Welcome to the first podcast of 2025! Starting a new year can feel like both a blank slate and a daunting challenge—especially when your fundraising total resets to zero. But don’t worry, fundraiser, we’ve got you covered. In this episode, we break down how to approach your annual fundraising goals with clarity, strategy, and confidence. You’ll learn: How to divide your big fundraising goal into actionable quarterly milestones.The importance of maintaining a prospect list full of ready-to-clo...

5 Biggest Mistakes Fundraisers Make During Solicitation

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.