Jacque Daley-Perrin says, “Get Off the Hamster Wheel…Raise Major Gifts Instead!” is one veteran’s take on the fastest way to secure the monies you need to scale your important mission. Here’s what Jacque has to share:
As a fundraiser with over 24 years of experience, I’ve lived the grind of nonprofit fundraising. I’ve organized countless events—galas with auctions and raffles, golf tournaments, and wine pulls. I’ve spent hours preparing grant applications and stewarding institutional funders. And I’ve cultivated relationships with major donors, sitting across from them to share a vision for transformational gifts.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s this: money is the oxygen that nonprofits need to survive and thrive. Without it, they can’t breathe, much less grow. Yet so many organizations are stuck on a hamster wheel of technique-driven fundraising strategies—particularly events—that sap resources while yielding a low return on investment (ROI).
It’s time to step off the hamster wheel. Nonprofits must shift their focus to a strategy that generates the most resources with the least time and effort: major gifts fundraising.
The Hidden Costs of Traditional Events
Traditional fundraising events—galas, golf outings, auctions—rely on ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, ad sales, and mid-level donation asks. While these events are popular, they are also labor-intensive and inefficient. Months of planning are required to secure venues, sell tickets, organize auctions, and coordinate volunteers.
MEET JACQUE AT A MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP EVENT
The average cost to raise $1 through events is $0.50, and this doesn’t include the hidden costs of staff time. Events also exhaust teams and volunteers, leaving little time to focus on higher-ROI activities like donor cultivation.
Even more troubling, events rarely attract loyal donors. Most attendees give once, often at a lower level than they are capable of, and never return unless someone follows up. The ask is usually low—buying a ticket, bidding on an auction item, or participating in a paddle raise—leaving significant money on the table.
That’s not to say events are entirely without merit. Community engagement and relationship-building are essential, and events can be a valuable tool when done right. But traditional events shouldn’t be your primary fundraising strategy. If you want to raise significant money, you’re better off running high-net-worth donor cultivation events instead of draining resources on ticketed fundraisers.
Jacque Daley-Perrin says, “Get Off the Hamster Wheel…Raise Major Gifts Instead!”
According to the National Center on Charitable Statistics, 67% of nonprofits operate with budgets under $500,000, and 30% fail within 10 years. The primary reason? They don’t have the money to build infrastructure, hire the right people, or scale their programs.
Too often, nonprofits prioritize program delivery over cash acquisition, hoping great work will magically attract funding. But hope is not a strategy. Without a proactive, donor-centered fundraising plan, organizations remain small, unstable, and unable to meet the growing needs of their communities.
The solution is simple: make donors central to your work.
The ROI of Major Gifts Fundraising
Major gifts fundraising is the most efficient and effective way to generate the resources nonprofits need to scale. Consider the numbers:
● The average cost to raise $1 through major gifts is just $0.10—far less than events, grants, or direct mail.
● Research shows that 10% of donors contribute 90% of the funds in any major campaign.
● High-net-worth individuals account for a third of all charitable giving and 86% of all bequests.
When you focus on major gifts, you can raise substantial amounts of money from fewer donors, freeing up your time to focus on mission-critical work.
Rethinking Events: The Major Gifts Ramp-Up Model
That doesn’t mean you should stop holding events altogether—it means you need to rethink how and why you use them. The Major Gifts Ramp-Up (MGRU) model offers a smarter way to integrate events into your fundraising strategy. Rather than hosting multiple stand-alone events, MGRU emphasizes a strategic sequence of events that build awareness, cultivate relationships, and secure transformational gifts. Here’s how it works:
1. Start with an Awareness Event: This is not a fundraising event. Instead, it’s designed to educate potential donors about your mission, introduce them to your organization, and inspire them to learn more. Attendees are carefully selected using tools like DonorScope lists to ensure you’re engaging people with the capacity to give.
2. Follow Up with Cultivation Efforts: After the awareness event, you spend 6–12 months cultivating attendees through one-on-one meetings, tours, and personalized engagement opportunities. This step is critical—most nonprofits fail to follow up effectively, losing potential donors.
MEET JACQUE AT A MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP EVENT
3. Host a Signature Ask Event: After cultivation, you invite donors to a high-impact signature ask event. This is not a traditional fundraiser with auctions and raffles. Instead, it’s a carefully planned event where donors are immersed in your mission and invited to make significant gifts. The event raises visibility for your work, strengthens your case for support, and results in multiple five-figure and six-figure gifts.
4. Secure Transformational Gifts: People rarely give their best gifts at events, even signature ask events. That’s why MGRU includes a follow-up strategy called the three-part ask, ensuring donors are given the opportunity to make their most meaningful contributions.
This approach allows you to leverage events strategically, reducing costs, increasing ROI, and focusing your efforts on donors who can make game-changing gifts.
A Case for Change
Let’s look at the two examples shared in the book Major Gifts Ramp Up: money is oxygen without it charities can’t breathe:
● Ethan’s Hospital Foundation: Ethan’s team organized six fundraising events annually, each with unique themes and attendees. While the events were fun and brought in some revenue, they consumed enormous amounts of time and failed to generate transformational gifts. The team was so busy running events they had no time to cultivate relationships with major donors.
● Paul’s Literacy Organization: Paul’s nonprofit had a $5 million endowment but was struggling to keep up with rising expenses. Traditional methods—grants, events, and appeals—weren’t enough. By adopting the MGRU model, Paul shifted his focus to major gifts fundraising, hosting a signature ask event that raised multiple six-figure gifts and introduced his organization to new high-net-worth donors.
These stories highlight the difference between spinning your wheels on low-ROI activities and focusing on strategies that yield lasting results.
Step Off the Hamster Wheel
As nonprofit leaders, we must use our time and resources wisely. That means stepping off the hamster wheel of traditional fundraising events and embracing a donor-centered, major gifts strategy.
Major gifts fundraising isn’t just about raising more money—it’s about building relationships, inspiring donors, and creating the financial stability nonprofits need to scale their impact. By implementing the Major Gifts Ramp-Up model, you can unlock the resources your organization needs to breathe, grow, and thrive.
MEET JACQUE AT A MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP EVENT
Let’s stop chasing small-dollar contributions and start building a future where nonprofits can focus on what really matters: serving their communities.
Author’s Note:
With over two decades of experience leading nonprofit fundraising efforts, I’ve walked the path from events-driven fundraising to donor-focused major gifts strategies. My journey has taught me that prioritizing relationships with major donors is the key to achieving transformative growth. The tools and principles outlined in Major Gifts Ramp-Up have revolutionized the way nonprofits approach fundraising, and I hope they inspire you to take your organization to the next level.
Jacque Daley-Perrin says, “Get Off the Hamster Wheel…Raise Major Gifts Instead!” was first posted at National Development Institute
For more articles like Jacque Daley-Perrin says, “Get Off the Hamster Wheel…Raise Major Gifts Instead!” VISIT HERE
