25 Major Donor Gift Ideas to Cultivate Lasting Relationships

Strong relationships with donors are crucial to the success of your nonprofit organization, and that goes double for major donors! It’s essential to keep major donors engaged with your organization by showing donor appreciation. One of the best ways to recognize their generosity is with unique gifts for donors.

Take a look at some high-quality major donor gift ideas to show your appreciation and improve donor retention:

• Events as major donor gift ideas
• Dedications or a major donors’ namesake as a major donor gift
• Personalized items for major donor gift ideas
• Exclusive programs as major donor gifts

Understanding major donor gifts

Why do gifts help retain major donors?

When making a donation, major donors often want to make a difference in their communities based on their values. Unlike large corporate donors or sponsors who may seek brand visibility and business benefits, major donors often seek a personal connection to the cause where they can make an impact. 

Research shows 88% of total dollars raised comes from just 12% of donors–making it a priority to form a relationship with your major donors based on their interests and connection to your mission. Personal relationships will also prevent their donations from feeling too transactional. Donor recognition, often through thoughtful and personalized gifts, can also be an important part of stewarding those relationships. 

What is considered a major gift donation?

Nonprofits come in all shapes and sizes, and so do major donors. The exact amount of a major gift will depend on your nonprofit’s annual budget, outside funding sources, and the scope of your initiatives. For smaller nonprofits, a major gift might be $5,000, while for larger organizations, it could be $50,000 or more. 

Additionally, where major gifts were often designated to extremely specific projects in the past, trends are changing to favor more discretion on the part of the nonprofit to decide how and where large donations will be used. Understanding the different use cases and donation levels of each organization will help its development staff tailor donor appreciation gifts effectively.

Thanking major donors

How do you thank a major donor?

Customized communication is key when thanking major donors. This starts with handwritten notes, personalized emails, and in-person visits when possible. Unique experiences and gifts of recognition can go a long way to demonstrate the gratitude your organization feels for them. It’s also important to learn and keep note of each major donor’s preferences–some may appreciate public recognition, while others may prefer private acknowledgments.

Major donor gift ideas

Impactful and thoughtfully chosen thank-you gifts can leave a lasting impression on major donors. These gifts don’t need to be extravagant–even gestures that may be somewhat simple for development staff to execute will profoundly resonate with donors and show how much their support matters. Here are 25 impactful gift ideas:

Events as major donor gift ideas

1. Exclusive event invitations

Why reinvent the wheel? Offer major donors a VIP ticket to an exclusive gala, event, or other upcoming experience on your organization’s calendar. Attending an event can show major donors the direct impact their gifts have on your nonprofit.

2. Private dinner with key staff members

Annual donor appreciation events are great for thanking large amounts of mid-range donors, but they can also take a lot of time, effort, and money. Consider hosting smaller, intimate dinners where major donors can connect with executive leadership about future initiatives.

3. Meet-and-greet with influential figures

Arrange a private session with notable figures in your organization’s area of interest. Does your group specialize in social action or community services? Bring in an activist who aligns with your mission (either virtually or in-person) to meet with major donors and discuss impact. 

4. Event speaker request

Do you have a major event coming up? Ask a major donor to serve as one of the speakers and talk about why they give. This will not only recognize the efforts of your donor, but could also inspire others to donate to your cause.

5. VIP tours of facilities

Have your major donors ever visited the facilities of your nonprofit? Offer them a personal tour where you can showcase the direct impact of their donations–even better if they can meet some of the beneficiaries of their support.

6. Engagement with beneficiaries

Can’t offer your donors a tour? You can still facilitate direct interactions between donors and beneficiaries at a secondary location, upcoming event, or virtual meeting. Fostering a personal connection to the cause will give your donors even more reason to give back.

7. Exclusive donor survey interview

Conduct an online survey or interview with your major donors to directly ask about their experience and why they care about your organization. However, you should keep your interviews separate from program planning to avoid highly-restrictive giving.

8. Donor survey event

Turn your survey into a full donor appreciation day. The first part of your event can be an in-person interview, then add in a meal, speaking program, or VIP tour to boot, and your donors will feel appreciated and excited to give again.

Dedications or a major donors’ namesake as a major donor gift

9. Legacy naming opportunities

One of the most obvious forms of recognition for major donors is to name specific programs, scholarships, or facilities in their honor. But you can get creative with this! Don’t stop with just a building or room, you can also honor your donors by naming them on flagpoles, specific furnishings, staff positions, and much more. 

