We\u2019ll cover how to: <\/strong><\/p>\n Before scaling your major gifts strategy, you need to assess your baseline and fundraising tools<\/a>. Evaluating your program\u2019s maturity and return on investment (ROI) reveals what\u2019s working and what\u2019s draining resources without results. Use a year-over-year comparison<\/a> to spot trends in donor attrition and major gift performance, including average gift growth and time-to-close.<\/p>\n Look at:<\/strong><\/p>\n You may find that spending time cultivating major donor relationships may yield better financial results and impact than planning one or two of your annual high-cost events. Also, a maturity assessment ensures your growth strategy builds on strengths rather than spreading your team too thin.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Track key major gift metrics monthly\u2014like active prospects, proposals sent, gift close rate, and average gift size\u2014and review them as a team to adjust your tactics.<\/p>\n With DonorPerfect, you can set up dashboards and saved reports<\/a> to track key major gift metrics and fundraising progress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your greatest growth potential often lies with the major donors already in your database<\/a>. And stewardship is the key to turning one-time gifts into long-term support. By demonstrating impact and building trust, you encourage major donors to deepen their commitment and give more over time, helping to sustain your mission.<\/p>\n Focus on:<\/strong><\/p>\n Investing in meaningful stewardship yields higher long-term returns than constantly seeking new donors.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Tier your stewardship among donors (A\/B\/C) and lock in a 12-month cadence. For instance, for A-tier donors, add two personalized touches (handwritten note, quick thank-you video) over two quarters to deepen affinity without spending too much or adding a heavy lift.<\/p>\n With DP Video<\/a>, you can send a personalized video directly to donors in seconds! This makes stewardship easy and timely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Strong stewardship shows donors they\u2019re true partners in your mission. When you make them feel seen and valued, they\u2019re far more likely to reinvest in your work year after year.<\/p>\n Want to take these strategies further? <\/strong>Check out The Major Gift Fundraising Workbook<\/a> for templates and guided exercises to strengthen your stewardship, track key metrics, and grow a resilient major gifts program.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Manual processes can quickly overwhelm lean development teams. A nonprofit CRM helps automate key tasks, saving time and ensuring consistency, so your team can focus on building donor relationships.<\/p>\n With automation, you can:<\/strong><\/p>\n This allows your team to spend time getting to know donors before outreach, ensuring a high-value, personal donor experience<\/a> while routine processes run in the background.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Automate anything you repeat 5+ times\u2014instant acknowledgments, 30\/60\/90-day follow-ups after meetings, and LYBUNT alerts\u2014so staff time shifts to meaningful outreach and conversations.<\/p>\n For example, you can use DonorPerfect\u2019s SmartActions<\/a> to automatically send alerts to your team when key donor actions take place, helping everyone stay on top of important next steps without extra reminders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For small shops, major gift growth often comes from expanding into high-leverage giving channels, and not by adding more tasks. Options like donor-advised funds (DAFs)<\/a>, stock gifts<\/a>, and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) allow donors to give in ways that are tax-smart and personally meaningful.<\/p>\n Consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n Choose the fundraising channels<\/a> that align best with your donors\u2019 preferences and your organization\u2019s capacity.<\/p>\n Not sure what these terms mean? <\/strong>DAFs are charitable accounts that donors set up with third parties, while stock gifts involve donating appreciated securities. Both offer major tax advantages and are easier to accept than you might think. To learn more about DAFs and how to incorporate them into your fund development strategies, download a free copy of A Fundraiser\u2019s Guide to Donor-Advised Funds<\/a>. <\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Pilot one new channel per quarter. Start with DAFs or stock gifts, and make it frictionless with a \u201cWays to Give\u201d page and a short intent form routed to staff.<\/p>\n With DonorPerfect, you can track non-cash gifts like DAFs and stock<\/a>, configure custom gift types, and roll them up into your reporting for a clear picture of donor giving trends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n To grow major giving, you\u2019ll eventually need to invest in staffing, training, or better fundraising tools. The key is framing this not as a cost, but as a revenue-growth strategy. Board members respond to data. Use projections to show how an additional staff member, CRM upgrade, or training series can increase the number and size of major gifts over 12\u201318 months.<\/p>\n To secure this investment, frame it as a multiplier:<\/strong><\/p>\n When leaders see major gift fundraising as a reliable revenue engine, they\u2019re more likely to support its growth.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> When you ask leadership for more resources, keep it simple. Show them where you are now, what\u2019s holding you back, and how a little more support (like added staff time or better tools) could unlock more gifts over the next year.<\/p>\n For example, DonorPerfect fundraising dashboards<\/a> and pipeline reporting help you model expected revenue growth and create board-ready visuals in just a few clicks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Systematizing fundraising success builds organizational resilience. With clearly documented fundraising workflows<\/a>, defined data standards, and a centralized donor management system, your major gifts program can grow, even through staff transitions or funding shifts.<\/p>\n A nonprofit donor management system allows your team to:<\/strong><\/p>\n Build consistency by creating a shared framework for major gift cultivation. When every major gift officer follows the same steps\u2014from qualification to stewardship\u2014your program becomes more efficient and predictable. With the right systems in place, you can maintain momentum even through staff transitions or shifting priorities.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Systematize your fundraising playbook. Outline your cultivation process, assign follow-up responsibilities, standardize data entry, and set a review rhythm to keep quality high as your program grows.<\/p>\n With DonorPerfect, you can map out donor journey stages<\/a> or configure Moves Management<\/a> stages, assign solicitors, and use SmartActions to require key fields and prompt next steps, helping your team stay consistent and on track.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Growing your major gifts program doesn\u2019t have to mean burnout. With clear systems and donor-centered stewardship, your team can deepen relationships and drive philanthropic engagement year after year. Ready to grow your major gift fundraising program?<\/strong> Download The Major Gift Fundraising Workbook<\/a> for practical exercises and step-by-step guidance to grow your major gift program.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n 1. <\/strong>How can we measure the ROI of our major gift fundraising program?<\/strong><\/p> Start by comparing the dollars raised from major donors against the direct and indirect costs of cultivation (staff time, events, travel, communications). A <\/span>nonprofit CRM<\/span><\/a> makes this easier by tracking expenses, campaign performance, and donor giving history in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t 2. <\/strong>What are the best ways to steward major donors without adding more staff?<\/strong><\/p> Focus on high-impact stewardship strategies such as personalized impact reports, milestone acknowledgments, and peer recognition. Automating thank-you messages and using reminders in your donor management system helps your team maintain consistency without overextending capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t 3. <\/strong>How can a nonprofit CRM help us grow major giving with limited resources?<\/strong><\/p>\n
1. Evaluate your major gift fundraising program\u2019s maturity and ROI<\/h2>\n
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![\"Example](\"https:\/\/uploads.donorperfect.com\/images\/sites\/2\/dpvideo-emily-mockup-small.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n3. Automate major gift stewardship with your nonprofit CRM<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n4. Expand donor engagement channels strategically<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n5. Make the case for investment in major gift fundraising<\/h2>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/uploads.donorperfect.com\/images\/sites\/2\/dashboard-mockup-refactor-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n6. Systematize success with your donor management system<\/h2>\n
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