Gail Perry Group

No one ever told you it was okay to protect your time. Consider this post your permission to do so.

We see this all the time: A development director walks us through their portfolio. They know exactly what their top donors need, and they understand the work completely.

Then we look at their calendar. And cultivation is nowhere on it.

Reporting. Event logistics. Internal meetings. Grant writing support. It all keeps getting bumped.

We recently asked 500+ fundraisers: if you had 120 prospects, where would you focus? The largest group gave the right answer: move the bottom fifty to a separate track, and dig hard into the top twenty.

They instinctually know what to do. Most just aren't doing it.

When we ask why, it comes down to one thing: no one ever told them it was okay to protect their time.

So here's your permission. Protecting your cultivation time isn't a luxury. It's the most strategic move you can make for your major gift program. And we promise that there will be a return on that focused investment.

Saying "I need to protect time for donor work this week" isn't saying you're too busy. It's leadership, and your results will inspire others.

Swipe through for three practices that make it real. And we'd genuinely welcome a counterargument: what has your experience been?

One question worth sitting with this week: if you protected ten hours for pure cultivation visits - no admin, no meetings, no email - how would you spend that time? Take a look at our no-fluff article on how to build a program that actually performs 👇

Read the full article here: https://gailperrygroup.com/how-to-build-major-gifts-program/

Excited to see our recent article "The Discovery Call Playbook: Open the Door to Major Gifts" shared in Monday's newsletter by Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

From AFP: Discovery in major gift is about genuine conversation, careful listening, and learning what truly matters to a donor. This article reframes discovery as the starting point of meaningful relationships that build trust, clarify engagement, and naturally open the door to deeper .

Take a look here!

gailperrygroup.com

Today is the last day to register for the Major Gifts Intensive. And we at Gail Perry Group want to take a moment to speak directly to the fundraisers who are running on empty.

You are not behind because you're not trying hard enough. You're behind because the job keeps expanding, and the bandwidth doesn't. Because everyone needs something from you... the board, the ED, the events committee... and major donors require a kind of focused, unhurried attention that is almost impossible to manufacture at the end of a packed week.

That's why the Major Gifts Intensive is more than a training. It offers structure, community, and a weekly commitment that holds space for the work that keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list.

12 weeks, starting March 12. Come because you're ready. Come even if you're tired. We built this for both.

You deserve support. Your mission deserves it, too. gailperrygroup.com/mgi