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How One Fundraiser Closed a Big Gift Despite Knowing Little About the Donor

By  Timothy Sandoval, 
Eden Stiffman,  and  Nidhi Singh
May 16, 2017

When Kishshana Palmer closed her first $1 million gift, it was with a donor she didn’t know much about. The donor, a local celebrity, had never given to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, where Ms. Palmer worked as chief development officer.

Watch to see how she did it — and raised an additional $3 million matching gift — despite having to learn much about the donor on the fly.

We’d love to hear about your first major gift request. Email your story to us at social@philanthropy.com.

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When Kishshana Palmer closed her first $1 million gift, it was with a donor she didn’t know much about. The donor, a local celebrity, had never given to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, where Ms. Palmer worked as chief development officer.

Watch to see how she did it — and raised an additional $3 million matching gift — despite having to learn much about the donor on the fly.

We’d love to hear about your first major gift request. Email your story to us at social@philanthropy.com.

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We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Major-Gift FundraisingFundraising from IndividualsAdvocacy
Timothy Sandoval
Sandoval covered nonprofit fundraising for The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He wrote on a variety of subjects including nonprofits’ reactions to the election of Donald Trump, questionable spending at a major veterans charity, and clever Valentine’s Day appeals.
Eden Stiffman
Eden Stiffman is a senior writer who covers nonprofit impact, accountability, and trends across philanthropy. She writes frequently about how technology is transforming the ways nonprofits and donors pursue results, and she profiles leaders shaping the field.
Nidhi Singh
Nidhi Singh was a web producer and writer for The Chronicle of Philanthropy from 2015-2017.
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