Most development experts advise that a broadcast appeal
is likely to generate a small number of contributions, and mostly in
small amounts. It is generally accepted that to garner major gifts, you
target individuals of affluence and influence, develop those relationships,
and hope to interest those people in your work to the degree that they
will adopt you and your organization.
We tried both courses. Our broad appeal resulted
chiefly in gifts of $25 to $200, with a rare $500 or $1,000
gift. By targeting people capable of a major gift, over the
past five years we have raised endowments approaching $600,000 and
believe we have laid the foundation to more than double that total over the
next year or two.
Major donors have helped us in other ways, most notably in
suggesting collections we might solicit, and then helping us negotiate
for the materials.
Good luck.
Herbert J. Hartsook, Curator of Modern Political
Collections
South Caroliniana Library
University of South
Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803) 777-0577
"Life is not easy, and least of all is it easy for either
the
man or the nation that aspires to do great deeds."
TR