How to Find New Major Gift Prospects

In today’s episode, we tackle one of the most vital elements of major gift fundraising—finding new prospects! Whether you're a seasoned fundraiser looking to sharpen your strategy or a newcomer eager to build your prospect pipeline, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you cultivate meaningful relationships with future major donors.


Join Mary as she shares proven tactics for identifying and qualifying high-potential prospects who will truly make a difference in your organization. We’ll dive into the importance of affinity and capacity, leveraging your board’s network, qualifying potential donors through discovery calls, and even mining your own database for hidden gems. This episode is all about finding, qualifying, and nurturing the best prospects so you can spend more time building relationships and less time chasing “maybes.”


If you’re ready to create a lean, focused portfolio of prospects who are passionate about your mission, then this episode is for you!


Key Takeaways:

1. The Right Prospect Pool Equals Major Gift Success
Learn why a lean, well-curated prospect pool is worth more than a list of hundreds of "maybe" prospects. Mary shares why quality over quantity is the key to securing transformative gifts.
2. Affinity + Capacity: The Qualifying Formula
Discover how identifying prospects with high affinity for your mission and strong giving capacity is essential to building a successful prospect list.
3. Leverage Your Network Through Board and Volunteers
Tips for turning your board members and campaign volunteers into powerful prospecting partners, allowing you to expand your network without spending extra hours on direct prospecting.
4. Mining Your Database for Hidden Gems
The database you already have is one of your best resources for finding potential major donors. We discuss how to identify mid-level donors, lapsed major donors, and ways to use wealth screening wisely.
5. Building Trust from the First Contact
Mary shares her favorite “sticky trust strategies” to make a memorable impression from the first interaction, laying the foundation for a lasting donor relationship.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• 6 Ways to Build Your Best Major Gift Portfolio (https://heyfundraiser.com/post/how-to...) — Explore our blog post that dives into portfolio management, qualifying prospects, and maximizing every spot in your pipeline.
• Major Donor Meeting Mastery — Mary’s $47 training that gives you the frameworks and confidence to land major donor meetings and turn those relationships into big wins for your organization. Learn more here (http://mastery.heyfundraiser.com/) .

Additional Resources:

• Current Trends for Major Gift Officers (https://trends.heyfundraiser.com) — Read up on trends for gift officers to hone your po

💻 Connect with Mary Petersen


• Website: www.heyfundraiser.com

• YouTube: @heyfundraisers (   / @heyfundraisers  )

• Instagram: @heyfundraiser (  / heyfundraiser  )

• LinkedIn: Mary Petersen (  / heyfundraiser  )

• Email: [email protected]


🎯 Ready to Level Up Your Donor Meetings?


If you’re tired of leaving donor meetings with no gift, no timeline, and no follow-up plan, it’s time to learn the strategy that changes everything.
Check out Major Donor Meeting Mastery — my signature course that shows you exactly how to create momentum in the meeting, not after it.


➡️ Learn more (https://mastery.heyfundraiser.com/maj...)