How DonorPerfect Helps You Find and Engage Major Donors

Major donors are your organization’s MVPs, because they can single-handedly fund your greatest goals! Though all your donor relationships are important, the uncertainties of COVID-19 make a case for your nonprofit team to prioritize the development of a few major donor relationships over stretching limited resources to acquire several new smaller-scale donors.

Engaging new donors can easily cost you 50-100% more than the dollars you earn from them. With a targeted approach on major donors, your fundraising costs will certainly get more mileage, and DonorPerfect fundraising software is designed to make the job easier.

11 Ways DonorPerfect is Built for Major Gift Fundraising

DonorPerfect not only helps you track down major donors, but equips you with what it takes to nurture those relationships for life. Our software enables you to:

1. Use reports you already have
2. Know when you receive a major gift
3. Identify major donors in your network
4. Define “major donor” for your nonprofit
5. Perform donor wealth screenings
6. Leverage prospect research
7. See what major donors say on social media
8. Reach the right people
9. Create compelling fundraising videos
10. Thank your major donors
11. Show the impact of major gifts with ease

#1. Use reports already available to you

When you begin your search for major donors, you don’t have to look very far. You can start by running DonorPerfect’s Top Donor Listing report. This fundraising report lets you define your major donor criteria and shows the top X% or X number of donors you specify.

Make it happen: How to Run the Top Donor Listing Report

#2. Know the moment you receive a major gift

A prompt gift acknowledgement is a must for major gifts. Set up DonorPerfect SmartActions to send automated emails to your major gifts officer the instant you receive a major gift, so they can properly thank them in a timely manner.

Make it happen: How to Set Up SmartActions

#3. Identify major donors in your network

Each donor record in DonorPerfect comes complete with key metrics detailing a donor’s relationship with your organization. Data includes years since their first donation, amount of their largest gift – and whether or not they’re a major donor. As you work inside DonorPerfect, you can quickly identify major donors by spotting the diamond badge.

Make it happen: How to Discern Major Donor Records

#4. Define “major donor” for your nonprofit

When you join DonorPerfect and request a data transfer, our onboarding team will securely move your data for you – and make it more valuable! That’s because our data transfer team runs your data through DonorSearch, so each of your records will return to you with a new “wealth score,” representing the literal value of your donor, but also the value of your donor to your organization. This way, you’ll be able to standardize a practice around major donor cultivation and can more easily prioritize your outreach efforts.

Make it happen: Learn More About the DonorSearch Wealth Score

#5. Perform wealth screenings of the donors you have

DonorPerfect’s unique integration with DonorSearch pulls wealth data right into your donor records. By having updated financial records available at a glance or in your analyses, you’ll know exactly who to target and the precise amount to include in your ask.

Make it happen: Learn More About the DonorSearch-DonorPerfect Integration

#6. Expand your reach with prospect research

Want to be introduced to brand new major donors? DonorSearch provides you with marketing lists packed with prime prospects, based on up to 300 criteria of your choice, such as real estate value and gift amounts given in the past.

Best of all, these lists seamlessly flow into DonorPerfect, where you’ll be set to analyze your wealth data in reports and start your outreach efforts with DonorPerfect’s donor engagement features.

Make it happen: Learn more about DonorSearch Prospect Lists

#7. See what major donors are saying on social

If you don’t know a major donor personally, it can be difficult to know what will capture their interest. With DonorPerfect, your donor records are updated with their most recent Twitter posts. That way, you can learn a bit about their interests, hobbies, personality, and what they value so you can make a personal and timely ask.

Make it happen: How to Use DonorPerfect’s Social Media Finder

#8. Be sure your letter reaches the right person

Save money on your major donor direct mail campaign costs by ensuring you have the most accurate donor mailing data. These DonorPerfect features and services make it easy:

Verify Address

Each time you enter a new donor address into DonorPerfect, you have the option to check the legitimacy of an address and correct it at the touch of a button.

Make it happen: How to Verify a Donor’s Address

Seasonal Addresses

DonorPerfect allows for seasonal addresses, which automatically adjust depending on the date, so even your “snowbird” donors will receive your letter no matter the time of year.

Make it happen: How to Set Seasonal Addresses

National Change of Address

Update your donors’ records with their most current addresses. Aside from saving money on postage, this service will enhance the quality of your data for your wealth screenings.

Make it happen: Learn more about DonorPerfect NCOA Updates

#9. Make your ask more compelling with video

A recent Google study found that 57% of people who watch fundraising videos respond with a donation. That’s a good reason to get in front of the camera! Now you can use DonorPerfect to send solicitation videos to your major donors right from their records

Make it happen: How to Say Thank You with Video

#10. Thank your major donors

Thanking your major donors is something you can’t forget! Fortunately, DonorPerfect can remind you to say thanks right away.

Receipt Alerts

Each time you log in to DonorPerfect, you’re prompted with an alert when there are pending gifts needing receipts.

Make it happen: How to Use Thank You Reminders

Thank You Video

Major gifts deserve major thank yous. DonorPerfect now offers a feature called DP Video that reminds you to send video emails to donors when they give a gift above an amount you specify. These extra special thank yous have the potential to increase major donor retention.

Make it happen: How to Use Thank You Reminders

#11. Show the impact of major gifts with ease

In addition to using video to solicit and thank major donors, this highly visual medium is especially useful in relaying impact. With DP Video, you can express your gratitude for the donor in a custom message and attach a second video that shows them how their donation is benefitting your cause.

Make it happen: What to Say in a Fundraising Video

With DonorPerfect by your side, major donor fundraising is possible, even in the midst of a global pandemic. The features discussed in this article are included with most DonorPerfect subscriptions. If you’d like to learn more about DonorPerfect or a certain feature, tell us a little bit about yourself in the form below, and a member of our team will be in touch.