It’s the end of August. (I like to remind myself. Time blurs when you’re a fundraiser.)

We’re not quite at year-end. But we’re getting close.

There is something important you should tackle before fall arrives. It’s more important than event fundraising, social media, or your mass newsletter. It's your major donors.

Around 88% of your non-profit's annual revenue comes from your top 12% of donors.

It's critical you connect with these individuals now - before the year-end madness.

Here’s what I want you to do:

  1. Pull a report that lists major gifts from the last 24 to 36 months
  • Ask: Who has lapsed?
  • E.g. who gave a major gift in 2022 but did not renew in 2023?
  • Highlight these names.

2. Look for patterns (and breaks in those patterns)

  • Which major donors gave last spring but didn’t renew this spring?
  • Have specific major donors down-graded? For example, Jane Doe gave $20,000 across two gifts in 2022. But this year, you’ve received 2 gifts, totaling $12,000. They’ve downgraded.
  • I want you to highlight these donor names.

3. Look for opportunities

  • Which major donors give consistently to your organization? And which campaigns have they given to (what are they passionate about)?
  • Of these donors, who has the capacity and may be willing to make a larger gift than normal, in response to a 1:1 ask?

Now you have a list of highlighted names.

That’s great. You know who you (and/or your ED, board, and major donor gift officers) need to connect with before the year-end frenzy.

Don’t be scared.

These individuals love you. They’ve invested a lot already. So it’s time to invite them to make an even bigger difference in the lives of your beneficiaries.

Is your major donor ready to be asked for a major gift?

If you’ve thanked your major donors well - and they know HOW their gift made a difference - move forward IMMEDIATELY with an ask. I created a step-by-step guide that walks you through how to ask for a major gift. It's a 3-step process that I call Dig, Meet, Ask. 😏


If you’ve not thoroughly thanked your major donors for past giving, do so now.

It's not enough to express appreciation. Your major donor wants to know what their gift did.

I’d recommend sending them some sort of beneficiary testimonial. Something that shows them what their gift did. If you can find a piece of art a child created… or a behind-the-scences video clip of your team in action… send that.

But don't stop there. Send them a personalized video message.

My favorite tool is SendSpark. My friend, Doug, trains for-profit and non-profit professionals how to use video to build trust and connection. This is the tool he has used to help his clients raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. I've just started to use it (instead of iPhone video selfies to thank donors)... and I love it. I can finally email videos and send them via different platforms. 😎

Regardless of the tool you use, thank and report back to your major donors.

Then, after 3-4 weeks, you can follow up with an ask. I tell you how to do this HERE (same link as above!)!

Does that make sense? What questions do you have for me? I realize it's scary to ask for a major gift. But you're not only helping your beneficiares. You're also helping your major donors. Without you, they'd be unable to make the difference they want to see in the world! ❤️