It’s well-known in the non-profit industry that 88% of an organization’s donations are from 12% of its donors. Major donors contribute substantially to overall fundraising goals and the success of an organization. If your organization doesn’t have a major gift program or needs a refresh, “How to Acquire Major Donors – Tools & Tips” will provide essential information to create and sustain a successful major donor program.
Who is a Major Donor?
According to Bloomerang’s Major Gift metrics, 43.74% of nonprofits define a major gift as greater than $1,000, while 35.90% of nonprofits define a major gift as greater than $10,000. A major donor at one organization can be a mid-level giver at another. There is no industry standard.
How to Identify Major Donors
Analyzing your donor pool and gift history over the last two years will determine what donation amount falls into the major gift category. Major gift criteria is different for every organization. Major donors are most often the donors who are generating 75% of total contributions and have given multiple gifts over the two years.
How to Communicate with and Cultivate Major Donors
Are your donors aware that they are significant to your organization? if not, there is a huge opportunity to make them feel special with targeted communications. Below are a few ways to engage with major donors.
Get to Know Them
Personal lunches, home visits, and phone calls are preferred ways to get to know major givers. Events such as dinner parties and invites to your nonprofit’s facilities are impactful. The executive director and board members should be the ones who help nurture these connections and appointing a major gifts officer can be used to spearhead the efforts.
Solicit Prospective Major Givers with a Direct Mail Package
An effective way to solicit major donors is by sending them a major gift direct mail package. Many of our clients receive large donations in the mail, oftentimes greater than $1,000 as a result of donors responding to highly responsive major gift direct mail packages. Your high-dollar donors will appreciate and respond to this treatment too.
A targeted direct mail appeal to major donors is an opportunity to let them know how special they are and entice them to make additional and oftentimes higher dollar contributions.
Components of a Major Donor Direct Mail Package
Quality Paper and Unique Design
Printing the package on quality paper gives it an exclusive feel. Using a script font and a first-class stamp on the outer envelope gives the impression there’s something important inside.
Letter Appeal with a Compelling Story
The fundraising letter to major donors should tell a story about those the organization has helped through narrative that bring the information to life. The copy should also convey a problem that needs to be solved and how the donor is a part of the solution to convince the donor to give. This article, Storytelling for Effective Fundraising – Tools & Tips provides guidance for fundraising copywriting that gets results.
Donation Form with a Variable Gift Ask
Since an appeal letter’s job is to convince a donor to decide to give, the donation form should be designed to help them decide how much to give.
The gift ask string should include the amount of the donor’s last gift, an amount that is higher than their last gift, and a blank area for them to fill in a gift amount of their choice.
Invitation to a Branded Major Giving Society or Club
Invite donors to join an exclusive major giving society or club that includes special member benefits. This gives them a sense of belonging. Creating a branded giving society, you let donors know they are eligible to join forces with other like-minded high-dollar donors dedicated to your cause. This gives them a sense of inclusivity.
Exclusivity Through Various Sponsorship Levels
Allowing donors to choose the level of membership benefits they wish to receive – which are tied to the amount they want to donate – provides them with a sense of exclusivity. This technique not only encourages donors to continue their support but motivates them to increase their level of giving.
Sponsorship levels vary between organizations, but can include: tours of the facilities, targeted newsletters, a listing of their names on a donor recognition wall, exclusive events with the CEO, and an annual recognition reception.
The higher the tier, the more benefits the donor receives. Other valued benefits of membership include a listing in the annual report and the donor’s name on a brick in a garden or on a bench. The tiered giving levels provided varied opportunities for your organization to target specific, major gift-related communications based on their sponsorship level.
Thank Major Gift Donors with Premiums
A token of thanks is another way to show your appreciation to major donors. High-end premiums such as branded t-shirts, blankets, or golf umbrellas can be effective motivators for major donors to give or to upgrade their donations. This is a way for major donors to visibly show their support and proudly identify with the cause. This is also an effective way to create public awareness.
Major gifts contribute substantially to overall fundraising goals and the success of any organization. It’s why it’s worth the time and resources for every nonprofit to put a major gift strategy in place today. A successful major donor program relies on retaining major donors as much as securing new ones.
If you have a major gift program in place, these tips will help take your program to the next level. If you don’t, contact Write Choice Marketing today for a free consultation on creating a major program for your organization.
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Write Choice Marketing-Helping nonprofits raise donations through compelling copy, engaging content, and donor responsive strategies that get results. We offer creative, cost-effective fundraising and marketing solutions. Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.