6 Ways to Have the Best Major Gift Portfolio

As a fundraiser, you know how important it is to have a finely-tuned major gift portfolio. Whether you're new to major gifts or a seasoned pro, crafting the best portfolio is crucial to hitting your fundraising goals and building lasting relationships with your donors. But here's the thing—it's not just about filling your portfolio with high-net-worth individuals. It's about being strategic.

So, how do you build a killer major gift portfolio that drives results? Let’s dive into six ways to ensure your portfolio is optimized for success.

1. Qualify Your Prospects with Precision

Your major gift portfolio should be filled with qualified prospects who have both affinity and capacity. Too often, fundraisers chase wealth without ensuring that the donor actually has an interest in the cause.

What does "qualified" mean?
A qualified prospect is someone who:

• Has a genuine interest (affinity) in your organization’s mission.
• Has the financial capacity to make a significant gift.

You don’t want to spend your valuable time cultivating someone who may have deep pockets but no real connection to your cause. On the flip side, it’s equally frustrating to nurture a loyal supporter who simply doesn’t have the capacity to give a major gift. The magic happens when both factors align.

Action tip: Hold discovery meetings to gauge the affinity of each prospect before adding them to your portfolio. Are they engaged with your communications? Have they attended your events? These are signs of interest. Use wealth screening tools to ensure their giving capacity is strong enough to support your major gift efforts.

2. Right-Size Your Portfolio

There’s no "one size fits all" when it comes to managing your major gift portfolio. Some organizations suggest 150 prospects, while others recommend fewer than 50. The key is finding the number that allows you to make consistent, quality moves with your donors.

What’s the right number?
It depends on your role and how much time you spend directly with donors. If you're solely focused on major gifts, you might manage 75–100 prospects. If you also have administrative duties or manage other fundraisers, a portfolio of 30–50 prospects might be more realistic.

The goal is to ensure that you can maintain meaningful, ongoing relationships with your prospects. A smaller, well-curated portfolio often outperforms a larger, unfocused one.

Action tip: Use the 80% rule. You should have a quality contact (not just a blast email) with at least 80% of your prospects every six months. If you can’t achieve that, your portfolio is too big.

3. Prioritize Coverage Over Quantity

Portfolio coverage refers to how many of your prospects you’re actively engaging with on a regular basis. High coverage leads to higher success rates because you’re regularly making meaningful contact with donors.

Think about this: You can have 100 prospects in your portfolio, but if you’re only reaching out to 40 of them regularly, you're not maximizing your potential. The most successful major gift officers (MGOs) have a coverage rate of at least 70–80%.

How to increase coverage?

• Schedule regular touchpoints with each prospect. This could be a phone call, a personal email, or a face-to-face meeting.
• Use a CRM to track your progress. Set reminders for follow-up actions so no one falls through the cracks.

Action tip: Conduct a portfolio audit. Who haven’t you spoken with in the last six months? If a prospect is falling off your radar, either re-engage or consider removing them from your portfolio.

4. Bless and Release Prospects When Necessary

It’s hard to let go of prospects, especially if they’ve been in your portfolio for a while. But holding onto unresponsive or uninterested donors can drain your time and resources.

When to release a prospect:

• If they’ve consistently shown low engagement over a 6–12 month period.
• If they have capacity but no affinity for your organization’s mission.
• If they’ve given clear indications (directly or indirectly) that they aren’t interested in making a major gift.

"Bless and release" means respectfully closing the door on this prospect for now, but leaving it open for the future. A polite conversation thanking them for their time and letting them know you’re stepping back is often appreciated. It frees you up to focus on donors who are ready to move forward.

Action tip: Conduct an annual portfolio review and identify prospects who are not progressing. These are the people to "bless and release." Remember, time spent on the wrong prospects is time not spent cultivating the right ones.

5. Use Data to Drive Decisions

Data is your best friend when managing your major gift portfolio. The most successful fundraisers regularly track donor engagement metrics to guide their next steps. The more you understand about your donors' behavior, the better you can tailor your approach to them.

What data should you track?

• Wealth screening: Keep an eye on changes in capacity over time.
• Engagement scores: Are they attending your events? Clicking on your emails? Responding to personal outreach?
• Previous giving history: Past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior.

When you use data to identify trends, you’ll notice who’s primed for an ask and who might need more cultivation. This allows you to allocate your time wisely and make more informed decisions.

Action tip: Set up a regular portfolio report that highlights your most engaged prospects, any lapsed donors, and key touchpoints you need to follow up on.

6. Develop Deep Relationships, Not Just Transactions

At the end of the day, major gifts are about relationships, not transactions. A great major gift portfolio isn't just full of wealthy individuals—it's filled with people who believe in your mission and are excited to invest in it.

How to build deeper relationships:

• Personalize your outreach. Tailor your communications to reflect the donor’s interests and passions.
• Offer meaningful engagement opportunities. Invite them to tour your facility, attend an intimate event, or meet with your leadership team.
• Stewardship matters. Don’t just engage prospects when you need a gift. Build trust by thanking them for their ongoing support and showing them the impact of their donations.

The key is to make every donor feel like they are part of your organization's journey. When they feel personally connected to your cause, the major gifts will follow.

Action tip: Create a customized engagement plan for each donor in your portfolio. What moves can you make to deepen their relationship with your organization over the next 6–12 months?

Building and managing the best major gift portfolio requires a thoughtful, strategic approach. It’s not about filling your portfolio with as many names as possible—it’s about choosing the right prospects, maintaining consistent engagement, and developing deep relationships that last.

By qualifying prospects carefully, right-sizing your portfolio, prioritizing coverage, blessing and releasing when necessary, using data, and focusing on relationships, you’ll be well on your way to crushing your major gift goals.

Looking for more insights? Check out our blog on how successful MGOs spend their time to see what top-performing fundraisers are doing to maximize their impact!