Using Donor Data To Identify Major Gifts

Your nonprofit's best major donor prospect isn't sitting out there waiting for your to find them. They're sitting in your database being treated like a $100 donor. As federal funding becomes increasingly uncertain, most organizations are frantically searching for new major donors. Meanwhile, their databases are filled with loyal supporters who could give significantly more. Your most promising major gift prospects share these patterns: Consistent giving over 5+ years Small but steady gifts signal deep commitment to your mission. These donors believe in your work enough to make it part of their annual giving, regardless of economic conditions. Multiple types of support Look for donors who give monthly AND respond to year-end appeals. Or those who make special gifts for specific projects. This variety shows they're paying attention and care about different aspects of your work. Engagement beyond money Volunteers who give. Event attendees who donate. Board committee members making small gifts. These combinations often indicate capacity hidden by habit rather than limited resources. Last year I dove deep into 25 nonprofit databases. Every single one had 50+ donors giving under $500 annually who could make 6-figure gifts. The opportunity isn't finding new donors (even thought right now you should still be trying to find new donors!). It's serving your current donors better. Pull your donor list today. Look for these patterns. You might discover your next major donor has been supporting you all along--and are actually waiting for your to support them in the right ways.

If I were a Chief Development Officer of a large nonprofit and I needed to make a big push in major gifts before the calendar year ends, here’s exactly what I’d do 👇 Revenue doesn’t come from activity. It comes from intentionality. 🔹 Step 1: Identify your real portfolio Not the 200 names in Salesforce. The 30–50 donors who actually have capacity and momentum. (If you can’t name them without opening a report, start there.) 🔹 Step 2: Map out your warmest relationships Find the people who already know, like, and trust your org. Past donors. Active volunteers. Longtime advocates. You don’t need new prospects. You need to wake up the ones you’ve been sleeping on. 🔹 Step 3: Time-block for actual engagement Not stewardship emails. Not mass updates. I’m talking real conversations. Discovery calls. In-person touchpoints. Put them on the calendar and protect that time like your Q4 depends on it. Because it does. 🔹 Step 4: Track sentiment, not just dollars How do your top donors feel about your mission right now? Where are they in the journey? If all you’re tracking is “gave or didn’t give,” you’re already behind. 🔹 Step 5: Prioritize your closeable pipeline That $1M prospect who hasn’t returned a call in 7 months? Not your focus. That $50K donor who just had lunch with your board chair? That’s your move. Focus on proximity, timing, and intent. 🔹 Step 6: Make your system work for your fundraisers If your team is digging through reports, toggling tabs, or building lists from scratch… they’re wasting time. You need tools that surface the right relationships at the right time, not just store data. If you do this. Day in and day out, I promise you will see results with major gifts. It works with consistency and a team that is all-in across the board. No more rogue gift officers who have been “doing things their way” forever.

5 Steps to Launch a Major Gift Activation Campaign That Turns $100 Donors into $10,000+ Givers I've seen donors go from $80 highest gifts to $100,000 in six weeks using this approach: ➡️ Step 1: Identify Your Hidden Prospects - Screen your donor file for wealth and capacity - Look for donors who upgrade consistently - Find those with 10+ gifts over 2-3 years - Cross-reference with affinity data ➡️ Step 2: Build an Irresistible Offer Instead of: "We need $20,000 for cat food for the year" Try something like: "We're on a mission to rescue 7,000 more animals this year. To do that, we need a new van, 3 additional staff members, facility expansion, AND ongoing care." ➡️ Step 3: Create Premium Creative - Invest more per piece than typical direct mail - Make it feel like a mini capital campaign - Use storytelling that matches the gift level you're seeking ➡️ Step 4: Set Ambitious Ask Amounts - Don't ask for $25, $50, $100 - Start with $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, $10,000+ - Match your ask to their demonstrated capacity and giving elsewhere ➡️ Step 5: Follow Up Strategically - That upgraded $10K gift? It's just the tip of the iceberg - Use it to identify transformational gift potential - Build the relationship for even larger future gifts The result: We regularly see donors jump from three-figure to five-figure gifts in a single campaign. Remember: If someone can write you a $10K - $100K check in response to a direct mail piece, they have significantly more capacity. Relationship engagement will help you unlock that additional capacity and generosity.