I was having lunch with a client and when we had finished eating she pulled out a copy of the short profile I had completed for her. She wanted to know what the capacity rating “really” meant. Briefly here is how we dissected the information:

• Her business is in a profitable industry and appears to be successful
• Might have income around $1 million or more
• Has numerous other small business ventures that could be bringing in money or losing money
• Paid $8 million+ cash for a Manhattan, New York condo two years ago, intending to do renovations
• Seems unaffected by the recession given her real estate purchases
• Owns a large yacht, but has it for sale at $500,000+
• May be tired of owning a boat or maybe she is beginning to feel pinched after splashing cash on real estate and renovations
• Maintenance costs for her yacht could be $20,000 or more a year
• No giving to other organizations was found, but she gave $40,000 to the first phase of the campaign and is very engaged

Once you have a million-dollar prospect – qualify her! My friend did a great job of cultivating and qualifying for inclination to give. If you suspect your prospect can give $10,000 or more and is willing to give, get a profile to qualify for wealth. After reviewing the profile and what she knows about the prospect, my friend can now ask for the right size gift for the prospect and for the campaign.

Qualifying prospects narrows our list to those that have wealth AND the desire to make a gift to our organization.