Are your beliefs about major donors limiting your fundraising potential?

The stories we tell ourselves about major gift fundraising can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Our assumptions about who gives, why they give, and what's possible can either unlock transformational support or keep opportunities firmly out of reach.

After countless conversations with development directors, nonprofit CEOs, and board members, I've identified common myths that prevent organizations from reaching their full fundraising potential. Let's bust these myths wide open.

Myth 1: "Donors only give when there's an incentive.”

I hear this one frequently, and I get it. Maybe you've encountered a donor or two who seemed primarily motivated by naming rights or recognition. This is, undoubtedly, a bummer.

While your experience is real and unfortunate, purely transactional donors are far from the norm. Most donors give because they believe in your vision and want to be part of something meaningful.

The Reality of Major Gift Timelines

Consider the actual major gift fundraising metrics:

• It typically takes 7-12 touchpoints before someone is ready to make a gift.

• For every 15 prospects you engage, maybe three will take a meeting and one will say "yes."
• Industry standards suggest a conversion rate of 20-33% for well-qualified major gift prospects.

Let's do the math. If you want to obtain 50 new gifts, you’d need to contact 150 people 7-12 times each (on the LOW end). This slow pace isn't a stalling tactic as donors wait for you to offer the right reward for their generosity, it’s simply the result of the effort it takes to build authentic relationships.

Persistence and grit results in greater payoff in the long run than throwing incentives at a small number of potential major donors.

Myth 2: "No one outside our immediate circle will be interested in funding us."

This is perhaps the most self-limiting belief I encounter on a regular basis in nonprofit fundraising. Yes, your current donors are valuable, and yes, some rare few may have reached their giving capacity. But you won't know until you ask about their priorities and interests.

Use the Golden Mean

Don't assume everyone is tapped out AND don't assume everyone is a prospect. The only way to know which you're dealing with is by genuine conversation and a discovery period. I've seen organizations unlock transformational gifts simply by expanding their vision of who might care about their mission.

In a nutshell: donors fund vision. If yours is clear and compelling, you’re sure to find more donors in the practically infinite sea of possible funders. 

Myth 3: "The donor journey ends once they make a gift."

If I could dispel one myth in our sector, it would be this one. A gift is just the starting line of a long-lasting relationship. The most successful organizations I've worked with understand that stewardship is where the real magic happens.

The first gift is a donor saying, "I trust you enough to try this." What you do next determines whether they become a one-time giver or a lifelong partner. 

Why Stewardship Matters

Major donor relationships create transformation. When you invest in meaningful stewardship, you:

• Build donor loyalty and retention.

• Increase the likelihood of upgraded gifts.

• Create advocates who bring others to your mission.

• Establish a sustainable funding base.

Myth 4: "Having more major donors is dangerous because they will dictate our strategy."

I understand how this myth came into being because, similar to encountering transactional major donors, some particularly pushy donors do exist. That said, these overbearing few need not dictate your entire fundraising strategy.

Make Listening an Art Form

When a major donor comes to you with an idea, like "We should fund ___ program!" or "You need to do X,” your job isn't to immediately say yes or no. It's to ask questions.

By answering an assertive direction with a question like “what issue do you think doing X will solve?” you will reveal alternatives to their suggestions or drill deeper into the perceived problem without sacrificing your organizational autonomy. Here is a great list of questions you can ask your donor.

What donors want is to be heard, to feel valued, and to know their input matters. When you get to the why behind their what, you can often propose solutions that both honor their passion and align with your strategic priorities.

Myth #5: "I don't have time for fundraising."

This is a myth specific to the nonprofit executive branch, and here’s my response: we all have time for what we value.

Executive directors and CEOs carry impossibly heavy loads. But here's what I've observed: the leaders who prioritize fundraising and major gift cultivation end up with more time, not less.

The more they raise, the more they can invest in infrastructure that takes things off their plate, like hiring that development director or executive assistant. Fundraising isn't a distraction from your mission; it's what makes your mission sustainable.

In Conclusion

The common thread in all of these myths is fear: fear of rejection, fear of being too bold, fear of wasting time.

When you reject that fear and challenge limiting beliefs, you create the opportunity for transformational gifts and sustainable fundraising.

Your mission deserves that kind of courage.

Ready to bust your own fundraising myths? Let's talk about what's possible for your organization. Contact AmPhil to explore how we can help you build a major gifts program rooted in authentic donor relationships.

About the Author

Benjamin Domingue serves as a Director, helping AmPhil’s clients build and lead their development departments. His particular focus is on major gifts, planned giving, strategic planning, direct mail fundraising, capital campaigns, and transformational “non-transactional” fundraising.

Before joining AmPhil in 2021, Ben served as a major gifts officer with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students and as Director of Development with ACE Scholarships in Denver. He received his MBA from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, with a concentration in Catholic Philanthropy. Ben earned his bachelor’s degree in International Trade & Finance from Louisiana State University, where he played on the SEC Championship football team. Ben resides in Littleton, CO, with his wife and children.

You can connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.