Difference? How Major Gifts + Individual Giving Relate.

A graph for every fundraising professional

How do major gifts and individual giving relate? I wanted to visualize the relationship and make it easy to understand.

Major gifts aren’t separate from individual giving but are, in fact, one of its most powerful dimensions. They reflect the highest levels of donor engagement and commitment, often starting with smaller contributions and growing through meaningful connections and shared values.

During a recent session on Major Gifts Fundraising as part of the Nefesh B'Nefesh Fundraising Class, we explored how individual giving forms the foundation for all successful donor relationships - including major gifts. Every major gift donor is an individual donor first, underscoring the importance of cultivating relationships at all levels of giving.

This graph, inspired by that session and the amazing participants, aims to highlight how major gifts are an integral dimension of individual giving. While there’s a clear overlap—both involve engaging individuals in your mission—there are also notable differences. Major gifts require a deeper level of personalization, trust-building, and shared vision for transformational impact.

At its core, major gifts #fundraising cannot exist in isolation - it’s part of a larger, interconnected strategy that begins with individual giving. Understanding this relationship helps strengthen your donor pipelines and maximize your #nonprofits's potential for impact.

Tanja Sarett, MA, CFRE, CVF, is an international fundraising consultant, facilitator, and executive coach based in the US and Israel, and the founder of Synergies in Philanthropy Consulting.

Synergies in Philanthropy Consulting provides strategic and customized solutions to help nonprofits grow their fundraising capacity, deepen donor engagement, and drive sustainable revenue. With a global perspective and deep understanding of the local landscape, Synergies empowers organizations in Israel, the US, and Europe to excel with clarity, creativity, and confidence.