Major Gifts: 16 Strategies to Raise More

What Is This Strategy?

Even if your donor profiles aren’t 100% complete, start your search for potential major donors off on the right track by working from information that’s as current as possible.

Get your nonprofit donor database in order by updating donor data, removing duplicate records, and marking any records for donors who haven’t given for 3+ years as “inactive.”

Why Implement It?

Proper major gift donor identification rests with your organization’s ability to efficiently and effectively sift through donor data. 

Your nonprofit won’t be able to do that if the data you’re working from is outdated, inaccurate, or cluttered with irrelevant data points.

What Is This Strategy?

Major donor prospecting is a research technique used by fundraisers to uncover donor data that will help determine giving capacity and willingness to donate. 

For major gifts, the most important data points are past giving, nonprofit involvement, real estate ownership, and political giving. 

You may want to consider looking for donors that:

• Are personally connected to your cause
• Have donated regularly in the past
• Generally give at a high level (if someone is a $10/month donor, for example, they may not have the capacity to make a major gift)
• Have a history of significant political contributions
• Own property
• Have other wealth indicators, like owning boats, lots of stock, etc.

To do this, you’ll need to segment your database into giving levels to see which of your donors likely have the capacity to give a large donation. 

Next, you should look at past giving patterns—both to your organization and to other nonprofits as well. 

Once you’ve identified people who have a history of supporting your organization, seem to have the capacity to make major gifts, and have a pattern of making major gifts to other organizations, you’ll be able to start intentionally cultivating relationships with them.

Why Implement It?

Prospect research is your organization’s most direct path to finding major gift prospects. 

You’re looking for people who want to give substantial donations and have the finances to support that desire. 

Prospect research helps highlight who those prospects are by analyzing giving patterns and examining donors’ willingness to give larger contributions.

Without prospect research, you will essentially have to guess who in your organization’s donor database is potentially interested in making major gifts. That’s a recipe for frustration!

What Is This Strategy?

Planned giving donors—people who have left money or other assets to your organization in their wills—are some of the most dedicated supporters. Although planned giving donors don’t legally have to tell you that they intend to leave a donation, many will.

People who have provided for your nonprofit in their estate are some of the most dedicated supporters in your donor database. That dedication is an invaluable indicator that they may be willing to support you now, too.

Since your planned donors have demonstrated beyond a doubt that they’re invested in your success, you can look to your planned donor list for major donor prospects.

Why Implement It?

Planned gifts and major gifts are two of the most significant types of support someone can offer your nonprofit. It’s likely that your planned donors are major gift candidates and vice versa. Due to that relationship, cross-checking your lists is a logical step to take.

What Is This Strategy?

In order to see success with your major gifts program, you need to appoint a leader. That leader is most often a major gifts officer. 

Whether you have a team of major gifts officers (MGOs) or one employee guiding the process part-time, you need someone to lead the charge. 

If your organization doesn’t have the resources to hire a dedicated major gifts fundraiser, it’s important that your existing staff understands who is responsible for building relationships with the potential major donors in your donor database.

Why Implement It?

Without a leader for your major gift fundraising efforts, your program will flounder. Major gift acquisition requires cohesive messaging and a personalized approach. 

The best way to get your whole team on board is to appoint a staff member who will head up your strategy. For some organizations, this may come in the form of a dedicated Major Gifts Officer who can take charge and connect with your prospects. 

For others, this may look like having a major gifts strategy that is owned—in whole or in part—by a member of your development team.

What Is This Strategy?

In order to gain valuable face-to-face time with potential major donors, look for opportunities to connect with them on a personal level. 

Your goal is to build a genuine relationship with potential major donors that will give you insight into their motivations for supporting your organization, what they’d like to see your organization accomplish, and their philanthropic goals.

The way you connect with your potential major donors will depend on each person’s style and preferences. Some may prefer to attend your organization’s gala or other events. Others may be more comfortable in a one-on-one conversation over coffee or lunch. 

Since your goal is to build a relationship with them, give them the opportunity to tell you how they’d like to connect.

Why Implement It?

Most major gifts are the result of a genuine relationship between a donor and the organization they’re supporting. Before you ask someone for a substantial donation, you’ll need to build a connection between that donor, your staff, and your mission. 

Having face-to-face conversations with potential major donors (in addition to all the other donor stewardship activities you manage) will be an important part of building these relationships.

What Is This Strategy?

Check your list of prospects in conjunction with your list of current supporters to see if any of your supporters have pre-existing relationships with any of your prospects. If so, ask your supporters to make introductions for you so you can begin cultivating a relationship. 

Here’s an example of what that might look like:

Say you identify someone in your donor base who checks all the boxes. They’ve made a couple of $1,000 donations, they’ve attended several events, and they have a history of making major gifts to other organizations in your area. 

You also notice they happen to work at the same company as one of your board members. You could then ask your board member to formally introduce the two of you so you can get to know more about them and why they give to your nonprofit.

Why Implement It?

Starting your relationship off with an introduction from a mutual contact establishes trust from the get-go. That trust can be a powerful force as you seek to learn more about them and eventually ask them to make a major gift.

What Is This Strategy?

As you get into the later stages of cultivation, you should steer conversations toward solicitation. Your prospect isn’t oblivious: They will almost certainly understand that you’ll ask them to make a large gift. 

Your process should include honest and sincere conversations about your donor’s passions and motivations, what they’d like to see your nonprofit achieve, and how any gift they may give will make that possible.

Why Implement It?

Let’s be frank: Major gifts mean major money. Most donors won’t give large sums without a genuine understanding of how that gift will impact their community and help them achieve their own philanthropic goals. 

