Major Donors: How to Identify, Cultivate and Steward Them
Build a major donor program: set your major gift level, find prospects in your own data, use wealth screening responsibly, run moves management and steward.
A 22-year-old animal shelter with a $640,000 budget reviews last year's gifts and finds something surprising: three households gave $5,000 or more without ever being asked in person. Nobody on staff had met two of them. Imagine what those relationships could become with a plan behind them.
Major donors are the relatively small group of supporters who can make your organization's largest gifts. Major donor management is the deliberate, personal process of finding them, getting to know them, asking them for a specific gift at the right time, and stewarding them so they give again. It's less about events and glossy brochures and more about a short list of names, a clear next step for each, and someone responsible for taking it.
This guide covers how to define a major gift for your organization, find prospects in your own data, use wealth screening responsibly, run moves management, size a portfolio realistically, make the ask, and hand relationships over to stewardship without losing what you've learned.
Define "Major" for Your Organization
There's no national dollar figure for a major gift. A $2,500 gift can be transformative for a volunteer-run booster club and routine for a hospital foundation. Define your threshold as the gift size at which personal, one-on-one attention clearly pays off.
Two practical ways to set it:
- By your gift distribution. Sort last year's gifts by size and look at the top 1% to 2%. The smallest gift in that group is a reasonable starting threshold.
- By budget size. If you don't have enough data, start with a figure in proportion to your budget, then adjust after a year.
| Annual budget | A starting major gift threshold | Typical major gift program |
|---|---|---|
| Under $250,000 | $1,000 | The executive director and board chair manage 10 to 20 relationships |
| $250,000 to $1 million | $2,500 to $5,000 | The executive director plus a part-time development lead |
| $1 million to $5 million | $10,000 | A development director with a dedicated major gifts portfolio |
| Over $5 million | $25,000 or more | One or more full-time major gifts officers |
These thresholds are our suggested starting points, not industry benchmarks. Write yours down, have the board approve it, and revisit it every two years.
Two related programs are worth keeping separate. Planned gifts, such as bequests and beneficiary designations, can come from loyal donors at any giving level, not only your largest current givers; see our guide to planned giving. Capital campaigns use major gifts to fund a building or one-time project, with a gift range chart and a campaign timeline; see our guide to capital campaigns.
Find Prospects in Your Own Data First
Your best major gift prospects are almost always already in your database. Wealth alone doesn't make someone a prospect; a connection to your mission does. Look for people who combine both signals.
Giving signals:
- cumulative giving over the past five years, not just the largest single gift
- consistent giving for five or more years
- upgrades, such as a donor moving from $250 to $1,000
- unsolicited gifts that are larger than what you asked for
- several gifts per year, including to different funds
Engagement signals:
- board, committee or long-term volunteer service
- regular event attendance, especially at small or program-focused events
- long membership tenure, for associations and clubs
- business owners who already sponsor your events
- personal connections to board members or staff
In campai, the donations overview highlights top supporters and recent large gifts, and member profiles keep tags, custom fields and saved segments, so you can mark prospects and filter them in one place. Before you rely on any list, make sure duplicates and households are cleaned up. Our guide to donor data hygiene explains how.
A Simple Scoring Model
Score each candidate from 1 to 3 on five factors and add them up. The scale is deliberately coarse; the goal is a ranked shortlist, not precision.
| Factor | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recency | Gave in the last 12 months | 13 to 24 months ago | Longer ago |
| Frequency | 5 or more gifts in 5 years | 3 or 4 gifts | 1 or 2 gifts |
| Giving level | $5,000 or more in 5 years | $1,000 to $4,999 | Under $1,000 |
| Engagement | Board, committee or regular volunteer | Occasional attendee | No involvement |
| Affinity | Personal connection to the mission | Shared interest | Unknown |
Fictional example for the animal shelter:
| Prospect | Recency | Frequency | Giving level | Engagement | Affinity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen and David Whitfield | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| Luis Ortega | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Harbor Point Hardware | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Janet Brooks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
The Whitfields and Mr. Ortega move to qualification. Janet Brooks scores low on giving but high on affinity: a long-time volunteer who adopted three dogs from the shelter. She may be a planned giving prospect rather than a current major donor.
Use Wealth Screening and Prospect Research Responsibly
Wealth screening matches your donor records against public and commercial data to estimate giving capacity. Prospect research is the deeper look at a single person before a meeting. Both can save time. Neither tells you whether someone cares about your mission.
| Source type | What it can suggest | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Your own giving and engagement records | Inclination and interest | Usually the strongest predictor; keep it accurate |
| Real estate records | General asset level | Property value isn't available cash |
| Securities filings for company insiders | Holdings of officers and directors of public companies | Covers only a small group of people |
| Business ownership and board listings | Connections and influence | A title doesn't equal capacity or interest |
| Published donor lists from other nonprofits | Philanthropic interests | Lists are incomplete and sometimes outdated |
| Private foundation returns (Form 990-PF) | Grants from family foundations | Read the foundation's stated priorities first |
One source is off limits for fundraising. The Federal Election Commission states that information about individual contributors in its reports can't be used to solicit contributions, and that its regulations also prohibit using it to solicit charitable donations.
