7 Steps to Building a Major Gift Donor Pipeline: Unlock Fundraising Success

What do you think the #1 thing we hear is when we talk to fundraisers? “How can we get more major gift donors?”

And can you guess what’s on the minds of nonprofit CEOs and VPs of Advancement? “How can I get my major gift team to build a solid donor pipeline?”

We bet it’s on your mind, too. Revenue goals are ever-rising! The huge financial goals and the pressure on fundraisers and organizational leadership can be intense.

Here’s what we keep hearing:

• “We’re having a hard time ‘getting in the room’ with many of our major donors and can’t find opportunities to engage them.”
• “There aren’t enough prospects.”
• “We have a challenge retaining some of our most generous supporters.”
• “We struggle with everything – prospect qualification, scheduling visits and cultivating donors so that we can confidently make an Ask.”

This is the first in a series we’ll be posting over the next three weeks – all devoted to helping you and your team expand into a full-scale, robust major gifts initiative at your nonprofit organization.

We’re sending out all this advice to encourage you and your team to consider joining our Major Gifts Intensive coaching program.

In the Intensive, you and your team will develop the systems, mindset, skills, and structure for a long-term productive major gift program that will deliver measurable results for years. Find out more here.

So, now to real business! Seven Steps to Building a Solid Major Gift Pipeline.

1. Qualify Your Prospects

A strong pipeline starts with truly qualified prospects. You want to find individuals who have both the capacity and the affinity (a connection and the ability to give) at a major level.

Hot tip: we consider that “wealth capacity” is overrated! Your prospective major donors need to also feel a passionate, close connection with your cause. Consider this: “affinity” can sometimes be more important than “wealth capacity.”

Many of our clients have been relieved when we introduce the concepts of “Suspect” vs “Prospects.” For example, Is a particular prospect – who may look promising on the outside – really a qualified prospect? Or are they really a suspect who is not yet qualified?

We emphasize that your pipeline should reflect real prospects and opportunities, not suspects who are just hopeful guesses.

2. Build Strong Relationships

Relationships are at the heart of major gift fundraising. Of course, close donor relationships usually deliver wonderful gifts.

Strong relationships depend on 3 things: time, trust and dedication to your cause. This means offering donors different ways to connect with your organization: events large or intimate, one-to-one conversations, virtual town meetings, and opportunities to see the impact through videos, images and testimonials.

Can you and your team dedicate time to truly get to know your donors? Our work is all about connections. We can teach you how to find out their values, passions, and interests, which almost always deepens trust and encourages generous gifts.

3. Focus on “The Art of Discovery Calls”

Artful discovery calls will save you. Before making an ask, you need to understand what drives the donor.

We can help you become more comfortable and even enjoy making discovery calls to find out more about your donors. You can uncover their motivations, preferences, and potential for giving – all by asking the Discovery Questions that we recommend.

These conversations lead you to develop a thoughtful, customized cultivation strategy that the donor will enjoy. By genuinely listening, you’re setting yourself up for success.

4. Use Fundraising by the Numbers

Building a donor pipeline is not just about having a long list—it’s about using your data to predict future revenue and using your portfolio to manage the relationships.

We recommend that every donor or prospect in a portfolio should have an engagement plan. It’s all based on thoughtful metrics like donor engagement, frequency of gifts, and giving history.

This gives you a clearer sense of where your priorities lie so you can focus your time most efficiently.

5. Get Your Team on the Same Page

A thriving major gift program works best when everyone is aligned. We believe in teamwork!

Why not involve the entire team, including organizational leaders, board members, and perhaps some donor champions to help engage prospects? We recommend that teams set individual and shared metrics for success which offer clear accountability.

6. Cultivate a Culture of Philanthropy Across Your Organization

We all know that leadership plays a crucial role in the success of your major gift fundraising.

We work with our clients to create a culture that supports philanthropy and fundraising within your organization. In this culture, every team member understands the value of donor engagement and is actively helping to cultivate relationships.

This way, fundraising becomes part of everyone’s daily conversation, not just an isolated task.

7. Tools to Get People in the Room

One of the biggest hurdles in major gift fundraising is simply getting in front of the right people.

You can’t raise major gifts if you’re not having face-to-face conversations. We recommend a number of strategies to open doors with your prospects—whether it’s leveraging board members to make warm introductions, inviting them to exclusive cultivation events, or using personalized outreach like a direct call or handwritten note.

These strategies help move prospects from interest to engagement, building the trust you need to ask for significant gifts.

Bottom Line: Building the pipeline is one of the fundamental pillars of major gift work!

And it’s what we teach in our Major Gifts Intensive. We help your team create:

• A solid strategy to qualify and prioritize donors who are truly invested in your mission and have the capacity to give more.
• A variety of tools to help fundraisers “get in the room” with major donors. Tools that foster engagement grow their connection and deepen their commitment to your cause.
• A systematic and structured major gift program that will turn inconsistent fundraising into a predictable process where fundraisers inspire donors and close more gifts with confidence.

When your team completes this 16-week professional development training program, they’ll:

• Build lasting relationships with major donors by learning the Conversational Ask and the skills used by the most successful fundraisers.
• Use “Fundraising by the Numbers” to build a pipeline that allows you to predict revenue and track progress towards your goals.
• Be able to create organizational buy-in and accountability so everyone from leadership to your major gifts officers is aligned around donor cultivation.

If this sounds like the support you need to boost your pipeline and start closing those larger gifts—don’t wait! Find out more today. Registration closes in mid-February!