What would a murder mystery, soap opera or conniving-family comedy be without a will? It’s all about that winning combination of motive, intrigue, money.

It might be a good plotline, but 50 percent of all people in the USA do not have wills, and that includes the extremely wealthy.

That insight was offered by James R. Hackney Jr., managing partner of Alexander Haas, during Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits in Charleston, S.C. Hackney was speaking about nonprofits and major gift donors, and he offered more interesting tidbits, such as the fact that only 4 percent of the U.S. population makes $100,000 or more a year and 48 percent of people worth $20 million did not make any charitable gifts last year.

Further, most mega-gifts are the donor’s idea, the best chance is to keep the jet-rich involved, and the idea must be worth the funding.

Stewardship is important, so the ask should be face to face, with the right timing and the right person, asking for the right amount, but also listening, anticipating objections and following up. The essential keys to major gift success:

• Long-term investment in the process.
  
• Consistency and quality of activity.
  
• A personalized approach.
  
• Continual evaluation and fine-tuning.
  
• Sensitivity to a prospect’s time needs.
  
• Appropriate use of volunteers.

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