminar-on-Demand 001 Uncovering Local Millionaires. Presenter: Alan Sharpe. Learn how to recognize, find and approach undiscovered millionaires in your city. Three sessions. Over four hours of audio recording, 139 pages of full-color handouts and an 89-page electronic transcript.

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