Building Bridges to Big Gifts: Unlocking the Power of Individual Gifts

March 14, 2025
| 11:38 am

Not every small donor will become a major gifts donor. But most major gift donors start as small donors.

This was the clear theme at IEHP Foundation’s recent IE Vibrant Health Forum, Building Bridges to Big Gifts: Unlocking the Power of Individual Donors on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

The event brought together nearly 100 nonprofit leaders across the Inland Empire to learn from local development and fundraising leaders Erin Phillips, Gonser Gerber, Launa Wilson, LW Consulting and Lisa Wright, Green Parakeet Consulting. The group led an interactive session and shared practical insights and real-world examples of cultivating individual donations.

Riverside County Supervisor and IEHP Governing Board Chair Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez and IEHP Foundation Vice Chair Regina Weatherspoon-Bell opened the forum, highlighting how critical nonprofits are in advancing Vibrant Health across the Inland Empire.

While many nonprofits in the region utilize events as their main tool for raising donations, the speakers highlighted the importance of cultivating individual donors, who account for 67% of charitable giving in the U.S.

The forum focused on the benefits of individual gifts and offered real-world examples of how to do so. Dan Flores, executive director of Mary’s Mercy Center, shared the importance of treating every donor who walks through their door as a million-dollar donor.

“I know that we all look for those large donors. We all love to get a $10,000 or $100,000 check,” shared Flores. “Not every $10 donor turns into a $100,000 donor, but in my experience, every $100,000 donor started out as a $10 donor.”

Launa Wilson highlighted the benefits of individual giving, including how donors can help better serve your organization’s mission. She cautioned against always chasing new donors but shared how to leverage those who are already supporting an organization, including volunteers, gala attendees and board members.

Cultivating individual donors is not just about immediate contributions; it’s about establishing a long-term, sustainable fundraising strategy:

Sustainable Fundraising: Individual gifts create consistent funding streams, ensuring the organization can meet its mission.

Planned Giving Opportunities: Annual donors may consider planned gifts, increasing the potential for significant long-term support.

Long-term Relationships: Ongoing engagement with donors fosters loyalty and encourages continued support.

Gateway to Major Gifts: Nurturing relationships with annual donors can lead to larger contributions in the future.

Erin Phillips shared how to develop tools and resources to cultivate individual gifts, including cases for support.

A case for support is generally a document or brief report that outlines the problem, what the nonprofit is doing to solve it, and why that organization is uniquely equipped to do so. Lastly, how the nonprofit is solving it, and here’s how you, as a donor, can help. Phillips shared that a case for support is helpful in guiding conversations with potential donors.

“Having a clear case is something everyone starts to speak from,” shared Phillips. “But if you don’t have this, it is literally a missing leg in your stool.”

Lastly, Lisa Wright, former CEO of United Way Inland SoCal, highlighted how nonprofit organizations should have detailed gift policies, the ability to receive various in-kind gifts and a fundraising calendar to organize and track ongoing efforts throughout the year.

“It significantly reduces your stress because if you have a road map for the year,” shared Wright. “The minute you get stressed because you have too many things to do, you simply look at your calendar and say what I will do today.”

Attendees were appreciative of the resources and knowledge shared. In post-event survey responses, 88% of participants shared that they intend to modify or implement the strategies they learned into their fund development programs.

“I felt motivated most to build our case statement and feel confident in the information shared on how to complete this,” said Matthew Coughlin, executive director of Moses House Ministries.