Major Gifts from donors are a crucial component of successful fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations. These gifts, typically larger in size, are given by individual donors or foundations who are passionate about the cause and have the financial capacity to make significant contributions. Major Gifts play a pivotal role in the sustainability and growth of nonprofits, allowing them to carry out their mission and make a substantial impact in their communities.

Find below our articles about Major Gift Fundraising best practices.

Major Gift Metrics: How to Measure and Evaluate Your Gift Potential

By guest author Steve MacLaughlin In 1954, the management guru Peter Drucker wrote that “what gets measured, gets managed.” This statement is as true today as it was then. As I wrote in my bestselling book, Data Driven Nonprofits, the…

How to Probe More Deeply in a Major Donor Conversation

Post by Dr. Kathryn Gamble In our consulting and coaching practice, we are asked almost daily, “What do I say to a donor?” Mostly, we hear this with a tone of frustration. Our clients want to learn a special magic word or phrase to say…

Key Skills Every Smart Major Gift Fundraiser Needs to Master

I'm guessing you know that major gift fundraising is changing. How're you and your team doing when it comes to keeping up? Are you feeling that it's never been more necessary to stay up to date? Are you and your team on top of the strategies…

How to Build Robust Major Gifts Program? 5 Steps to Take Right Now!

Do you and your team want to build your major gift program? Are you happy with your performance in the major gift arena? More and more nonprofits are realizing that they simply must have a robust major gift program. Why? Donor trends for…

What role should board members play in major gifts fundraising?

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Many people ask this question: what is the best role for board members in major gifts fundraising? Are board members supposed to be out there making asks? Are they supposed to open doors and make introductions? How are they supposed to…

How Major Gifts Fundraising Is Changing in 2023

Major gifts fundraising is changing today. We are seeing new strategies emerging.  And many time-tested strategies we've deployed for years are now enhanced  - and are far more effective - using today's new technologies. In our…

Reality Check: How Many Prospects Can You Reasonably Cultivate in Your Portfolio?

Here’s a question we get all the time: What’s the right size for a Major Gift Officer’s Portfolio? How many prospects should someone be able to handle? And the answer is: no more than 150 prospects. And an even smaller portfolio is…

Discovering Major Gifts: 5 Simple Steps to Qualify New Major Gift Prospects

Are you focusing on discovering major gifts? If you are, then here's a simple approach to the major gift Discovery Process. These five steps can help you qualify new major gift prospects - and discover whether they have the capacity and interest…

Survey: Major Gifts Challenges You’re Facing for 2020

Quick question: What's keeping you and your team away from bringing in more major gifts? I mean the gifts that you think might be really out there for your organization? Why not take a second and answer this quick 3 minute survey and let…

Every Fundraiser’s Goldmine: The Database– 5 Ways to Find Big Potential Right at Your Fingertips

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Here’s a post by my colleague Dr. Kathryn Gamble, our data expert: Finding big gift potential is on everyone’s mind these days.  Who doesn’t want to raise more money for their missions? What do you need to know to find your major…

How Your Data Can Cut Off Your Fundraising Revenue at the Knees

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Here's a post by my colleague Dr. Kathryn Gamble, our data expert: Are you walking away from future fundraising revenue?   Try this test. Can you easily pull a list of individual donors who have given year to date including amount,…

Step-by-Step Guide to a Major Capital Campaign Ask

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What does it take to close a major capital campaign gift? Clearly such a major undertaking takes a skilled, nuanced approach to the donor. Here are the step you need to follow, if you want to close major gifts and capital campaign…

The #1 Secret of Raising Lots of Money? Face Time With Major Gift Donors

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Don't we love our major gift donors?  And we all know smart fundraisers should be spending their time with these lovely folks. But it can be really tough to get out of your office. And that’s a problem when you’re trying to raise…

Penelope Burk’s Favorite Wealth Screening Tool (Video)

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https://vimeo.com/352765737/f252bfdbc3 Here's a hot tip from fundraising guru Penelope Burk. Kathryn Gamble and I had lunch with her at the NC Philanthropy Conference in Charlotte, NC this week. Kathryn and I had a packed room for our…

Trend #2: Gifts Over $1k Are Going Up – And What To Do About It

I think it's time for a major gift checkup! Why? Some giving trends are showing that major donors are still brimming with generosity.   What does the crystal ball say about fundraising today and tomorrow? Here’s the big news: A recent…
asking conversation with donor

The Asking Conversation: How to Ask for “Permission to Ask”

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So much of fundraising comes down to the Asking Conversation, doesn’t it? It’s inevitable -- because we are simply in the business of raising money. But asking can be tough: in worst cases – it’s full of fear and trepidation. Other…