Nurturing relationships that lead to lasting, meaningful support
Major donor fundraising is all about relationships. Large gifts rarely come out of the blue, they begin with genuine connection, clear communication, and a shared belief in your charity’s vision. It takes time, trust, and the right approach to turn interest into lasting commitment. At Orchard Fundraising, we help you create those conditions, working with you to identify potential supporters, understand what inspires them, and build the confidence and structure to nurture relationships that lead naturally to major gifts.
What is Major Donor Fundraising
Major donors are individuals or families who make significant gifts to the causes they care about. These gifts can transform a charity’s work, funding new programmes, scaling successful projects, or creating a legacy for the future. But successful major donor fundraising takes time, focus, and the right approach.
Unlike traditional appeals or campaigns, major donor fundraising is built on personal connection. It’s about understanding a donor’s motivations, sharing your vision in a compelling way, and nurturing relationships that grow over time. That’s why many charities combine this approach with Trusts & Foundations and Fundraising Strategy work, creating a balanced income mix and long-term sustainability.
Our Approach to Major Donor Fundraising
Successful major donor fundraising starts with knowing who your potential supporters are, why they care, and how best to connect with them. At Orchard Fundraising, we help you build the foundations for success, from identifying and researching prospects to developing the confidence and tools to engage them meaningfully.
Major donor fundraising takes time, often 12 to 18 months before significant gifts are secured, but it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to grow income and should form a vital part of every charity’s fundraising strategy. We’ll help you build the knowledge, skills and confidence that make major donor relationships feel natural, turning genuine connections into lasting support for your cause.
How We Help
How We Strengthen Your Major Donor Programme
We support you through every stage of major donor fundraising, helping you shape a clear, compelling case for support, identify and prioritise the individuals, families or networks most aligned with your mission, and deepen your insight into existing supporters, understanding their motivations and priorities so you can build stronger, more meaningful relationships.
Our team develops high-quality materials for one-to-one approaches and events, giving you the confidence and clarity to communicate your vision effectively. And because great major donor work relies on people, not just process, we equip trustees, leaders and fundraisers with the skills, tools and reassurance they need to approach, engage and steward donors with confidence.
Why Work With Us?
We’re highly experienced in building major donor programmes that deepen relationships with high net worth individuals, inspire generosity, and secure significant long-term support. We help charities gain the insight, structure, and confidence needed to connect meaningfully with donors, nurture trust over time, and build transformational giving that makes a lasting difference to their work and the communities they serve.
Decades of experience in major donor fundraising
A sensitive, supporter-led approach that builds trust
Insight-driven guidance grounded in real experience
A tailored partnership that fits your culture and donor base
Proven success helping secure transformational gifts
What Our Clients Say
We’re proud to partner with charities developing thoughtful, effective major donor programmes that turn genuine connection into lasting support.
“We are delighted with what Orchard Fundraising is achieving. Securing multi-year funding is critical to ensure long-term sustainability. Re-engaging with previous supporters has resulted in significant new funding and has enabled us to strengthen these relationships – we have already welcomed representatives of two trusts who visited Silk Wood to see the impact of their support.”
