Tammy Zonker on How to Upgrade Major Donors 

The challenge: Moving beyond the status quo

Many organizations struggle with plateaued giving. I’ve seen teams hesitate to ask for more, worried about offending loyal donors or “asking too soon.” Sometimes, the donor’s increased engagement goes unnoticed, or staff lack the confidence to make a bold ask. I’ve found that the key is to approach upgrades as an invitation to greater impact, not just a request for more money.

Recognize signs of deeper engagement

I’ve witnessed that major donors often signal their readiness to upgrade long before you make the ask. Look for:

• Increased attendance at events or site visits
• More frequent, thoughtful questions about your work
• Volunteering for committees or special projects
• Prompt responses to communications
• Sharing your organization’s news with their networks
• Giving multiple modest gifts throughout the year
  

One approach I’ve seen work well is tracking these engagement indicators and patterns in your CRM and discussing them regularly with your team. Better yet, a quality CRM combined with predictive AI can spot patterns with more precision than even the sharpest staff member manually reviewing data.

Create a culture of asking boldly

Upgrading major donors requires a culture where staff and board feel confident making significant asks. I’ve found that:

• Training is essential – Role-play upgrade conversations in team meetings
• Normalize boldness – Share stories internally of successful upgrade asks
• Celebrate effort, not just results – Recognize those who step up, even if the donor’s answer is “not now”
  

Strategically time the ask

Timing is everything. I’ve learned to watch for:

• Life events (retirement, business sale, milestone birthdays)
• Campaign windows (capital, endowment, anniversary campaigns)
• Impact milestones (project completions, new initiatives)
• Times of crisis (economic downturns, funding cuts, health pandemic)

Don’t rush. Build the relationship so the ask feels like a natural next step, not a surprise.

Offer visionary opportunities

Major donors want to fund transformation, not maintenance. In my experience, the most successful upgrades happen when you invite donors to invest in bold, visionary projects:

• Launching a new program or facility
• Funding solutions to community problems, not just band-aids
• Naming opportunities (buildings, scholarships, endowments)
• Legacy giving (bequests, planned gifts)
• Multi-year commitments to drive systemic change
  

Paint a vivid picture of what their increased support will achieve. One organization I worked with doubled a donor’s annual gift by inviting them to underwrite a new initiative aligned with their personal passion.

Use data to support the ask

I’ve found that using data builds confidence for both the asker and the donor. Leverage:

• RFM analysis (Recency, Frequency, Monetary value) to identify upgrade-ready donors
• Capacity indicators (wealth screening, giving trends, donor-advised funds)
• Personalized giving histories to show past impact and suggest a logical next step
  

Pro tip: A data-driven approach can reveal donors who have capacity and affinity, but haven’t yet been asked for a larger commitment. 

Learn how to leverage RFM analyses, capacity indicators, and personalized giving histories in this free download, co-written by DonorPerfect and DonorSearch: Your Guide to Major Gift Fundraising.

Key takeaways

• Track engagement signals and discuss upgrade opportunities as a team
• Invest in staff and board training to build confidence in making bold asks
• Time your upgrade to ask around key donor and organizational milestones
• Offer visionary, transformational opportunities that inspire larger gifts
• Use data to personalize and justify your ask, making it relevant and compelling
  

Encouragement and call to action (CTA)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that major donors want to do more—they just need to be invited in the right way for the right project. Don’t be afraid to dream big on behalf of your mission and your community. Every successful upgrade starts with a genuine relationship and a bold vision.

I encourage you to:

• Review your current upgrade strategies—where can you be braver and bolder?
• Share your upgrade stories and challenges with your team and peers.
• Reach out if you want advice or a sounding board—I’m always happy to help.
  

Over the course of my three-part blog series, I’ve shared insights and proven strategies from nearly three decades in major gifts fundraising to help you unlock transformational generosity for your organization:

• Part 1: How to Attract Major Donors explores how to define what a major donor means for your organization, understand donor motivations, leverage prospect research and networks, and make powerful first impressions that spark new relationships.
• Part 2: How to Retain Major Donors focuses on the critical importance of stewardship—going beyond thank-yous to show impact, engage donors in meaningful ways, and build a donor experience journey that turns first gifts into lifelong partnerships.
• Part 3: How to Upgrade Major Donors provides actionable guidance on recognizing deeper engagement, building a culture of bold asking, timing upgrade requests strategically, offering visionary opportunities, and using data to support transformational asks.
  

Whether you’re a major gift officer, development leader, executive director, or board member, I hope these tools and stories help you foster lasting, impactful connections with your supporters. Remember: transformational giving starts with authentic relationships, purposeful stewardship, and the confidence to invite donors to dream bigger with you.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to unlock generosity—one relationship at a time. – Tammy Zonker