Gavin Maggs is the Director of Development and Alumni Relationships at the University of Birmingham. Previous positions include University of Bath, Warwick Medical School and Lincoln College, Oxford, where he studied Classics, in between cutting his teeth as a fundraiser by being a student telethon caller.

Gavin has made more than 1,000 face-to-face asks in his career (although Raiser’s Edge may not agree…), and has seen the good, the bad and the very ugly – sometimes all in one meeting.  From initial scoping visits, to the much-lauded pre-solicitation conversation, to seven figure asks, he has stumbled to the conclusion that there are a few constants: do your homework (but don’t make it too obvious to the prospect), do your best to be nice, and listen to what the prospect actually says.  Not what you want to hear, not what you predicted they were going to say, but what they’re actually saying in the moment – and then be prepared to tailor your approach accordingly.