Major Gift Fundraising: The First Donor Meeting

The first meeting with a major gift prospect is the most important conversation in fundraising — and most development professionals walk into it without a plan. This course changes that.

Major gift fundraising begins long before anyone makes an ask. It begins with a single, well-structured conversation — one that helps you understand who your donor is, why they care about your mission, and whether they have the capacity and desire to make a significant investment in your work.

That first meeting doesn't need to feel like an interview or a pitch. When done right, it becomes one of the most energizing conversations you'll have as a fundraiser. This course shows you exactly how to lead it.

What You'll Learn:

• How to structure a first donor meeting from start to finish — including what to say, what to ask, and how to close the conversation with a clear next step

• The key questions that reveal a donor's philanthropic motivations, personal giving history, and connection to your mission — without feeling like an interrogation

• How to use the Discovery and Qualification stages of Moves Management to determine whether a prospect has the capacity and inclination to become a major donor

• How to answer the critical question: "Could this person become a major donor?" — using a few simple, repeatable tools

• How to build genuine donor relationships rooted in mission alignment — not transactional asks

• How to develop a rhythm with first meetings so each one becomes more natural, more productive, and more rewarding

This Course Is For You If:

• You're a nonprofit fundraiser preparing for your first — or first few — major donor meetings and want to walk in with a clear structure

• You're an executive director or development director who meets with donors regularly but has never had a formal framework for those conversations

• You want to build a major gifts program grounded in authentic relationship development, not cold pitching

• You've completed Moves Management 101 and are ready to go deeper into the discovery and qualification phases

What's Included:

First Meeting Framework — A clear structure for your donor conversation, including what to cover and in what order

Discovery Question Guide — Curated questions that help you learn what matters most to your donor — naturally and conversationally

Qualification Tools — Simple, practical tools to help you assess whether a prospect is ready to move toward a major gift ask

Your Instructor

This course is taught by Alison Clare Baldree, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with more than 15 years of nonprofit fundraising experience.

Alison has spent her career helping nonprofits build meaningful major gift programs — and since 2019, she has been teaching nonprofit leaders and development professionals how to raise more with more confidence and clarity. Her courses are grounded in real-world practice, designed for people doing important work who need tools they can use immediately.

Enroll in Major Gift Fundraising 101: The First Donor Meeting today and walk into your next donor conversation with the structure, questions, and confidence to make it count.