Hey Fundraiser!

How to Close Your First $100,000 Gift

‱ Mary Petersen

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0:00 | 32:36

Fundraiser, this is a BIG one! 🎉 Closing your first six-figure gift is a milestone moment in your career—and today, I’m walking you through exactly how to make it happen.

Whether you’re brand new to major gifts or just haven’t hit that $100K mark yet, this episode will give you the step-by-step framework to find the right donor, cultivate the relationship, make a powerful ask, and steward the gift for future giving.

And hey—if you’ve already closed a six-figure gift, stick around! You’ll relive the glory of your first “YES” and pick up tips to help you land your next one even faster. 🚀

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ How to find the right donor—no more chasing whales!
✅ Why high affinity + high capacity = your ideal six-figure prospect
✅ The #1 mistake that keeps fundraisers from making big asks
✅ How to cultivate with purpose (so you’re always moving toward the ask)
✅ The permission-based fundraising strategy that guarantees you’re asking at the right time
✅ What to do after the donor says YES to keep them engaged for future gifts

Key Takeaways:

🛠 Step 1: Find the Right Prospect

  • No more guessing! You need both high affinity & high capacity
  • Look at past giving trends—who is already engaged and increasing their gifts?

⏳ Step 2: Make Time to Fundraise

  • Major gifts don’t happen by accident! Protect your time & focus on deep relationships
  • What you focus on = what gets results

📣 Step 3: Have a Strong Case for Support

  • What are your fundable impact areas? Don’t just build new programs—fund what’s already making a difference
  • Create clear, compelling cases for why this gift matters

💡 Step 4: Cultivate with Purpose

  • Every interaction should move the donor closer to the ask
  • Use personalized, high-touch engagement (events, site tours, board meetings, peer-to-peer connections)

đŸ€ Step 5: Get Permission to Ask

  • Before you end any donor meeting, secure the next step
  • Example: “Next time we meet, I’d love to talk to you about a significant financial commitment. Would that be okay?”

💰 Step 6: Make the Ask

  • Be specific: “Would you consider a leadership gift of $100,000 to make X program possible?”
  • Then, STOP TALKING. Let the donor think & respond—don’t rush to fill the silence!

🎉 Step 7: Steward the Gift Like a Pro

  • Call the donor the next day to celebrate their commitment
  • Keep them updated as their gift makes an impact (t

Stop having “nice meetings” that go nowhere. If you want meetings that end with momentum (next step + timeline + clarity), start here:

đŸ”„ Major Donor Meeting Mastery — my step-by-step system for better donor meetings.
📘 Mary's books — check out the books that will elevate your major gift fundraising.
đŸ‘©đŸ»â€đŸ’» Want my complete packaging + ask system? Watch the Momentum Training.


đŸ’» Connect with Mary Petersen