Are you getting antsy? Wondering why money hasn’t started pouring in from your major gift program?
We hear this all the time from leaders and managers and it feels like a crisis. Many non-profit leaders feel the pressure to raise money quickly through major gift programs, often focusing on transactional fundraising rather than building lasting donor relationships.
While transactional fundraising can generate some big gifts, it won't create the loyal, long-term donors that a non-profit needs for sustained success. The emphasis on immediate cash over long-term relationships can harm an organization’s future fundraising efforts.
The drive for short-term profits has permeated the non-profit sector. Like for-profit companies, non-profits are under pressure to show immediate financial results. Donors are often viewed as mere numbers in a database, and the value of building lasting relationships with them is overlooked.
There’s also pressure from boards to grow quickly, leading to an emphasis on short-term wins rather than cultivating meaningful, long-term support. This can create unrealistic expectations for major gift officers (MGOs) who are tasked with bringing in funds immediately, leading to stress and potentially damaging relationships with donors.
It’s easy to feel like there’s no time to build a solid major gift program when the need for money is urgent. However, rushing the process will only harm the organization in the long run. Creating a functional major gift program takes time. It requires thoughtful planning, hiring the right MGO, and developing strong relationships with donors—steps that can't be rushed.
A realistic timeline for a fully functioning program is about 15–18 months. The first steps, including hiring the right MGO, can take 4–6 months. Then, the MGO must spend 6–8 months qualifying donors and identifying those most likely to engage. Relationship building, an essential component of the program, takes even more time, and it often overlaps with the process of qualifying donors. It may take 8–10 months before serious engagement begins.
In the first year, even though a major gift program isn’t fully operational, there’s still value in the MGO’s work. Donors will feel more engaged and valued, which helps maintain giving levels. Without a personal connection, donor contributions typically drop by 40–60%. But with the MGO’s efforts, the loss is reduced to just 7–11%, providing immediate economic benefit.
While technology has conditioned us to expect immediate responses, relationship-building with donors is a slow process. Many donors have full lives and competing priorities, so even though they care about the organization’s mission, their engagement might not be immediate.
Understanding their perspective can help MGOs practice patience and allow the relationship to develop over time. Rushing the process can harm the relationship and ultimately the non-profit’s financial health.
A major gift program is a long-term commitment where both the donor and the organization benefit. The key is patience. Donors will contribute when they are ready—not on the non-profit's timeline. Recognizing this reality is crucial to success.
Non-profits under pressure to raise immediate funds are likely to sacrifice the opportunity to create lasting relationships. While cash influxes can be helpful in the short term, they don’t provide the stability of long-term, loyal donors. If non-profit leaders focus only on short-term goals, they risk alienating potential major donors and losing future contributions.
Leaders must prioritize relationship-building. To ensure long-term success, consider these questions:
If the answer to any of these questions is no, it may be time to rethink your fundraising strategy. A program focused on quick cash will only result in a cycle of chasing funds rather than building meaningful relationships with donors.
As a development director, it’s vital to assess the long-term health of the fundraising program. Ensure that you have a clear strategy for revenue growth and cost management over several years. Are your mid-, major-, and planned-giving teams adequately funded? Are you focused on building relationships, or is the pressure to meet immediate financial targets hindering long-term success?
Ultimately, a successful major gift program requires investment in relationships. If your fundraising strategy focuses on building these connections, you will see long-term rewards, even if the results take time to materialize.
As a leader, it falls on you to properly budget your fundraising program and spend that budget on the right things. Invest in building relationships with donors. They will pay you back.
Jeff