You have graduated from OSU and are the newly appointed, full-time (paid position) Fundraising Officer of a nonprofit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, called "PrimaryAid Housing Group." You receive a salary of $85,000, plus a performance/incentive bonus of 1.5% of all incremental funds raised annually. PrimaryAid Housing Group is an organization that provides housing similar to "Habitat for Humanity," but also provides all utilities for the first 2 years of home ownership. It has now been in operation for 10 years, and has provided home for 100 families that met your NPO mission requirements. It has received an inquiry from a potential donor, who is interested in giving to your NPO in support of your mission. In order to grow and sustain your NPO, you need to obtain an office building, which is also where you will launch your future campaigns from. You are aware that Don and his wife are passionate about their philanthropy efforts once they commit to an organization, and like to be kept aware of what is going on in the NPOs they donate to (i.e. how their funds are being used). Don is a stickler for details at all times and likes to be kept abreast on a regular basis of actual NPO impact--- how "his money" is being used. His wife is a prominent socialite who is well known, well respected, extremely well connected, and likes to receive attention and recognition (based on the well-known reputation of the family name). She is a visionary, and if allowed, she will get into the day-to-day details of the operation (whether or not there is a volunteer position offered). She has held prior ex-officio Board roles, but has no NPO management background.

Your NPO's mission: PrimaryAid Housing Group brings hope to families in need by providing safe homes, needed support, and building sustainable communities.

Your Donor Target(s): Don and Donna Blitzer

Ages: 50 (both)

Family: Married (wife Donna), two children in college

Business: Independent home building contractor

NPO Relationship: Don is presently a member of the College Opportunity Board of Directors, a nonprofit that supports minority and first generation, low-income students in gaining acceptance to and completing college (undergraduate and graduate) with a degree of their choice by providing scholarships, mentoring and post-graduation career-placement assistance. He is serving the first year of his first 3-year term, with the role expectation of NPO capacity development and strategic capability enhancement. He was recruited to the board by its chair, who knew him through a business relationship, and is passionate about the NPO as he too is a minority and was a first generation, low-income student who received support from this NPO 30 years ago. He has served on many Boards in the past, but is known to only serve on one Board at a time. It is known that the College Opportunity Board requires its Board members to each either donate or raise at least $500,000 annually during the 3-year term.

Gift history: The Blitzers have made philanthropic fund gifts over the years to numerous organizations, usually ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 (based on a list you found from an article in local magazine dated January, 2010). Since he was elected to the College Opportunity Board of Directors about a year ago, Don's personal annual gift to the NPO has been $500,000, in addition to other funds he has raised on the NPO's behalf (it is not known exactly how much he has raised, but his past experience shows the ability to raise matching funds to his personal donations each year). "Blitzer Realty," Don and Donnas company, is also listed as an recurring annual donors to other organizations, with gifts ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 (annually). Donna has been a volunteer at College Opportunity, counseling young people about college admissions and preparing for life outside of their "parent or guardian's home" once they graduate.

Assets/capacity: Don is an engineer, home builder, and developer, and owns a portfolio of real estate (commercial and residential). In 2015, the Daily Oklahoman ran a story about his business partnership with other firms and success in developing commercial real estate at Tinker Air Force Base valued at over $50 Million (in strategic relationship to the article found at: https://gthokc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/webrpOK-Commercial-04-14-14-FBOK_000268.pdf (Links to an external site.)). His business is a privately held company (LLC), so no specific information on revenues or profits are available, but most people say that Don has been very successful and his personal total net worth is rumored to be over $100M. Based on info you find on Zillow.com and Trulia.com, the Blitzer's home, located across town from the College Opportunity facility, is valued at $1.5 million. Most recently, Don Blitzer acquired a small office building where his company and other commercial tenants are located. This building (including real estate) alone has an appraised market value of $12 million. Your board's Development Committee special advisor, who is a fundraising researcher, rates Don Blitzer as capable of another $500,000 gift, payable over 5 years.

Previous contacts: The chair of the College Opportunity board, Jerry Leader, who is also a member of your board, knew Don Blitzer through business. He invited Don to join the board. Don was reluctant at first, saying he was "over-committed," but then he accepted. He has attended most board meetings but has not yet participated in a Board committee there.

Your board member visited Don and his wife, Donna, at their home about a year ago. This was shortly after Don had joined the College Opportunity board. They discussed the upcoming needs for your office expansion. Your board member did not solicit a gift at that time. Donna Blitzer did not seem interested and left the room to do other things several times during the meeting. Your board member gained the impression that she was not interested in the discussion and was perhaps uncomfortable with it. Don showed interest and mentioned that since he is a builder, he would be willing to provide advice on your office development project at a minimum.

Project: Your NPO is expanding its and desperately needs an office/headquarters facility. The total project cost for a new site build is $1.25 million (start to finish), all to be funded through philanthropy and donations. Alternatively, a suitable local lease in a developing area of the Bricktown district has been identified which will run $18,000 per month + utilities for a minimum 5-year commitment, all to be funded through philanthropy and donations. If you lease the site that your NPO has identified, the project will also require refurbishment and improvements of the existing building that are estimated to be $100,000. Local commercial real estate is appreciating at an average rate of 6% per year.

The new office building currently has no name and the level for a naming gift has been set at $250,000, established by your Board of Directors at the last meeting. Each room of the building (a minimum of 12 rooms are anticipated, although more could be used given NPO expansion) can be named for $5,000 a piece. Donors of gifts below $5,000 will be listed on a plaque in the lobby. However, your Board is willing to consider other locations or creative donation options if there was a viable option available from a donor.

Objective: This is clearly a unique opportunity that doesn't come along every day. Solicit the Blitzers gift to the office expansion project, to be paid over a period of no more than 5 years (the sooner the better, of course). Your NPO has allocated a travel and entertainment budget of $5,000 to be available for this fundraising initiative.