Listen, I get it. You're drowning in priorities right now.
Your board wants to see growth. Your program team needs more resources. Marketing is pushing for a rebrand. And don't even get me started on the technology upgrades you've been putting off for years.
Sound familiar?
Here's the thing that most nonprofit leaders miss: when you're trying to do everything, you end up doing nothing particularly well. And that's a recipe for mediocrity that your mission simply can't afford.
Let me cut through the noise for you.
If you need to maximize net revenue – and let's be honest, every nonprofit needs this – then you need to focus in one area right now. Not three areas. Not five. One.
Major gifts.
I know what you're thinking. "But Andrew, what about our annual fund? What about our events? What about digital fundraising?" Those things matter, absolutely. But here's what I've learned after decades in this business: the fastest path to net revenue growth is through major gifts. Period.
As Derric Bakker, our Founder and CEO is fond of saying, “Big gifts just add up faster.”
Think about it this way. Would you rather secure fifty $100 gifts or one $5,000 gift? The math is simple, but the impact goes far beyond the numbers.
That major gift donor? They're not just giving a donation. They're becoming an ambassador for your cause. They're opening doors to their network. They're providing the kind of transformational investment funding that allows you to think bigger, act bolder, and create lasting change.
But here's where most organizations get it wrong. They treat major gifts like a side hustle. Something they'll get to "when they have time." Meanwhile, they're spreading their limited resources across ten different initiatives, hoping something will stick.
Stop it. Just stop.
Your donors are craving meaningful connection with your mission. They want to feel like partners in the work you're doing. Major gifts allow you to provide that level of engagement and stewardship that transforms casual supporters into lifelong champions.
I've seen organizations double their revenue in eighteen months simply by shifting their focus to major gifts. Not by adding more staff. Not by launching complicated campaigns. By focusing on the donors who have the capacity and inclination to make transformational gifts.
Let me show you what this looks like in real numbers. I recently worked with an organization that launched a major gift activation campaign. They projected modest results – 6,000 mail pieces, 350 responses, about $250,000 in revenue.
Here's what actually happened: they mailed fewer pieces (4,642) but generated 397 responses – a response rate of 8.55%. That's nearly 50% higher than their projection. But here's the kicker: they didn't just beat their revenue goal. They obliterated it.
Instead of $250,000, they raised $421,372. That's a 68% increase over their projections.
But wait – it gets better. They achieved nearly $1,000 of net revenue per response. Think about that for a moment. While most organizations are celebrating $50 average gifts, this focused approach delivered $963 net per response.
Here's what this looks like in practice: you identify your top prospects. You develop personalized cultivation strategies. You invest in relationship-building activities that matter. You present compelling opportunities that align with their values and your mission.
And here's the part that most organizations miss – the quality indicator that tells you you're onto something big. Of those 397 responses, 358 came through Donor Advised Funds.
That's 90% of their responses.
Why does this matter? Because DAF gifts are a clear signal of donor capacity and sophistication. These aren't impulse donations. They're strategic, thoughtful investments from donors who have the infrastructure in place to make significant gifts. And donors who give through DAFs? They stick around. They give again. They give more over time.
Let’s look at another organization’s recent major gift activation campaign for yet more proof: this campaign revealed hidden wealth that was sitting right under the charity’s nose. Look at these actual donor upgrades from the campaign:
A donor who previously gave $140? They made a $15,000 gift. Another who gave $800? They upgraded to $22,000. Someone who had been giving $80 jumped to $1,000. A $100 donor became a $21,000 donor.
This isn't luck. This is what happens when you stop assuming you know your donors' capacity and start asking them to step up to their true potential.
Here's what happens to your organization when you get this right: everything changes.
I'm looking at text messages from another organization that ran a similar campaign with us this past year. "First gift from the MG activation campaign came in!!! $15,000 so far." Then: "We just got another $10k in today!!" A few days later: "Another $250k raised today from mid/major effort."
You can feel the energy, can't you? This isn't just about the money – though they ended up raising $1.5 million when they expected only $500,000. It's about what this kind of focused success does to your team, your board, your entire organization.
When you're getting $10,000 gifts instead of $100 gifts, when you're closing in on $900,000 raised instead of struggling to hit $500,000, when your Executive Director is texting about "groundbreaking stuff" – that's when you know you've shifted from survival mode to growth mode.