10. Plant or tree dedication

We’ve all seen brick dedications, but why not dedicate a plant or tree in the name of your major donors to symbolize growth and sustainability? This would be an amazing legacy for future generations to enjoy for decades to come. 

11. Donor wall recognition

Designing a wall to include all your major donors in one place creates the opportunity for community members to find names they recognize and inspire future donors. A recognition wall is also a good place to acknowledge corporate sponsors alongside individual donors. 

12. Donor recognition websites

Don’t have a physical or public space to acknowledge your donors? Launch a digital platform to honor major donors, allowing them to see the impact of their contributions and connect with other supporters.

13. Social media shout-outs

What’s more public than social media? Write up a thoughtful post to recognize the contributions of a major donor, and tag them in the post. Again, this can serve as both a thank you for their generosity and inspiration for others to give. 

14. Highlight giving inspiration

Do you have a major donor who’s a little shy? Instead of highlighting the donor, highlight what inspires them to give with an anonymous story shared on your website, social media, or newsletter. They’ll appreciate the private recognition, and others will appreciate reading about why it’s beneficial to give to your nonprofit. 

Personalized items for major donor gift ideas

15. Personalized art pieces

Collaborate with local artists or beneficiaries to create custom artwork reflecting your organization’s mission. Does your organization serve children or animals? Major donors are sure to love an original piece of art from one of the beneficiaries of their generosity.

16. Custom-engraved items

Gifts like fancy pens, lapel pins, or keychains engraved with their name or a meaningful phrase will remind major donors of your appreciation every time they see the item. In this case, it’s very important to prioritize quality over quantity. 

17. Limited edition merchandise

Speaking of quantity, your major donors will also appreciate limited edition merchandise that they can wear or display proudly as an exclusive reflection of their support. This could even be a special “Giving Society” magnet or bumper sticker that they can show off on their car in the community. 

18. Customized plaques

Another form of visible recognition could be a personalized plaque. This is the perfect item for major donors with an office to display for their friends, coworkers, and clients. The plaque can include more than just their name–if they helped fund a specific building or program, you can include imagery that represents their contribution. 

19. Photo gifts

Take the imagery a step further with a beautiful photo gift or coffee table book to display in their home or office. Seeing the direct impact their gift has made can inspire your major donors to continue giving and serve as a daily reminder of your appreciation for their generosity. 

20. Experiential gifts

Does your organization provide culinary services or other types of instruction? Offer major donors an experience like a hands-on cooking class with beneficiaries of your program or a tasting menu prepared by culinary students. This could translate to virtual events too, like a painting class with nonprofit staff or beneficiaries. 

Exclusive programs as major donor gifts

21. Priority access to new initiatives

Provide major donors with an exclusive first look at upcoming projects or campaigns before they’re revealed publicly. This idea not only allows your donors to feel more connected to your organization’s mission, but it can also provide them with a unique opportunity to provide insights to further strengthen donor relationships.

22. Donation matching programs

Consider naming a matching donation grant after the major donor who presented the offer. Presenting the opportunity of a matching program will amplify your donor’s impact and foster a sense of partnership in making a difference.

23. Customized portfolio reports

Highlight the impact of your donor’s contributions over time with a detailed donor summary report. This well-designed document will showcase measurable outcomes that align with their specific interests, and if it is published externally, can bring more awareness to causes they care about.

24. Themed community service days

Ideal for major donors who are part of a corporate team, community service days allow these individuals to engage directly in volunteer work that aligns with their philanthropic values. You can also showcase donors who volunteer on your social media or email newsletter. 

25. Membership to elite networks

Many major donors would jump at the chance to network with fellow donors who share an interest in the same causes. Go beyond the typical donor event by hosting a meet-up specifically centered around networking with like-minded individuals. Who knows what could come from a meeting of the minds like this one?

Final thoughts for major donor gift ideas

Appreciating your major donors through meaningful gifts is essential for building and maintaining strong relationships. These gifts also don’t have to break the bank–inviting them to be a VIP at an existing event or writing up a heartfelt thank you to share in your newsletter or on social media can mean the world to donors who care deeply about your mission. Implementing unique major donor gift ideas can help strengthen your donor relationships and ensure continued support for your organization.

Additional resources

Looking for more information on acquiring and appreciating major donors? Check out these additional resources:

• Raise More Major Gifts Webinar. Learn how to build a major gifts portfolio and zero in on your top prospects. 
• The Lucrative Art of Thanking Donors Webinar. Discover why (and how!) thanking donors pays dividends, with examples for online donors, monthly donors, and even automated thank yous.
• Steward & Cultivate Major Donors in a Virtual World. Explore ways to steward and cultivate your major donors online!