All donations, whether large or small, make a difference to your nonprofit organization. But how do you find potential donors who could regularly write checks of $500 or more? This donor population can get weary — and wary — of requests.

To get the attention of these potential donors, you'll have to find a way to make your organization stand out. You'll also need a long-term strategy for turning your supporters into donors — and to turn some of those donors into major donors.

Tap Into Your Existing Network

If you want to grow your major donor list, start by tapping into your board, staff, and existing network of supporters. This will help you identify potential higher-level donors. Get to know your existing base of supporters and what they are contributing to other groups. Generosity does not necessarily track with income, so don't dismiss people who aren't doctors, lawyers, or titans of industry. Your potential major donors will come from the group of people who really like and support what you do. These are the people who come to your events, read your publications, and want to stay in regular contact with your organization.

Thank Every Donor

Any voluntary help or donation signifies trust, support, and encouragement for your cause, and therefore deserves your organization's gratitude. But there is another reason why all donors require your thanks: some supporters who first make modest donations can turn into major donors. If you thank all your donors, promote your organization, and keep up your good work, you are well on your way to attracting major donors and growing your contribution base.

Every financial donation requires your organization's written acknowledgment, but your acknowledgment does not need to be in the form of a handwritten note. Consider these 11 Ways to Use Technology to Thank Your Donors.

Nurture Engagement

A potential major donor, like your regular members and volunteers, needs to feel like he or she is a part of your organization and invested in its success. Those who are able to write larger checks don't like being treated like an ATM machine. Engagement is often as simple as asking a potential donor to provide his or her expert advice on a specific issue. You may find that soliciting constructive criticism of your organization will yield excellent results from some larger donors who are used to calling the shots. While you're getting to know your potential donors, look for signs that they are just too busy or not interested before asking for any amount of money.

Make a Small Ask

When you are sure a potential donor is interested in your group, make a small ask, like a contribution to your annual campaign or underwriting support for an upcoming fundraiser. This request lets you know where you and your organization stand with the potential donor. Thank your potential donor immediately and personally. If you send standard template thank you notes to all contributors, take the time to personalize letters to potential major donors with a handwritten note.

Offer Unique Opportunities for Engagement

Keep a potential major donor engaged by encouraging that person to hold small friendraiser events on behalf of your organization. You can help the potential donor attract his or her friends by providing behind-the-scenes tours of projects, such as a hard-hat tour of an extraordinary rehabilitation project in progress. These projects should help tell your organization's story. You may also provide your potential major donor with a complementary ticket to your annual fundraiser, plus a ticket for that person to invite someone else who is likely to support your cause at a higher level. This kind of nurturing will also suggest whether a potential donor might make a good board member.

Make a Big Ask

You should feel reasonably comfortable in your relationship with a potential major donor before you make a big ask. Whatever amount you request, tie the donor's support to something specific that you know appeals to that person's interests. If legacies appeal to the donor, ask him or her to help you set up an endowment or contribute to a capital campaign. If you know your donor cares deeply about opportunities for young people, ask that person to contribute to (or help you establish) an internship program. Even if your potential donor says no, continue to cultivate that person's support; the timing of your request may be the only problem.

Track Your Supporters

A good recordkeeping system will allow you to track the people who are attending your events or supporting your organization in other ways. You can use this information to identify potential donors, both major and minor. The best recordkeeping system is a database.

The following resources can help you decide what type of tracking tool is best for your organization:

A Few Good Association Management Tools

Multiple Constituent Groups, One Database? How to Track Everyone Who's Anyone to You

Back Away From That Spreadsheet: Why Excel Isn't a Donor Database

Ten Common Mistakes in Selecting Donor Databases (and How to Avoid Them)

Trends in Donor Management

Learn About TechSoup's Donor Management Products

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