Absolutely! VGA’s Major Gifts course is an amazing investment. Research and our experience show that every investment you make in major gifts will have a return of 4-10 times the cost. You’ll be entering into the most comprehensive major gift training offered online, joining a community of like-minded development professionals to inspire you, provide resources and ideas, and hold you accountable. You will join others like yourself who are serious about connecting with donors in meaningful ways to make a difference in this world. At the end of the course, you will receive certification of completion, and if you desire, take our Major Gifts Final Exam to receive the 36 CFRE credits and be approved as a Veritus Scholar.

Veritus Group tracked donor behavior in many organizations over a four-year period, and we found that most non-profits retain only in 30-60% of their donors’ value (year-over-year giving from the same group of donors). And donor retention can be worse.

There are always some donors we lose for very valid reasons. But what we have found is that there are often 30-60% that are lost simply because they were not managed properly. This is the bad news.

The good news is that what we have found is that when we work with non-profits who will apply The Veritus Way to partner with donors, value retention rates improve to 85-93%, donor retention improves, and the MGOs feel good about the work they are doing. This major gifts course from VGA will give you the opportunity to learn to apply these methods to your own situation.

This course from Veritus Group Academy will help you to increase donations to your non-profit by applying more effective principles to retain and upgrade donors.

Unlike most fundraising training consisting of webinars and one-time offerings, VGA’s Certification Course has eight modules that will guide you through a progressive learning track, building upon each topic with engaging presentations, real-world exercises, and immediately actionable skills. You’ll receive practical applications and tools, as well as a flexible training path that works with your schedule. (Click here to view the curriculum outline)

Yes! Participants will receive 36 hours of CFRE credits upon successful completion of this Certification Course.

At Veritus Group, we understand that every organization – and every donor base – is different. VGA’s Major Gifts course will help you create the individual donor strategies that you need to succeed, and we will teach you the best way to manage your caseload while providing exemplary donor care.

Whether you’re an MGO with a large or mid-sized organization, or you’re the sole fundraising staff member of a small non-profit, you’ll learn the strategies you need to succeed. We have worked in various countries, and we understand that there are differences in the cultures of philanthropy – this will also be applicable to you and your organization wherever you may live and work.

It says a lot about you that you are still reaching out and being open to training after many years on the job. Let us reassure you, we work with experienced MGOs in mid-sized to large nonprofits across the country and in Europe. We know your strengths and the challenges you face. We also know, because we have been MGOs ourselves, that in the midst of all the work pulling you in many directions, it can be easy to do things the way they may have worked in the past or with one particular donor, and forget to continually look for new possibilities and approaches.

We have provided a depth and breadth of information, delivered to you through various media, because we know that you are an expert in your field, and we want to provide you with additional ideas, strategies, approaches and tools. We are not interested in simply sharing information with you. You already know and understand so much about major gifts. Our goal is to have you engaging with the Veritus content in ways that lead to strategies, systems, and actions for change.

YES! Whether you want to grow a major gift program, or add major donors to your own caseload for the first time, this is a perfect course for you. You’ll get the philosophy, strategy, tools, and step-by-step approach clearly laid out for you. When you’re done, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to grow a major gift program.

Rather than simply learning new information, you’ll change the very way you work and think, resulting in a happier, more successful you. With this Certification Course, our mission is to provide relational- and analytics-based major donor management strategies, resulting in higher major donor retention and giving.

You’ll be engaging with Veritus content in ways that lead to strategies, systems, and actions for change within your own organization. And this content and approach works! It is not just theory and principle. It is time- and MGO-tested.

Through video, podcasts, webinars, handouts, discussions, and Facebook, you’ll delve into the content and then apply that information to your own work. We will hold you accountable to complete an application assignment related to each module. These assignments are focused on applying what you’re learning to your own work and organization, so that you come out of this experience with a comprehensive plan and clear actions that will lead to your success.

At Veritus Group, we work with MGOs as well as with leaders who have primary responsibility for certain major donors. The strategies and systems we use are effective if you are managing 5 donors or 150 donors.

Managers and non-profit executive have two great in-depth courses to choose from. The course for Major Gift Fundraisers will help you understand your staff’s needs as well as improve your own direct work with major donors. You may also consider the Certification Course for Managers & Executives, which will give you strategies and systems for donor care along with the tools you need to hire, develop, manage and retain MGOs for a strong major gift program.

Veritus works with a wide variety of non-profits in health, education, environment, social services, the arts and more. You can review a partial list of our clients by clicking here. What we have found is that whether a donor is giving to save the whales, or giving to provide water, or giving to create educational scholarships, the way we create a donor-centered Culture of Philanthropy and donor partnerships does not change.

If your answer is yes to a number of these questions below, then this Certification Course is something you will want to seriously consider as a powerful resource and support in your efforts to build a strong and successful major gift program.

1. Do you have some MGOs who are struggling and you wish you had a bunch of time to help them out, but can’t do it?
2. Do you have good-performing MGOs but they could use a dose of inspiration and new thinking?
3. Do you believe that money spent on training will yield 4 to 10 times the amount you spend?
4. Would you like to invest in world-class training but not have to spend half your budget on travel costs?
5. Would you like to send your staff to training that is hands-on, and gives them real-life action plans that they can implement right away?
6. Do you want to send your staff to training, but you can’t afford for them to be out of the office and lose 3-4 days they could be spending with donors?
7. Have previous training programs been hit or miss, and you want something that is comprehensive, proven and works in the field for great non-profits all over the country?

