The executive directors who close major gifts reliably are not the ones with the most polished proposals. They are the ones who know their top twenty prospects well enough to call on a Tuesday without an agenda. The proposal is the last step of a cultivation process that was already working — not the beginning of a pitch.
Use this template as a framework, not a script. The most important discipline it enforces is specificity: every section that you cannot fill in with donor-specific language is a section that reveals something the cultivation has not yet established. That is the actual diagnostic function of the template.
What’s inside
A pre-send diagnostic that tells you when not to send yet, followed by a six-section proposal framework with write-in space for each section.
The full template — diagnostic, all six sections, and the fields — is in the PDF. Use Save as PDF above to download and work from it.
Run this before Section 01
Five questions before the proposal goes out.
A proposal sent before these questions are answered is not a major gift ask — it is a direct mail letter with better paper. Work through them honestly. If any answer is no, the guidance tells you what to do instead.
Has the donor expressed direct interest in this specific project?
If no: the proposal is premature. Return to cultivation.
Has the gift amount been referenced — even obliquely — in a prior conversation?
If no: the donor may be surprised by the ask amount. Consider whether a conversation before the proposal is warranted.
Is the primary relationship-holder aligned on the ask?
If no: resolve the internal disagreement before the proposal goes out. Conflicting messages after the fact damage the relationship.
Do you know how this donor prefers to make decisions — alone, with a partner, with advisors?
If no: ask before you submit. A proposal sent to a donor who makes all philanthropic decisions with a spouse — without the spouse having been involved in cultivation — can stall a gift that was otherwise ready to close.
Is the organization in a position to steward this gift well?
If no: this is the most important gate. A gift that cannot be tracked, reported on, or properly acknowledged does more long-term damage than declining to solicit. Only ask for a gift you are prepared to receive.
Internal use only — do not include in the document sent to the donor
Relationship summary
Before writing the proposal, answer these questions for yourself and anyone else involved in the solicitation. This section is not sent to the donor. It exists so that every person in the room at the ask — or reading the proposal afterward — understands the full relationship context.
How long has this donor been in relationship with the organization?
First gift year, or first meaningful contact if they have not given yet.
What is the history of giving?
Amounts, years, any campaigns or funds. Note if this person gave to a prior capital campaign.
What is their stated area of interest?
In their own words, from a conversation — not your inference.
Who holds the primary relationship?
ED, board member, development director. Who do they respond to most readily?
What has been the most recent substantive touchpoint?
Site visit, event, meeting. Date and who was present.
What objections or hesitations have they expressed, if any?
Note these here so the proposal can address them — or so you know not to send the proposal yet.
Proposal opening — one paragraph
The ask
State the amount, the purpose, and the timing in the first paragraph. Do not bury the ask. A donor who has been cultivated appropriately is not surprised by the amount — if they are, the cultivation was incomplete.
Amount requested
Specific number. Not "a gift in the range of" — a number.
Purpose of the gift
One sentence. What this gift does, specifically. Not 'to support our programs' — the specific project, facility, endowment, or fund.
Pledge period
If multi-year: total amount, number of years, and payment schedule.
Decision timeline
When would a commitment by the donor be most meaningful? Campaign close date, fiscal year end, project milestone.
One to two paragraphs — specific to this donor
The case
This section reflects the donor's stated interests back to them. It is not the organization's general case for support — it is the specific intersection of this donor's values and this project. Every sentence should pass the test: would this sentence make sense in a proposal sent to a different donor? If yes, rewrite it.
The donor's stated interest or value that this project addresses
In their words or close to it, from a conversation. 'You mentioned that your family's connection to this neighborhood is what drew you to our work fifteen years ago — this project extends that investment.'
Why this project, at this scale, now
The case for urgency. Not organizational urgency — the reason the timing of this gift creates an opportunity that would otherwise pass.
What this project cannot do without a gift at this level
Be specific. 'A commitment of this size allows us to begin construction in Q1, which secures the matching grant from the state' is a case. 'Your support will make a transformational difference' is not.
One paragraph — grounded in a real person or outcome
The impact story
One person, one outcome, told with the donor's gift at the center. The story should be concrete enough that the donor can picture the person. Statistical claims about population-level impact belong elsewhere — this section is for the individual case that makes the statistics human.
The person (anonymized as appropriate)
Age, situation, how they came to the organization.
The specific outcome
What changed, and how you know.
The connection to the gift
How a gift at this level makes more of these outcomes possible. This is not always a straight line — be honest about the connection and don't overstate it.
Specific commitments — not generic donor benefits
Recognition and stewardship
State what you will do, not what you offer. Recognition and stewardship commitments should be specific to the donor's known preferences — a donor who has explicitly said they prefer anonymity should not receive a proposal offering naming rights.
Recognition
Named fund, named space, or — for donors who prefer no public recognition — written acknowledgment of that preference. State what it is, not just that it is 'available.'
Reporting
How and when will you report back on the use of the gift. Annual impact report, dedicated update meeting, site visit. Specific cadence.
Relationship going forward
Who will be the ongoing relationship manager. Who they can reach for questions. This is a commitment, not a formality.
The proposal is not the close.
A major gift proposal is a confirmation document, not a persuasion instrument. Its job is to memorialize a conversation that has already created alignment — the amount, the purpose, the timing — and to give the donor something tangible to review, sign, or share with an advisor.
If you find yourself hoping the proposal will do the persuasion work, return to cultivation. The conversation that needs to happen has not happened yet.