A few ground rules keep research respectful:
- Collect only what helps your fundraising. Capacity, interests and connections, yes. Health, family disputes or gossip, no.
- Record the source and date for every fact, so others can judge how current it is.
- Restrict access to research notes to the people who need them.
- Follow a written policy. Apra, the professional association for prospect researchers, publishes a statement of ethics that's a useful model.
- Check state privacy laws if you buy or append data, and read the terms of any screening service.
Qualify Before You Add Someone to a Portfolio
A high score earns a conversation, not a place in your portfolio. Qualification is a short visit or call to find out whether the interest and the capacity are real and whether the person is open to a closer relationship.
Good qualification questions are curious, not salesy:
- "What first got you interested in our work?"
- "Of everything we do, what matters most to you?"
- "What other organizations are you most passionate about?"
- "How do you like to hear from us?"
After the conversation, decide one of three things and record it:
| Outcome | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified | Interest and capacity confirmed, open to engagement | Add to a portfolio with a named relationship manager |
| Not now | Interested but timing or capacity doesn't fit | Keep in annual giving; review in 12 months |
| Disqualified | No interest, or prefers no personal contact | Respect it; keep thanking them for any gifts |
Moves Management: A Plan for Every Relationship
Moves management treats each relationship as a series of planned, meaningful interactions, called moves, that bring the donor closer to your work. A move isn't any contact. A newsletter isn't a move; a tour you arranged because the donor asked about your new clinic is.
| Stage | Goal | Typical moves | Ready for the next stage when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identification | Find likely prospects | Data review, board suggestions, scoring | The prospect agrees to a conversation |
| Qualification | Confirm interest and capacity | First visit or call | Interest and capacity are confirmed |
| Cultivation | Deepen understanding and involvement | Tours, briefings, small gatherings, asking for advice | The donor understands a specific need and shows interest in it |
| Solicitation | Ask for a specific gift | Proposal meeting, written proposal, follow-up | The donor decides |
| Stewardship | Show impact and build toward the next gift | Thank-yous, reports, recognition, invitations | A new opportunity fits the donor's interests |
A Sample Prospect Plan
Every qualified prospect gets a one-page plan. A fictional example:
- Prospect: Karen and David Whitfield
- Relationship manager: Executive director, with the board chair as partner
- Interest: Senior dog adoption and the planned medical suite
- Objective: $25,000 over two years toward the medical suite, ask in June 2027
| Month | Move | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| January | Thank-you call for their year-end gift; invite them to see the current exam room | Executive director |
| February | Tour with the veterinarian; ask what they'd want in a new suite | Veterinarian |
| March | Share the draft floor plan and ask for their feedback | Executive director |
| April | Invite them to a small adoption-day breakfast with two board members | Board chair |
| May | Send a short update on how their feedback changed the plan | Executive director |
| June | Proposal meeting at their home or over coffee | Executive director and board chair |
Record every move with its date, what you learned and the next step. In campai, notes on a contact's record can become follow-up reminders with a due date, assigned to a team member, so the next move doesn't depend on someone's memory.
How Many Donors Can One Person Manage?
Portfolio size depends on how much time someone actually has for major donors. Rather than adopting a number from another organization, calculate yours:
Portfolio size = meaningful contacts per year ÷ moves per prospect per year
| Role | Weekly time for major donors | Meaningful contacts per year | Moves per prospect per year | Realistic portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive director, part of the role | About 6 hours | About 180 (4 a week) | 8 | About 20 to 25 |
| Development director, half time on major gifts | About 20 hours | About 460 (10 a week) | 8 | About 55 to 60 |
| Full-time major gifts officer | About 35 hours | About 690 (15 a week) | 8 | About 80 to 90 |
The table assumes 46 working weeks and is meant as a planning template; replace the inputs with your own. Two rules keep portfolios healthy:
- Tier the portfolio. The top 10 to 15 relationships get the most moves; the rest get fewer but still planned contacts.
- Review every quarter. Prospects with no move in six months either get a new plan or leave the portfolio.
Board members can extend your reach. Ask each to steward three to five relationships, with staff preparing the notes and next steps. Our guide to nonprofit board responsibilities covers how fundraising fits into board roles.
Making the Ask
The ask is a conversation you've been preparing for months, not a surprise. By the time you meet, the donor should know what you'll talk about.
