Franklin Forum: Nonprofit Professionals Stress Face-to-Face Contact is Key to Major Giving

"Fundraising is integrity, ethics and transparency," Guthridge said.

His organization deems anything in excess of $100 a major gift. While he said this presents a challenge because even though $250 is a major gift, you can't spend the same amount of time on these donors as you do on a $1,000 donor, he added that the goal for his organization is to get the $100 donor to be a $250 donor, the $250 donors to be a $500 donor, etc. This requires taking the time to listen and figure out what donors want.