14) Major Gifts in 2026: Adapting to the Fewer Donors, Bigger Gifts Trend

Looking at the fundraising landscape, it’s pretty clear we’re in the middle of a major shift. While donor numbers are dropping, gift sizes are climbing, and that means it’s time to rethink how we approach major gifts. In this piece, we’ll walk through what this trend actually means for your organization and share practical ways to build (or rebuild) a major gift strategy that works in 2026.

Here’s the thing: roughly 88% of total fundraising dollars come from just 12% of donors (360 Match Pro). So major gift strategy isn’t just nice to have anymore. It’s essential. Yet here’s the kicker: 58.87% of nonprofits don’t have a major gift strategy, and 67.54% lack a dedicated, full-time major gift fundraiser (Bloomerang). That gap? It’s both a challenge and a pretty extraordinary opportunity.

Understanding the New Donor Landscape

Fundraising dollars increased 3.6% year-over-year in Q1 2025, but the number of donors fell 1.3% (Kindsight). We’re raising more money while reaching fewer people. Wild, right?

What’s behind this? Donors are becoming pickier. They’re prioritizing trust, transparency, and real impact. Instead of spreading donations across multiple causes, today’s philanthropists are consolidating their support around organizations where they’re confident their dollars will actually create change (Pledge).

Protip: Rather than seeing donor decline as a crisis, try reframing it as a chance to go deeper with your most committed supporters. Pull up your donor database and identify that 12% contributing 88% of your revenue. That’s where your relationship-building energy should go first.

The Power of Major Gifts and Mid-Level Cultivation

For most nonprofits, a major gift falls somewhere between $1,000 and $50,000, though this varies by organization size and mission (Marts and Lundy). But honestly? The dollar threshold matters less than understanding that major gifts represent concentrated impact.

Donor Segment	Typical Gift Range	% of Donor Base	% of Total Revenue
Major Donors	$50,000+	1% or less	40-60%
Mid-Level Donors	$1,000-$50,000	1-3%	10-35%
Annual Fund	Under $1,000	95%+	10-30%

Mid-level donors (those giving between $1,000 and $50,000) often account for 10% to 35% of total revenue despite representing only 1% to 3% of your donor base (Marts and Lundy). This segment gets overlooked constantly, but it’s where future major donors are cultivated.

Think of mid-level donors as a critical bridge. They’ve demonstrated philanthropic commitment without being ready for principal-level asks yet. Organizations that strategically nurture this group report way better major gift pipelines down the road.

Common Challenges We See Daily

In our work with hundreds of nonprofits, we see these patterns over and over:

The Ghost Pipeline: One organization told us they had a “major gifts program” that was basically a spreadsheet with 200 names on it. Nobody was assigned to cultivate them. When we asked who owned the relationships, crickets. These prospects were literally ghosts in their system.

The Spray and Pray Approach: A mid-sized nonprofit was sending identical monthly newsletters to everyone, from $25 donors to board members who’d given $100,000. Their major donors felt invisible, and you could see it in the retention rates.

The Data Black Hole: We’ve worked with organizations that couldn’t tell us basic info about their top 50 donors. When they last gave, what programs they cared about, who’d met with them recently. Without unified data systems, cultivation becomes pretty much impossible.

The Ask Without Cultivation: Maybe the most painful pattern? Organizations making major gift asks to people they’ve never properly stewarded. The result is exactly what you’d expect: embarrassment, rejection, and damaged relationships that take years to repair.

Adapting Your Major Gift Strategy: Key Imperatives

Shift From Volume to Depth

The traditional approach of casting wide nets for lots of small donors is becoming outdated. Successful nonprofits in 2026 are redirecting resources toward relationship-building with high-capacity prospects.

Look, this doesn’t mean abandoning broad-based fundraising. It means allocating your most skilled staff (and the most strategic attention) to your top prospects. One Tail at a Time is a great example: they grew their recurring donation program by 1000% over four years through intentional stewardship and relationship-building (Funraise).

Master Prospect Research and Identification

Before you cultivate, you’ve gotta identify. Effective prospect research looks beyond basic demographics to examine capacity indicators (real estate ownership, SEC transactions, business affiliations), philanthropic history, and affinity markers (passion for your cause) (DonorSearch).

The goal? Create a refined list of high-potential donors with both the capacity and willingness to make transformational gifts. Organizations using data-driven segmentation and predictive modeling report way better outcomes in major gift solicitation.

Protip: Start with your current donor data. Who among your existing supporters has increased their giving over time? Who volunteers frequently, attends events, and engages deeply with your mission? These are often your best major gift prospects, yet they’re constantly overlooked in favor of cold prospects.

AI-Powered Major Gift Strategy: Your Implementation Prompt

Ready to transform your approach? Copy this prompt and paste it into your preferred AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity):

I'm developing a major gift strategy for my nonprofit. Help me create a 90-day cultivation plan for our top prospects.

Variable 1 - Organization Type: [Describe your nonprofit's mission in 1-2 sentences]

Variable 2 - Current Major Gift Threshold: [Your organization's definition of a major gift, e.g., $10,000+]

Variable 3 - Number of Prospects: [How many major gift prospects you're actively cultivating, e.g., 15-20]

Variable 4 - Current Challenges: [Your biggest obstacle in major gift fundraising, e.g., 'limited staff time' or 'no clear cultivation process']

Based on these inputs, create a detailed 90-day action plan that includes: weekly touchpoints for each prospect tier, personalized cultivation activities, key milestones, and measurable success metrics. Include specific examples of stewardship communications I can adapt.

