How to use email to keep major donors close

A well-timed email can do more than secure a small gift — it can open the door to transformational giving.

The same digital storytelling and segmentation that drives grassroots fundraising also work for cultivating high-capacity supporters.

According to the 2025 CCS Philanthropic Landscape Report, nearly one-third of nonprofits using CRM and data tools to tailor and personalize emails to major donors are seeing real gains in revenue.

When your biggest supporters feel informed, valued, and personally connected, they’re far more likely to invest again.

Digital development officers + personalized outreach
The University of Pittsburgh and Western Michigan University are among institutions experimenting with “digital development/gift officer” models who use automated email and other digital channels to engage specific donor audiences between visits.

These roles prioritize automated, but most importantly, human emails that book conversations, share insider updates, and move qualified prospects into major-gift portfolios.

Takeaway: Treat email as the connective tissue in major-donor cultivation — advancing one clear call to action (a call, a meeting, or a gift confirmation).

Bay City News: consistent gratitude
When the pandemic upended in-person cultivation, Bay City News doubled down on email to keep donors close.

Twice-weekly newsletters to loyal readers began including a short thank-you line and gentle reminder to give, reinforcing community even while apart.

Every gift triggered a prompt thank-you note, and each January, the newsroom emailed a year-end recap with donors’ total giving.

Takeaway: Steady gratitude delivered by email can keep major supporters feeling connected and essential to the mission.

Make your emails work harder for major gifts
Ask with purpose. Like appeals for grassroots donors, your major-donor email should have one clear goal — a meeting, gift commitment, or insight — never three CTAs at once.

Follow fast. Send automated recap or thank-you emails within 24 hours of any meeting or personal exchange. Momentum fades quickly.

Segment your leadership list. Remove major donors from full email file appeals, but don’t be afraid to occasionally fold them in with a personalized note at the top (especially if the appeal is urgent).

Survey strategically. Short, 3- to 8-question surveys can reveal interests, giving readiness, and preferred communication methods. Route high-intent responders to personal follow-up.

The bottom line
Major donors are not a mass-email audience — they’re partners in your mission.

Email is the connective tissue between meetings, events, and phone calls — the place where gratitude, transparency, and timely updates compound into trust.

When your messages are personal, prompt, and purposeful, they stop reading like solicitations and start sounding like a real partnership.

The strongest major-gift programs aren’t sending more emails. They’re sending smarter ones — to the right people, at the right moments, with the right voice.

'Til next time!
Sara

P.S. Looking to add donors to your email list before year-end comes knocking? See how Civic Shout can help.