Your major donors have always been important to your organization.  You should be cultivating major donors to stay with the mission and make their feel secure about their major gifts, according to Sarah Burdi, assistant vice president of Falls Church, Va. based InovaHealth System Foundation, the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Burdi gave some tips about reaching out to major and planned gift donors at the recent Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference, in National Harbor, Md.

* Identify the donors. For InovaHealth System Foundation, a major gift donor is classified as $25,000 or more. Define what a major donor is for you and cultivate those relationships accordingly.

* Develop your message. Your communications should tell donors who you are and what makes your nonprofit stand out. Highlight why you are the organization they should be donating to and never underestimate the power of stories.

* New ways to connect. Direct mail and e-newsletters are dynamic outreach pieces in your communications. But think about developing stewardship activities. For example, InovaHealth has a lecture series that donors can attend. Reach out to your donors often and deliberately.

* Customize the major donor experience. Burdi explained that your focus should be on individual patients, not your list. Lumping all donors together doesn’t allow for personal relationships that blossom into philanthropic efforts.

* Engage major donors based on interests. Some donors would like to know more about the organization’s leadership. Some might be interested in your facility or operations. For example, Inova has President’s series and physician tours. Tailor those special touch points for the donor.

* Talk to the major donors. Don’t just communicate out. Ask your major donors how they are doing and what they feel about their relationship with the organization. Seek their opinions about how to enhance the relationship or ideas for the organization.

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