The result? Not just increased revenue, but increased capacity to achieve your mission. This organization didn't just raise more money – they discovered that many of their "small" donors had been dramatically under-giving based on their actual capacity. They identified a cohort of donors with demonstrated capacity and giving sophistication who had been flying under the radar.
Think about the implications here. How many $100 donors in your database are actually capable of $15,000 gifts? How many supporters have you categorized as "small donors" who are actually sitting on significant wealth, just waiting for the right opportunity to make a transformational investment?
Most organizations leave this money on the table because they never ask. They see a donor's giving history and assume that's their ceiling. But giving history isn't capacity. It's just what someone has chosen to give in the past when presented with limited opportunities.
The ripple effects of major gift focus go far beyond the immediate revenue. When your team starts seeing $10,000 and $15,000 gifts coming in regularly, when they're tracking toward goals that seemed impossible just months before, something shifts. Confidence builds. Vision expands. Your staff stops thinking small and starts thinking transformational.
This isn't about abandoning other revenue streams. It's about recognizing that major gifts provide the foundation that makes everything else possible. They give you the stability to innovate, the resources to expand, and the confidence to take the bold steps your mission requires.
Your community is counting on you to maximize your impact. Your donors want to be part of something transformational. Your mission deserves the kind of focused attention that major gifts require.
The question isn't whether you can afford to focus on major gifts. The question is whether you can afford not to.
How to Activate More Major Gifts: The Formula That Works
Alright, you're convinced. But how do you actually make this happen? Let me walk you through the exact formula that's working for organizations just like yours.
Step 1: Understand WHO your donors are, not just what they've given in the past
Stop looking at your database and seeing "$100 donor" or "$500 donor." Start seeing people with stories, capacity, and potential. Research your donors beyond their giving history. What do they do professionally? What boards do they serve on? What's their LinkedIn profile telling you about their network and influence? Good research can reveal that your "$200 annual donor" is actually a successful entrepreneur who just sold their company and can likely give you $20K.
Step 2: Understand WHERE else your donors are giving, and at what levels
This is the game-changer most organizations miss. Your donors aren't just giving to you – they're supporting multiple causes. And the amounts they're giving elsewhere will shock you. When you discover that your $500 donor just gave $50,000 to another nonprofit, you'll realize you haven't even scratched the surface of their capacity.
Step 3: Create vision-forward campaigns that are bold and captivating
Forget the tired "we need your help" or “your gift will bring hope” messaging. Your donors want to be part of something extraordinary. Paint a picture of transformation. Show them the world that's possible when they invest at a significant level. Instead of "Help us feed 100 families," try "Join us in eliminating food insecurity in our community." Instead of "Support our scholarship fund," try "Invest in the next generation of leaders who will change the world." Bold vision attracts bold giving.
Step 4: Deliver your message in ways that cut through the clutter and demand engagement
Email gets ignored. Direct mail gets tossed. But a handwritten note? A personalized video? A carefully crafted package that tells a story? That gets attention. Think dimensional mailers, high-quality printed materials, personal phone calls from your relationship fundraisers and maybe even board members. Make your ask impossible to ignore by making it impossible to mistake for everything else in their mailbox.
Step 5: Invite and encourage your supporters to give from their assets
Here's where the magic happens. Stop asking people to give from their checking accounts and start asking them to give from their wealth. Promote Donor Advised Funds. Talk about appreciated stock. Mention planned giving options. Remember those DAF statistics I shared earlier? That's not an accident – that's what happens when you give donors sophisticated giving options that match their capacity.
Step 6: Engage supporters in conversation to build and advance the relationship
Major gifts aren't transactions – they're relationships. Pick up the phone. Schedule coffee meetings. Invite them to see your work firsthand. Ask about their philanthropic interests. Listen more than you talk. The goal isn't to pitch them immediately; it's to understand what makes them passionate about your cause and then connect that passion to a giving opportunity that excites them.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Start being exceptional at the one thing that will transform your organization's future.
Focus on major gifts. Your mission depends on it.
Our team builds and executes these campaigns every day for our partners. We can help you too. Email me at andrew@dickersonbakker.com, or call or text me at 612.201.1967 if you want to talk about activating more major gifts for your organization.
