How to grow major gifts

Nonprofit leaders: If you want to understand how to grow major gifts at your nonprofit, read this article from Forbes Nonprofit Council! It highlights the same tactics and mindset shifts we work on with our clients:

👍 Create a structured, disciplined approach to major gifts. Implement a process that helps fundraisers to keep moving relationships forward over time, and keep track of those interactions. Otherwise, it's easy to cast this important relationship-building work aside and instead address whatever immediate thing pops up on a given day.

👍To find major gift donors, look inward. The old saying goes, "The next best donor is the one you already have." Determine who among your volunteers, loyal donors (especially those who give at low to mid-levels consistently), and board members need additional stewardship. Remember that major gifts prospects can't just have giving capacity—they also need to have a passion for your mission. Your closest constituents have that passion in spades.

👍Don't just rely on one gift officer to raise all the money. I promise you, that will not work. Make sure that prospects and donors meet and build relationships with multiple team members, such as board members, the executive director, and program staff. The donor is forging a relationship with your organization, not any one person.

👍Stay on top of trends. 1. Understand what mechanisms donors use to give and 2. Explore and take advantage of AI tools. What would you add to the list of "musts" that help make major gift fundraising successful?

What do you think about these tips--and what would you add?