--- title: Major Donor Essentials | Be Bold Fundraising description: "Free major donor fundraising tools, ideas and examples: know your donors, find prospects, make the ask, thank you calls and stewardship ideas." --- [![Be Bold Fundraising](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/logo.png?width=520&name=logo.png "Be Bold Fundraising")](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/?hsLang=en-au) [Home](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/?hsLang=en-au)[About us](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/about-us?hsLang=en-au)[How we work](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/how-we-work?hsLang=en-au)[Work with us](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/work-with-us?hsLang=en-au)[Essentials](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials?hsLang=en-au)[Let’s talk](mailto:davyn@beboldfundraising.com.au?subject=Discovery%20call%20interest) Major Donor Essentials # Free tools for your biggest relationships. Practical ideas and examples for major donor fundraising. Use them, share them with your team, make them your own. No sign up needed. [Know your donors](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#donors)[Find your prospects](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#prospects)[The first conversation](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#conversation)[Making the ask](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#ask)[Thank you calls](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#thanks)[Stewardship ideas](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials#stewardship) Know your donors ## Start where the energy is. Your supporters sit in circles. The people closest to your work hold the most energy and commitment, and that energy fades as the circles move out. Fundraising starts at the centre and works outwards. Stewardship brings people closer in. Tap a circle to explore it. GENERAL PUBLIC AFFINITY FORMER INTERNAL CORE Energy, linkage and interest are strongest at the centre. Stewardship moves people inwards. Based on the constituency model of Henry A. Rosso. Core Internal and direct Former Affinity General public ### Core Who sits here Your board, CEO, senior leaders and current major donors. Your move Start every campaign here. If your closest people haven’t given, it’s hard to ask anyone else to. Linkage Ability Interest YOUR PROSPECTS Find your prospects ## Look for all three. A strong major donor prospect has linkage, ability and interest. Two out of three isn’t enough yet. **Linkage**A real connection to someone in your organisation. **Ability**The capacity to make a significant gift. **Interest**Genuine care for your cause and the people you serve. **Ability doesn’t follow the circles.**Linkage and interest grow stronger towards the centre, but ability has to be researched. A volunteer of ten years may never make a large cash gift, yet could be a wonderful gift in will prospect. A local business owner may have real capacity but little interest yet, so invite them to see the work before you ask for anything. ### Quick prospect check Think of one person. Rate each from what you know today. **Linkage** Low Medium High **Ability** Low Medium High **Interest** Low Medium High Your next step #### Rate all three to see a suggestion. There are no wrong answers. It’s a starting point for a conversation with your team. The first conversation ## Listen more than you speak. A first meeting isn’t the ask. It’s a chance to understand what this person cares about and why. Go in curious, with a few open questions, and let them do most of the talking. - What first drew you to our work? - Which part of what we do means the most to you? - What change would you most love to see? - How do you like to hear from us? - Is there anything you think we could do better? - Who else do you know who cares about this? *!*Write your notes straight after the meeting, not during it. Capture what they care about in their own words, then record it in your database so the next conversation picks up where this one left off. Making the ask ## Ask for a specific gift, for a specific purpose. By the time you ask, it should feel like a natural next step for the relationship, not a surprise. A clear ask respects the donor’s time and makes it easy to say yes. - **Name an amount.**A specific figure, linked to their interests, is easier to respond to than “anything you can give”. - **Name the purpose.**Show exactly what the gift will make possible. - **Ask in person.**Face to face where you can, with the right person in the room. - **Then stop talking.**Give them space to think. The silence is part of the ask. **Example gift table for a $250,000 goal** A gift table turns one big number into a set of named conversations. | Gift size | Gifts needed | Subtotal | | --- | --- | --- | | $50,000 | 1 | $50,000 | | $25,000 | 2 | $50,000 | | $12,500 | 4 | $50,000 | | $5,000 | 10 | $50,000 | | $2,000 | 25 | $50,000 | | Total | 42 | $250,000 | Example only. You’ll need more prospects than gifts at every level, because not everyone will say yes, and your largest gifts usually come first. Thank you calls ## Say thank you before the receipt arrives. A quick, warm phone call is one of the simplest ways to make a donor feel their gift mattered. **Call within a few days.**The sooner the better, while the gift is fresh. **Have someone senior call.**Your CEO or a board member makes it personal. **Ask for nothing.**This call is only about them. ### A simple call outline 1. **Introduce yourself**Say who you are and that you’re calling to say thank you. 2. **Thank them by name**Mention their gift and how much it means. 3. **Share one specific thing**Tell them what their gift will make possible. 4. **Ask what inspired them**Then listen. You’ll learn a lot. 5. **Thank them again**Keep it short and let them get on with their day. Got voicemail? Leave a warm message of thirty seconds or so. It still counts. Stewardship ideas ## Stay close between gifts. Donors who only hear from you when you need something rarely give again. Pick a few of these and build them into your year, so every major donor hears from you several times before the next ask. ### In the first week - A thank you call from your CEO or a board member - A handwritten note, not a printed letter ### Through the year - A short impact story with a photo - An invitation to see the work in person - A personal update when something they funded hits a milestone - Asking their advice on something real ### Once a year - An impact report written just for them - Coffee with your CEO or chair - A note marking the anniversary of their first gift Want more like this? ## One practical idea, every week. Join the Be Bold newsletter for major donor thinking you can use the same day. Short enough to read over a coffee. By subscribing you agree to receive emails from Be Bold Fundraising. Unsubscribe anytime. ![Be Bold Fundraising](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/logo_white.png?width=520&name=logo_white.png "Be Bold Fundraising") Equipping charities to turn bold visions into reality. [Home](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/?hsLang=en-au)[About us](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/about-us?hsLang=en-au)[How we work](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/how-we-work?hsLang=en-au)[Work with us](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/work-with-us?hsLang=en-au)[Essentials](https://www.beboldfundraising.com.au/essentials?hsLang=en-au) © 2026 Be Bold Fundraising. Major gift fundraising for charities, schools and faith based organisations.