Major Gift Fundraising

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.

The Best Way to Treat a Major Donor: a Quick Guide

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Major donors are very special people. They mean so very much to your nonprofit, don't they? You know how much they care about your work. But do you care about THEM as much as they care about you? Think about it. As people and individuals,…

Traits of Highly Successful Major Gift Fundraisers

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Do you know the secrets of master major gift fundraisers? You know, those special individuals who raise six, seven and even eight figure gifts? What special qualities DO these talented major gift fundraisers have? What habits do they follow?…

Two Ridiculously Simple Major Donor Cultivation Strategies

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What kind of major donor cultivation strategies do you think work the best? Do you ever find it challenging to have conversations with prospective donors and develop their interest in your cause? I am a fan of an easy going, no pressure…

Mid-Level Donors = Low Hanging Fruit?

Mid-Level Donors. We're all talking about these lovely folks in your data base who are already giving significantly - and the potential they offer. But what to do with them, when you are already practically burdened by too much to do?? Today,…

Prospecting for Major Gifts? Top 6 Indicators of a Great Prospect

When you're prospecting for major gifts, the key to success for any fundraiser is finding the right donors. Not just those who care about your organization, but those who can give a significant contribution to your nonprofit. A.K.A., major…

Seven Golden Prospecting Strategies for Major Gifts

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We are all searching, searching for the right prospecting strategies for major gifts. So what strategies are you using? Do you sometimes feel like you are kissing frogs to find a potential prince? Well, don't worry! We have all kissed our…

Love Song to My Major Gift Prospect List!

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I’m admitting it. I'm warped. By Gail Perry Updated October 2025 Here's my confession: when I was a front-line fundraiser, I just loved my major gift prospect list. Even more, I loved the hunt to find lovely, generous, wonderful major gift…
5 Steps to Attract Major Donors

5 Ways to Attract Mega & Major Donors in 2023

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Here’s the third in my series of state-of-the-art fundraising tips for the new year: How to draw mega donors closer to your cause. There’s new thinking out there about cultivating prospective major donors. And it centers on this: How…
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Report: Biggest Challenges to Major Gift Fundraising Success

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Nonprofits clearly see the potential that major gift fundraising success might offer. Now, we have over 550 nonprofit leaders sharing their personal challenges in major gift fundraising. The floodgates have opened here, folks. Read on for hopes,…

5 Insanely Successful Ideas to Get The Appointment with a Major Gift Prospect

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Is it hard to get the appointment with a major gift prospect? It’s can be a scary proposition. Nerve-wracking, even. It’s really the moment of truth, isn’t? Picking up the phone to ask for a visit can be quite scary. So is writing an…

How to Get Organized to Approach Major Donors

So many folks are unsure how to approach major donors. It's scary for many folks. Gosh, it was scary for me, too, when I first started out! We all have challenges when it comes to major gift fundraising - and figuring out how to approach…

Major Gift Success Only Happens With These Two Systems

Is everyone in your organization focusing on major gifts success? I hope you are! Because if you want to be successful, there are the two systems you must, must have. Just about every organization that achieves major gifts success uses these…

7 Tips for an Amazing Donor Cultivation Tour

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Planning a donor cultivation tour? Think twice! You don't want just any old “show and tell.” Nope. If you really want to nail this amazing cultivation opportunity, you need to be very careful about how your tour is set up and run. You…

2 Steps to Create Loyal MAJOR Donors Who Give You More Each Year

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could attract lots of generous repeat gifts from your donors? As my mentor at Duke University used to say, “The first gift is, hopefully, never the largest! Don’t you just love that optimism? What is…
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Asking for a Major Gift and a Planned Gift in 4 Easy Steps

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Wow - the Ultimate Ask - a major gift and a planned gift all at one time! How to pull this off? Well, let's start with your donor. Cultivating a donor for a major gift involves many conversations with her. You talk with her…

 4 Easy Ways to Get The Appointment with a Major Gift Prospect

Don’t you just love asking potential donors for appointments? Or do you hate it? If you dislike this step in the major gift process, you are not alone. People often tell me that trying to get an appointment can be the worst part of fundraising…