Managers and non-profit executives have two great in-depth courses to choose from. The course for Major Gift Fundraisers will help you understand your staff’s needs as well as improve your own direct work with major donors. You may also consider the Certification Course for Managers & Executives, which will give you strategies and systems for donor care along with the tools you need to hire, develop, manage and retain MGOs for a strong major gift program.

VGA offers a special-access opportunity for managers and executives: if you send three or more of your fundraising staff to attend the Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraising, you can attend BOTH the major gift course AND the Managers & Executives course by paying for your tuition only once. Email us to take advantage of this offer. [The free course will be a condensed version that reduces overlap between the two courses you’ll take.]

Yes, through live conversations and a private Facebook page, you’ll be interacting with other major gift fundraisers, sharing resources to be more systematic with developing qualified prospects, and discussing specific donor plans/strategies.

Yes, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions during our live group calls where we’ll workshop real-world examples. You’ll also have the opportunity to interact with our team and your colleagues in our private Facebook group. If you are interested in getting the most out of the Academy, for an additional cost you have an opportunity to sign up for individual coaching. This coaching will help you find solutions and remove obstacles that prevent you from reaching the goals you desire. If you are interested in signing up for individual coaching reach out to us at academy@veritusgroup.com.

No, there is no group work in this Major Gifts course unless you attend with a group from your organization. Then it would benefit you to meet as a group to discuss learnings, process tools and strategies, and support each other. However, this is not a requirement of the course.

You will need to complete the requirements of each module, which include: reading, video, podcast, webinar, and application assignment. In addition, there will be an individual and an organizational assessment and the opportunity to build a plan for key donors – these will also be required. Joining in live calls or engaging in Facebook discussions are recommended, not required, because they will be great and full of great new ideas.

There are two different VGA certificates you can pursue. One is to receive a Certificate of Completion by doing all of the required assignments. You can also choose to become a Veritus Scholar by taking our Major Gifts Final Exam. This is a credential for major gift fundraisers that will grow in value. Veritus Scholars will be listed on the VGA website and receive a special gold seal of certification that can be added to the bottom of your email signature.

You will earn 36 CFRE Credits after passing the exam. And you will have a depth and breadth of materials, tools, systems, and approaches that will increase your success and bring more to your work.

We know participants are enrolling in this Certification Course for a variety of reasons. You may be taking this course because you want to better understand major gifts, and add a handful of donors to your caseload to manage. Credentials may not be a concern, so you may choose to skip the test.

Or you may be taking this to improve your resume, or help you get a promotion; so taking the test and becoming a Veritus Scholar would be an asset. You may just enjoy a challenge to make sure you retained the materials! It is up to you to decide which certificate works best for you.

Each module will require three to five hours of work. This includes watching our videos, listening to the module-specific podcast and webinar, reading your materials, and completing your application assignment. Extra reading and resources are also provided for additional work should you choose, which would take longer.

We highly recommend you join us on live calls to enhance what you’re learning, connect with other professionals like yourself, and gain new ideas and resources. However, you are not required to attend every live call to graduate. And if your schedule conflicts with a call, recordings of the call will be available for you to listen to.

The Certification Courses for Major Gift Fundraisers begin on January 25. We have three sessions available throughout the year: January 25, April 5, and August 30. Each session gives you about 12 weeks to complete an eight-module course.

The last day to register for each session is the Friday before the course starts, at midnight. If you need more information to get approval for your participation, we can provide it! We are also available for email or phone discussions to answer your questions – contact us first at academy@veritusgroup.com.

This is an eight-module course, but we understand the life of a professional fundraiser. You’ll have three months to complete the eight-module course, giving you a week or two off when needed. The course itself will be available to you online at any time during these three months, so there is no issue with time zone challenges. Our live conversations will also be scheduled as best we can to accommodate many different time zones, and recordings of those calls will be available to participants afterward.

To help everyone with accountability, the curriculum is set up to give you access to each week’s module once you submit your application assignment (homework) and have checked off that you have completed the video, podcast, webinars, and readings. You will gain access to one new module each week if you complete the previous one.

You can choose to complete one module each week as it becomes available, or at other times take two weeks to complete just one module. You will need to complete all modules by the scheduled end of the course to qualify for your chosen certificate. We believe that having the additional weeks for completion is especially valuable to MGOs who have busy travel seasons.

Once you are a graduate of VGA, you will have special access to additional free materials and resources, as well as inside access to additional training opportunities. You will have complete access to the major gifts training system for a month after the required completion date, and during VGA you can download most reading materials as you go along and keep them in your files for future use.

We have participants who are in your same shoes on a regular basis, and we welcome you. We provide simple, thorough instructions on what you need to have working on your computer to walk through each manual. We are not requiring you to have to download any programs that will be an additional cost to you or your non-profit. And we have technical support available if you get stuck; email us at academy@veritusgroup.com.

We have set up this Major Gifts course with that in mind. You have almost 13 weeks to complete 8 modules at your own pace. As soon as you finish one module and hand in your application assignment, you have access to the next – so you could choose to work ahead or catch up later. The only thing you may miss are live conversations during the weeks you are on vacation (but you are always free to join in!). And even these calls will be recorded and available to participants after the fact.

Yes! And if three or more of you sign up from one organization, you receive 10% off the cost. We want you to have support in building a successful major gift program within your non-profit. If you want to bring a larger group, reach out to us for a discussion on large-group discounts by emailing academy@veritusgroup.com.

This option is not available at this time. This Certification Course is very comprehensive, and each module builds on the next.

Yes, we do. If you work through the first two modules and complete your application assignments, and – after having a conversation with an VGA representative about what needs you have that are not being met – you find this is still not the right training for you, then you will receive a full refund. (Click here for full details.)