Major donor fundraising is about people and relationships. It involves the entire organisation from the chief executive officer to the administrative assistant working in a team to secure the gift.
It also involves the family, friends and associates of the major donor affecting the timing, size, regularity, purpose and method of the gift and requires the fundraiser to be resourceful and responsive.
Major donor fundraising is usually not an isolated process but a team effort, which yields a mutually beneficial outcome for all, yet it is very rarely done in an overt way. There are no broad-brush techniques and it can often be difficult to define the next step.
Major donations aren’t always planned. Nor are they always made for philanthropic or altruistic reasons, but, whatever the circumstances, the major donor should take pleasure in making the gift and the fundraiser or organisation be pleased to receive it.
This Code has been written to provide guidance on best practice in raising funds from major donors. This Code does not delve into fundraising techniques about how to raise major donations. Instead, the Code is written to inform the reader about important factors which relate to major donor fundraising.
