What True Crime Podcasts Teach Us About Major Gift Discovery Visits

MGOs aren't interrogating donors, of course (nor should they!). But what if the same psychological principles that help investigators build trust in a high-stakes interview could help close your next major gift?

The parallels run deeper than you might expect. 

See how these four investigative techniques can transform your major gift discovery visits — creating the kind of open, unhurried conversation that makes donors feel comfortable and ready to tell you their story. 

💡 Discovery Visit Strategy: Set Clear Intent Early

State your intent within the first five minutes of a major donor discovery visit: "I’m here to learn about your history and connection with the hospital, not to make a solicitation."

When a donor hears that upfront, they're more likely to relax, open up, and share things you'd never learn about if they spent the whole meeting anticipating your pitch.

2. Mirror the Donor's Energy to Build Stronger Major Donor Relationships

Investigators are trained to copy a suspect's tempo, volume, and vocabulary. This helps reduce friction and signals that the cop is operating within the subject's world, not the other way around. 

When a detective encounters a witness who is slumped over and silent, they don’t enter the room with high energy. They pull their chair close, lean forward, and wait. If the witness speaks slowly, the detective matches that cadence. If the witness becomes more animated, the detective’s energy increases to match. 

Grateful donor prospects may be motivated by grief, gratitude, or guilt—particularly survivor’s guilt or a sense of responsibility to give back. A high-energy approach in these instances would be a glaring emotional mismatch. 

💡 Major Donor Relationship Strategy: Match the Donor’s Energy

If the donor speaks softly, the Major Gift Officer should match that volume. If they’re direct and no-nonsense, the Major Gift Officer should speak with the same brevity. This signals psychological alignment and respect for the donor's emotional state, which is especially important during the discovery visit.

For example: 

• Donor: "I'm just not sure this is the right time for us to make a commitment like this." 

• MGO: "...not the right time?"
  
  

•  Donor: "I'd really love to see more behavioral health services available for young people in our region."

• MGO: "...more behavioral health services for young people?" 

This kind of verbal mirroring is one of the most effective ways to avoid “Why” questions in fundraising, whether during a discovery visit or a discovery call, and to encourage donors to speak more freely.

4. Trigger the Donor's "Giving Memory" to Verify Affinity  

Detectives typically ask suspects to walk them through the event in chronological order to reveal details that standard questioning misses. 

In a 2011 interrogation of Jeffrey Pine regarding an attack on his mother, the detective asks, "So what did you do when you got up today?"

He then listens as Jeffrey recounts his day, from eating breakfast to the specific door he used to exit the house, essentially forcing Jeffrey to re-live the experience. 

MGOs can apply this same strategy during discovery visits to uncover a potential major donor’s emotional reasons for giving. 

💡 Discovery Visit Strategy: Uncover the Donor's Emotional Motivation

Instead of asking donors what they think about your current priorities, guide them back to the moment they first felt emotionally connected to your mission.

“Walk me through the moment you decided to initially support this hospital." This helps donors re-experience the genuine feelings that first connected them to your mission.