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SRG stations participating in the 1998-99 Major Gifts Initiative must have:

At least one professional development staff member in place who can devote 50% of his or her time during the project year or twenty hours per week to major gifts work and can serve as Team Leader for this project. A Development Department with professional staff and diverse responsibilities is a plus.

A general manager who will devote at least 10% of his or her time (one half-day per week) to cultivate and solicit prospects and at least one board member who will actively cultivate and solicit prospects plus participate in a monthly 90+ minute project meeting with the Team Leader during the project year. (Commitment at the executive and board levels is a success requirement for this project, as only limited and short-term gift results will be achieved without this critical component.)

A clear and discrete external identity as an institution, apart from any affiliation university or other sponsoring organization, sufficient for donors and prospects to know and respect the station as a valuable community asset.

Two excellent—but not required—preparation elements for this project are: 1) prior development of a pool of annual donors at or above $250, representing approximately 200 households or 3% of total membership, and 2) past successful completion of a broadly-based capital or special projects campaign in the community.

This is a collaborative project in two ways. Each station will collaborate with the consultants and with a select group of other radio stations in executing the project itself during this year. At the same time, executive staff, development staff and the volunteer leadership on the board will collaborate at the station and in the community to deliver a new message about fundraising to donors and prospects.

Each station’s Project Team for the Major Gifts Initiative is composed of at least three people: the chief executive officer (at many stations, this is the general manager and in the case of joint licensees could be the Vice President or Director of Radio); a development professional at 50% of his/her time (also the Project Team Leader); and one key member of either the advisory or governing board. Some teams may include another development staff member.

In the best circumstances, these Project Teams will generate wider participation by other board members and senior staff. The best team members are articulate about the station, give generously themselves and can be enthusiastic in asking others to give.