Prepare
- Pick the amount. Base it on giving history, capacity, and how close the project is to the donor's interests. Ask for a specific figure; vague asks get vague answers.
- Pick the project. Something the donor has seen, discussed or helped shape.
- Pick the team. Usually two people: the relationship manager and a peer, such as a board member who has already given.
- Pick the setting. Somewhere private and comfortable for the donor.
A Conversation Outline
- Thank them for what they've already done, specifically.
- Recap what they told you matters most.
- Describe the project and what it will change.
- Make the ask: "Would you consider a gift of $25,000 over two years to build the medical suite?"
- Stop talking and listen.
- Respond to what they say, then agree on the next step and date.
| Response | How to respond |
|---|---|
| "Yes" | Thank them, confirm the amount, schedule and any recognition preferences, and follow up in writing within 48 hours. |
| "I need to talk with my spouse or adviser" | Offer to send a short written proposal and agree on a date to follow up. |
| "That's more than I can do" | Ask what feels right, or offer a longer payment schedule. |
| "Not now" | Ask when would be better and what would help them decide. |
| "No" | Thank them sincerely, ask if another project interests them, and keep stewarding. |
Put It in Writing
For significant gifts, especially multi-year pledges or restricted gifts, use a short gift agreement that covers the amount, payment schedule, purpose and any restrictions, recognition and naming, reporting the donor will receive, and what happens if the purpose becomes impossible. Have counsel review your template once.
Every payment of $250 or more needs a written acknowledgment for the donor's tax records, or an annual summary listing each payment. Our guide to donation receipts explains the requirements.
Stewardship: The Hand-Off That Keeps the Next Gift Possible
The work after a major gift decides whether there will be another one. Build the stewardship plan before the gift arrives, and give it a named owner.
A one-page stewardship plan covers:
- Thanks: a call within 48 hours, a personal letter from the executive director, and a note from someone the gift will help.
- Reporting: what the donor will receive and when, such as a six-month update and an annual impact report. See our guide to donor impact reports.
- Recognition: the donor's preferences on public listing, naming or anonymity. Our guide to donor recognition has ideas.
- Restrictions: how the gift is restricted and who confirms it's spent accordingly.
- Involvement: invitations that keep the donor close, such as site visits, previews and advice.
- Next conversation: when you'll talk about what comes next, usually not before the first impact report.
Protect Institutional Memory
Staff turnover is the quiet threat to every major gift program. When a relationship manager leaves, the relationship shouldn't leave with them. Keep a contact report standard: date, who attended, what you learned, the donor's interests and concerns, and the agreed next step. Store it in the donor's record, not in personal email or notebooks. When portfolios change hands, the outgoing and incoming managers should make a joint call or visit wherever possible.
For the ongoing relationship with all donors, not just major ones, see our guide to donor stewardship.
Measure Your Major Gift Program
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Qualified prospects in portfolios | Whether your pipeline is large enough |
| Moves per month, per manager | Whether relationships are actively managed |
| Asks made per quarter | Whether cultivation leads to solicitation |
| Ask-to-gift rate | Whether asks are well prepared and well timed |
| Average major gift | Whether ask amounts fit your donors |
| Major donor retention | Whether stewardship works |
| Months from qualification to ask | Whether your cultivation cycle is realistic |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered a major gift?
It depends on your organization. A useful definition is the gift size at which personal, one-on-one attention clearly pays off, often the top 1% to 2% of your gifts. For a small community group that might be $1,000; for a large nonprofit, $25,000 or more.
How many major donors does a nonprofit need?
Start from your goal and capacity. If you want $100,000 from major gifts at an average of $5,000, you need about 20 gifts, which usually means a larger number of qualified prospects, since not every ask succeeds or happens in the same year.
How long should we cultivate a donor before asking?
As long as it takes for the donor to understand a specific need and show interest in it. For many relationships, that's six to eighteen months. If a donor asks how they can help, don't wait for your timeline.
Is wealth screening ethical?
It can be, when you use public or properly licensed data, collect only fundraising-relevant information, record sources, restrict access and follow a written policy. Remember that FEC contributor data can't be used to solicit contributions, including charitable donations.
Who should make the major gift ask?
Usually the person with the closest relationship to the donor, joined by a peer who has already given, such as a board member. The executive director is often part of the team because donors want to hear from the organization's leader.
Next Steps
- Set your major gift threshold and have the board approve it.
- Score your top 100 donors with the model above and pick 15 to 25 for qualification.
- Write a one-page plan for each qualified prospect, with a relationship manager and the next three moves.
- Calculate your realistic portfolio size from the time you actually have.
- Draft a stewardship plan template and a contact report standard, and use them for every gift above your threshold.