They need to be able to envision a clear path from their donation to a desired outcome.

What Is This Strategy?

Although there is no science to predict the exact amount a prospect will be willing to give, you should come prepared with a well-researched ask amount. 

This should be founded on the data you pulled during prospect identification and research and bolstered by your interactions during cultivation.

Say you’ve identified a potential major donor and have built a good rapport with them. They’ve given a few gifts of around $1,000 over the last couple of years, and you know they made a donation of around $7,000 to another local nonprofit last year. 

You wouldn’t ask them for $5 million, would you? A more reasonable ask—based on their giving history and other donations revealed in your research—would be in the $7,000 range.

Why Implement It?

It’s intimidating to ask for money, especially major-gift-level money. Having a dollar amount in mind that you feel confident about will help ease that tension. You need to go into the solicitation prepared and self-assured, and predicting giving capacity can help with that.

What Is This Strategy?

Once you understand a prospect’s giving capacity, their motivations for giving, and their philanthropic goals, it’s time to make a decision about how much you’ll ask them to donate and what that gift will achieve.

Specific asks lead to specific results. In addition to asking for the specific dollar amount you settled on, make sure your appeal includes details about what that gift will achieve and how it will help them meet their own goals.

Why Implement It?

A donor is more likely to give if you ask for the right amount and frame your appeal in a way that speaks to them.

Say your donor is very interested in early childhood education. Asking them for $7,000 is one thing. Asking them for $7,000 to set up a scholarship (with their name on it, maybe? That’ll depend on their motivations!) to give private tutoring to elementary school students is much better.

What Is This Strategy?

A major gift is a major investment in your cause, and many people don’t make major investments without thinking about it for a while. It’d be great if your dream number was accepted on the first go-round, but be ready to continue the discussion and counter if a prospect does not immediately say yes.

If your donor isn’t ready to commit to a major donation after your first meeting, that’s okay! Remember, this is a partnership between your donor and your organization. 

Ask them to share more about their hesitation. Do they have questions? Do they need to talk to a financial advisor? Is now not a good time? After you understand why your donor can’t say “yes” right away, ask them if you can follow up with them in the future.

Why Implement It?

It’s not unlikely that your donor won’t give you an immediate “yes” after your ask. Have a plan—even if it’s simply asking your donor for more details and setting a plan to follow up with them later on.

What Is This Strategy?

In fundraising, as in many aspects of life, you should always go in with a plan. Before your big meeting, run through what you’re going to say, make sure anyone else who is going to be there is on message, and ensure that you have all supporting materials (like past financial documentation, annual reports, program information, etc.) ready.

Why Implement It?

You can never control how your prospect is going to react. You can only control how you prepare for your major gift solicitation and the way you present it. 

Major gift fundraising can be anxiety-inducing—practicing can alleviate some of those nerves!

What Is This Strategy?

Donor acknowledgment strategies vary depending on the type of donation in question. For major gifts, ensure your thank-you messages are as customized as possible. Major gifts make a huge impact on your fundraising bottom line, and your gratitude should reflect that.

Why Implement It?

Acknowledgment is the first step in the stewardship process. It’s your lead-in to donor retention. Donors need to feel and deserve to be recognized for their contributions. 

A formulaic thank-you process for your major donors won’t cut it: You’ll need to send them a sincere thank-you and keep them updated on their impact if you want them to remain involved with your nonprofit.

What Is This Strategy?

A major donor society is an exclusive club with benefits for those who donate major gifts. It’s a means of recognizing your major donors who have already given and incentivizing prospects who are looking to do so.

This strategy can take all kinds of shapes or formats. 

Some organizations recognize tiers of donors in their annual reports or at events. Others host events specifically for their major donors. Still, others tie different levels of giving to benefits, like special seating at events, exclusive tours of facilities, and other perks.

A word of caution: As you plan how your major gift society will work, look for ways to make it as fair and equitable as possible. 

Major donors should be recognized for their generosity and impact on your community. But be cautious of giving them too much influence over your day-to-day operations and the way you serve your community. 

This is an opportunity to celebrate their support, but it shouldn’t give them an outsized influence over your work.

Why Implement It?

The benefits of major donor societies are three-fold. 

First, people like to be part of something bigger and recognized as special. Second, its entry bar encourages people to donate a certain amount to be included. And, third, it allows for ample stewardship activities.

What Is This Strategy?

After someone has given a major gift, you can’t immediately follow up with another ask. Instead, you should be providing other engagement opportunities such as volunteering experiences, event invites, and involvement in special projects.

Why Implement It?

By engaging major gift donors in unique and exciting ways, you’re offering them a window into the work you do and keeping them within your community. 

Give your major donors opportunities to see their support at work. Facility tours, personalized invitations to events and other gatherings, behind-the-scenes looks at your work, and other tactics keep them involved with your organization and help them understand their impact.

What Is This Strategy?

Practice makes perfect, and continual striving for improvement is imperative. You should be tracking success metrics such as average major gift size, frequency of contact with donors, number of asks made, donor retention rate, fundraising ROI, and more.

Combine your metrics evaluations with feedback from your major donors themselves. How can you work together in the future? How do they want to learn about the impact they’ve made with their support? What will make them likely to continue their support in the future?

Why Implement It?

By studying your own performance, recognizing areas of weakness, and adjusting accordingly, you position yourself for better performance down the road. Ongoing communications with your major donors will give you even more insight! As you work to build a sustainable major gifts program, your data and your donors’ feedback will guide you as you hone your strategy.