From the first line of iambic pentameter to the last couplet, Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies, problem plays and history plays were constructed in five acts.

At the AFP International Conference on Fundraising, Sally Boucher of WealthEngine and Tassie Pippert of James Madison University condensed the Bard to three acts to set the stage for a successful major gifts program.

Act One: To be or not to be.
This means laying the proper groundwork, and it involves:

• Setting up policies, systems and materials. Policies cover general fundraising, a donor bill of rights, a statement of ethics and, e.g., a travel reimbursement policy. It also includes the database.
• Setting goals and measuring progress. Set a monetary goal for each person, and goals for number or prospects in a portfolio, face-to-face visits and number or solicitations.

Act Two: Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
For every organization, there is a donor waiting to make a major gift in support of the mission.

•  Identify prospects, with reactive research and proactive research, including predictive modeling, electronic screening and peer screening.
• Engage prospects. Be aware of major touch pots and their advantages and disadvantages.

Act Three: Meeting the fair lady of Verona.
Make the most of the first visit. Gather information and document your newfound knowledge. Questions fall into several categories:

General questions of who, what, when, where and why.

Mission, vision and values questions.

Philanthropy and giving questions.

Involvement questions.