That said, while AI tools can help you strategize, in your day-to-day work it’s worth choosing solutions like Funraise that have AI components built directly into where you’re already working. You get full operational context without switching between platforms.

Building Your Major Gift Program From the Ground Up

Create a Tiered Cultivation Strategy

Not all donors need the same approach. Segment your major gift prospects into tiers based on capacity and engagement level:

• Tier 1 – Ready Now: board members and well-known volunteers likely one conversation away from a larger ask,
• Tier 2 – Cultivation Needed: known donors you haven’t engaged at major gift level, requiring cultivation spanning months,
• Tier 3 – Long-Term Prospects: new prospects with capacity who need research, relationship-building, and education before solicitation.

Each tier demands different stewardship, communication frequency, and recognition strategies.

“The organizations that will thrive in the next decade are those that recognize major gifts aren’t about transactions. They’re about building genuine partnerships with people who share your vision for change.”

Funraise CEO Justin Wheeler

Focus on Impact, Not Just Numbers

Major donors in 2026 want tangible proof that their gifts drive meaningful change. Develop compelling impact stories, data visualizations, and outcome reports that demonstrate how donations translate into real-world results.

Examples of impact-focused engagement include:

• exclusive “behind-the-scenes” tours showing programs in action,
• quarterly impact reports customized for each donor,
• invitation to service projects where donors volunteer alongside beneficiaries,
• interactive digital reports showcasing program outcomes.

Organizations implementing these strategies report 40% increases in major gift revenue over 18 months (Fundraising Transformed).

Protip: Create a “major donor impact dashboard” that you update monthly. Include metrics like lives served, programs launched, or specific outcomes achieved. Share this with your top 25 donors before you share it publicly. Make them feel like insiders.

Technology and Data: Your Secret Weapons

In a landscape demanding hyper-personalization, your CRM system is foundational. A robust platform allows you to:

• segment donors by giving history, interests, and capacity,
• track all touchpoints and interactions so no prospect slips through the cracks,
• automate stewardship workflows that feel personalized despite scale,
• analyze giving patterns to predict which donors are ready to upgrade.

Nonprofits using unified platforms for both fundraising and donor management report 73% average year-over-year online revenue growth, which is 3x faster than the industry benchmark (Funraise). When organizations implemented new systems and personalized outreach, they achieved 25% increases in response rates to communications (Fundraising Transformed).

The key is choosing technology that doesn’t just store data but actively helps you build relationships. Funraise offers both a free tier for smaller organizations and premium features for larger nonprofits, with no commitment required to start exploring how unified systems transform major gift work.

The Major Gift Pipeline: From Prospect to Partner

Successful major gift programs follow a systematic pathway:

1. Identification: research and screen prospects with capacity and affinity,
2. Cultivation: build genuine relationships before making asks,
3. Solicitation: present compelling case for support calibrated to donor interests,
4. Stewardship: express gratitude in ways matching the gift size,
5. Retention: maintain engagement with impact updates and exclusive recognition.

Research shows that 41% of fundraisers report fewer than 20% of prospects respond positively to initial outreach (Blackbaud), largely because cultivation is skipped or rushed. Invest time upfront to transform names on a list into engaged, informed supporters.

Creating Exclusive Experiences

Mid-level and major donor societies create belonging and motivation:

• named giving societies (like “The Champions Circle”) with exclusive perks,
• annual recognition events celebrating donor achievements,
• access to leadership and board members for direct conversation,
• first access to new initiatives before public announcement.

These experiences reinforce donor identity and commitment, which are critical elements in an environment where fewer donors are making larger gifts.

Protip: Don’t wait until you have a perfect donor society program to launch. Start with your top 10-15 donors. Invite them to a private dinner with your ED or board chair. Ask for their input on a strategic question facing your organization. Recognition matters, but real involvement matters more.

Your 2026 Major Gift Action Plan

Immediate Steps

1. Audit your current strategy: do you have a documented major gift strategy? If not, this is priority number one,
2. Identify your top donors: calculate which 12% of your donor base generates 88% of revenue,
3. Research mid-level prospects: who among your $1,000-$50,000 donors could grow into major gift donors?,
4. Implement or upgrade your CRM: unified technology is non-negotiable in 2026. Start exploring Funraise’s free tier if you haven’t already,
5. Assign clear ownership: every major gift prospect needs a named steward responsible for cultivation.

Monthly Cultivation Rhythm

• Week 1: conduct one in-person or video meeting with a major gift prospect,
• Week 2: personalize and send impact update to your top 25 donors,
• Week 3: host or attend one cultivation event (small gathering, behind-the-scenes tour, etc.),
• Week 4: analyze giving data to identify donors ready for upgrade conversations.

Why Major Gifts Matter Now More Than Ever

The trend is clear: fewer donors are giving bigger gifts, and this is fundamentally reshaping nonprofit fundraising. While some organizations view this as a crisis, leaders who understand the opportunity see it as liberation. A chance to build deeper, more meaningful relationships with passionate supporters.

One exceptional major gift can change everything. In environments of constrained donor pools and competing priorities, a single transformational gift (whether it’s $50,000, $250,000, or $5 million) can fund new programs, expand capacity, or solve longstanding challenges.

The organizations thriving in 2026 are those pivoting from volume-based fundraising to relationship-based major gift strategy. They’re investing in cultivation, leveraging technology for personalization, and treating every major donor as a partner in mission rather than a transaction.

Your pathway forward is clear: identify your highest-capacity prospects, invest time in genuine relationship-building, demonstrate impact compellingly, and steward major donors as the mission partners they are. When you do this well, you’ll discover that fewer donors isn’t a liability. It’s an opportunity to build the transformational partnerships that drive lasting change.