Hey Fundraiser!

By Mary Petersen

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Category: Non-Profit

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Episodes: 69

Description

Welcome to Hey Fundraiser, the podcast for nonprofit Executive Directors and major gift officers who are done guessing.


Each week, host Mary Petersen pulls back the curtain on what actually works in major gifts. Not theory. Not whiteboard frameworks. Real scripts, real strategy, and the exact moves you can use in your next donor meeting. Mary spent 25+ years as a working major gift officer and built a methodology that closes 5 and 6-figure gifts in months, not years, by going deep with a focused portfolio instead of chasing volume.


If you've ever frozen up before an ask, stared at a "wish list" of donors with no idea who to call first, or wondered why the industry keeps telling you a major gift takes 18 months to close, this is your show.


You'll leave every episode with one clear thing to do on Monday morning. Hit follow and start building real momentum.


Episode Date
The Summer Move that Makes Your Year-End Easy
Jun 26, 2026
How One AFP Chapter Creatively Supported Its Members
Jun 19, 2026
How to Activate Your Board for Major Gifts (Without Making Them Hate You)
Jun 12, 2026
Summer Cultivation: Your Best Season for Major Gift Development
Jun 05, 2026
What to Say When Major Donors Say 'I Need to Think About It'
May 29, 2026
Your Next Major Donor Is Already in Your Database
May 22, 2026
The Mid-Year Check-In: Are You Actually on Track?
May 15, 2026
The Stewardship Multiplier: How Great Thank-Yous Build Bigger Next Gifts
May 08, 2026
From Reading the Book to Doing
May 01, 2026
Small Table Big Philanthropy is Available TODAY!
Apr 30, 2026
Small Table Big Philanthropy: A Sneak Peek Inside the Book
Apr 24, 2026
What to Say When You're Ready to Ask
Apr 17, 2026
The No-Agenda Visit: Your Most Powerful Cultivation Tool
Apr 10, 2026
Why Donors Really Leave (And It's Not What You Think)
Apr 03, 2026
After the Ask: The Follow-Up Rhythm That Protects the Relationship (and Moves It Forward)
Mar 27, 2026
Objections Clinic: The 7 Objections + The 3-Step Response Framework
Mar 20, 2026
The Three Donor Types: Head / Heart / Gut (And How to Adjust Your Approach)
Mar 13, 2026
Offers & Outcomes: Why Donors Fund Outcomes (Not Programs) + How to Package Yours
Mar 12, 2026
The First 5 Minutes of a Donor Meeting
Feb 23, 2026
Valentine’s Day special: Fall Back in Love With Fundraising
Feb 13, 2026
Silence After the Ask: How to Use It Without Being Weird (And What To Do Right After)
Feb 09, 2026
Why Donors Say No: The 5 Real Reasons (And the Fix for Each)
Jan 30, 2026
The Permission-Based “Runway” to the Major Gift Ask (5 Questions That Make the Ask Easy)
Jan 23, 2026
How to Know When Someone Is Ready to Be Asked for a Major Gift
Jan 16, 2026
Your Major Gift Portfolio: How to Decide Who Gets Your Time This Week
Jan 10, 2026
The Momentum Method: How to Run Major Gifts Like a System (Not a Mood)
Jan 07, 2026
What to Say: 12 Gift Asks to Get a YES
Dec 19, 2025
How Heather Closed $280,000 in 6 Weeks
Nov 03, 2025
Mastering the Major Gift Ask: 5 Solicitation Scripts To Set You Up for Success
Oct 27, 2025
The 5 Habits and Mindsets of High-Performing Major Gift Officers
Oct 18, 2025
What to Do When a Major Donor Gives Before You Ask
Oct 11, 2025
Stop Low-balling Your Donors: How to Confidently Ask for the Right Amount
Oct 04, 2025
How to Break Through Donor Silence (Without Feeling Desperate)
Sep 26, 2025
How to Close Major Gifts Faster—Without Rushing the Donor
Sep 19, 2025
How to Stop Wasting Time on the Wrong Major Gift Prospects
Sep 12, 2025
A Week in the Life of a Major Gift Coach
Jul 21, 2025
Permission-Based Fundraising: The Secret to Better Donor Relationships and Bigger Gifts
Jun 05, 2025
3 Mindsets Holding You Back in Your Major Gift Work (and What to Do About Them)
May 28, 2025
How to Close Your First $100,000 Gift
Feb 21, 2025
5 Biggest Mistakes Fundraisers Make During Solicitation
Feb 14, 2025
Building Your Major Gift Plan for a New Fiscal Year
Jan 01, 2025
How I Closed a $100 Million Gift
Dec 06, 2024
The #1 Trait That Sets Top MGOs Apart (And How You Can Develop It)
Nov 23, 2024
How to Find New Major Gift Prospects
Nov 03, 2024
How to Overcome The Fear of Making a Major Gift Ask
Aug 27, 2024
Transform Your Board Into Storytelling Fundraisers
Aug 02, 2024
How Your Infrastructure Can Make or Break Your Fundraising Efforts
Feb 09, 2024
KPIs For Annual Giving
Feb 02, 2024
How To Set Your Board Members Up for Fundraising Success
Jan 26, 2024
Fundraising Failures: Don't Make These Three Mistakes
Jan 19, 2024
Creative Cultivation Techniques: Stories from the Field
Jul 07, 2023
Master Your New Director of Development Role with These Reports
Jun 30, 2023
Trends of Super Successful Major Gift Officers
Jun 16, 2023
6 ways for Fundraisers to Have the BEST Major Gift Portfolio
Jun 09, 2023
Maximizing Impact with One Ask and 364 Days of Gratitude
Apr 28, 2023
Beyond the Ask: Mastering Moves Management
Apr 21, 2023
Breaking Tradition: Why It's Time to Ditch the Board Minimum
Apr 14, 2023
Unlock the Power of Happy Fundraisers
Apr 07, 2023
Jerry Panas: 3 questions to ask a major donor is teetering on making their gift
Mar 31, 2023
Engaging Leadership and Program Staff
Mar 24, 2023
Respectfully Engage Clients Served
Mar 17, 2023
How to Use Events to Springboard Your Cultivation Efforts
Mar 10, 2023
How to Prepare for the First Meeting with a Prospect
Mar 03, 2023
Turning Things Around: How to Handle Upset Donors
Feb 24, 2023
Donor Cultivation: 8 Mistakes You Don't Want to Make
Feb 17, 2023
5 KPIs for Major Gift Officers
Feb 10, 2023
Fundraising Reports: The Do's and Don'ts
Feb 03, 2023
My Story
Jan 27, 2023
Hey Fundraiser Trailer
Jan 12, 2023