Major Donor Program
A major donor program is a structured approach to identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors who give at your organization's highest levels.
A major donor program is a formalized fundraising strategy focused on building relationships with donors who give at the highest levels for your organization. It involves dedicated staff, individualized cultivation plans, personal solicitation, and enhanced stewardship for each major donor.
Why It Matters for Fundraising
Major donor programs typically produce the highest return on investment of any fundraising channel — often 10:1 or better. Because major gifts account for 60-80% of most nonprofits' revenue, even a small improvement in major donor retention, gift size, or pipeline development has an outsized impact on total fundraising. Yet many organizations lack a formal program, leaving major donor relationships to chance.
Building a Program
Start by defining your major gift threshold (it varies by organization size), identifying qualified prospects through data analysis and wealth screening, assigning prospect portfolios to fundraisers, creating individualized cultivation plans for each prospect, training staff in personal solicitation, and building stewardship protocols for post-gift engagement. Track metrics like number of personal visits, proposals made, gifts closed, and donor retention rates.