What’s wrong with the 7 steps of major donor fundraising?
The 7 steps of major donor fundraising are widely known — but following them does not guarantee success. Beth Upton argues that charities struggle not because they misunderstand the steps, but because they have not put the organisational foundations in place first. Here is what to address before you start the sequence.
Top 5 reflections – a year at Money Tree Fundraising
Hannah Shepherd marks her first year at Money Tree Fundraising with five honest reflections on what makes major donor fundraising succeed — from organisational culture to the fundamentals that never change.
From Daffodils to Donors: A Spring Reflection on Major Giving
What do daffodils have to do with major donor fundraising? More than you might think. Hannah Shepherd uses the rhythms of the garden to explore what a strong, intentional major donor programme looks like at every stage — from soil preparation to the long bloom.
Dancing for a Cause: How Zumba can inspire your Major Donor Fundraising
The principles that make Zumba work turn out to apply remarkably well to major donor fundraising. Hannah Shepherd draws out the parallels — authentic connection, consistent rhythm, active listening, proper warm-ups, and patience with individual timelines.
Dealing With – and Learning From – “No” in Major Donor Fundraising
No in major donor fundraising is rarely the end of the conversation. Hannah Shepherd explores what rejection really means, how to stay curious about the reasons behind it, and how a refusal — handled well — can actually strengthen the relationship for next time.
Beyond the Task: Thanking Donors Like You Mean It
A thank-you letter that reads like a template tells donors they are not really known. Hannah Shepherd shares a simple approach to writing donor thanks that feel personal — and explains why the difference between a warm, specific letter and a formal acknowledgement is greater than most fundraisers realise.
How to Discover What Really Matters to Your Major Donors (Without Guesswork)
Understanding what drives your major donors is not about reading between the lines — it is about asking the right questions and creating the right conditions for an honest conversation. Hannah Shepherd explains how to do this in a way that feels natural rather than transactional.
Why Major Donor Fundraisers Should Love the Sunday Times Rich List
Major donor fundraisers often dismiss the Sunday Times Rich List as irrelevant, or misuse it as a direct prospect source. Hannah Shepherd explains what it is actually useful for — understanding wealth patterns and sectors — and how to use those insights to identify better prospects in your own networks.
Failure to ask: a cautionary tale
One of the most common reasons charities miss major gifts is simply that they never make the ask. Beth Upton tells the story of an organisation that had everything it needed to secure a significant gift — and never asked. The consequences were entirely avoidable.
How you can judge a major donor programme by a cup of tea
Before assessing a major donor programme, you need to understand the culture around it. Beth Upton shares the five warning signs she looks for when visiting a charity for the first time — and why so many of them show up before she has even sat down.
What makes a great major donor fundraiser?
Major donor fundraising requires a very specific combination of skills, personality traits, and working habits. Beth Upton identifies the six attributes that distinguish excellent major donor fundraisers — and why understanding them matters whether you are recruiting this role or developing someone already in it.
How do you define a major gift?
Here at Money Tree Fundraising, one of the most common questions that we get asked is ‘How do you define a major gift?’, with our clients expecting us to state a fixed sum for them. Others come to us with their own pre-determined definitions and there is huge disparity between their answers.
Engaging major donors well
Major donor fundraising is not as tricky as you might think and it is the one way of fundraising that works regardless of your organisation’s size or cause area and it can be set up on a shoestring budget – as long as it done well. There is no charity that can afford to not consider this area of fundraising.
12 tips on making cultivation events work
Events will never be the be-all-and-end-all of major donor fundraising. Whilst they can be delightful, fun and a real talking point at home, they are more often than not an expensive distraction.
3 essentials your major donors want from you
In a recent piece of client work we conducted a survey of the charity’s top donors, in order to better understand what they thought about the work of the charity and what interaction they were looking for. When summarising the donor feedback to pass on to the charity, it struck me that there were three identifiable themes.
6 essentials for a major donor programme
We are often asked what needs to be in place for successful major donor fundraising, to which the answer varies depending on the charity. However, there are 6 generally accepted fundamental factors (I don’t claim to have invented these!), which should act as the core of your major donor programme
Major donor fundraising – what are you waiting for?!!
Most charities seem fascinated by the concept of major donor fundraising, yet very few explore it thoroughly or have everything in place to run a major donor programme effectively. This is totally understandable as most charities are small, don’t have the resources and don’t know where to look for potential wealthy benefactors.
How big is big?
A question I am asked a lot is “how do you define a major gift”? And I always draw this (not always this neatly):
Delighting your Donor
It is entirely possible to start a brilliant major donor programme as a tiny charity without any dedicated staff handling those relationships.