Moves management is a deliberate system for turning warm prospects into major donors one planned step at a time. Each donor moves through five stages — identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, steward — and every interaction that advances the relationship counts as a "move." The discipline is what separates it from hoping: you decide the next move for each person, log it, and do it.
For a small shop, the secret is scale. A full-time major-gift officer might carry 75-150 prospects, but a part-time or accidental fundraiser should carry far fewer — roughly 20-40 (as of 2026 — verify against your own capacity). A short, well-worked list beats a long, neglected one every time. This guide gives you the five stages, how to size the portfolio and the ask, what counts as a move, and a lightweight spreadsheet tracker you can start today.
What moves management is (and is not)
Moves management is a structured, relationship-driven approach to major-gift fundraising. Instead of treating big gifts as lucky breaks, you treat each promising relationship as a pipeline: a series of intentional steps that move a donor from "name on a list" to "committed major supporter." The term goes back to fundraising practitioners G.T. "Buck" Smith and David Dunlop, and it remains the backbone of how serious shops cultivate large gifts.
The core idea is simple: for every prospect in your portfolio, you always know the next move — the next specific action that will deepen the relationship — and you have a date for it. A move is something you initiate and control. Waiting to see if someone responds is not a move; inviting them to tour your program is.
What moves management is not: it is not a substitute for broad-based donor acquisition or annual appeals, and it is not a way to manipulate people. Done well, it is the opposite of pushy — it is patient, donor-centered cultivation that respects the donor's interests and pace. The AFP Donor Bill of Rights is the ethical floor: donors have the right to know your mission, to be treated with honesty, and to have their gifts used as intended.
Why small shops need it most
With limited time, you cannot cultivate everyone deeply. Moves management forces you to concentrate scarce attention on the handful of relationships most likely to produce transformational gifts — and to be honest about which ones are actually advancing.
The five stages
Every prospect sits in exactly one stage at a time. The job is to move them forward — or, just as importantly, to disqualify them and free up your time. The five stages are widely taught the same way across the field (as described by Bloomerang and others):
| Stage | What you're doing | You're done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify | Find people with a connection to your cause plus the capacity and likely inclination to make a major gift. | You have a name and reason to believe they might give big. |
| 2. Qualify | Confirm capacity, interest, and connection are all real — usually through a first conversation or visit. | You've decided to invest in the relationship (or to drop it). |
| 3. Cultivate | Build trust and alignment over time: tours, updates, involvement, listening to what they care about. | The donor is informed, engaged, and ready to be asked. |
| 4. Solicit | Make a specific, tailored ask for a specific amount and purpose, ideally in person. | You have a yes, a no, or a clear "not yet." |
| 5. Steward | Thank promptly, report impact, and keep the donor connected so the next gift becomes natural. | Never — stewardship loops back into cultivation for the next gift. |
Cultivation is usually the longest stage. A major-gift relationship commonly takes roughly 12-18 months from qualification to a first solicitation (as of 2026 — verify; it varies widely with relationship depth and gift size). Stewardship is not the end of the line — it is the start of the next cycle, which is why retention and major gifts are so intertwined. See donor retention & stewardship for the stewardship cadence in detail.
Sizing a small-shop portfolio
The single biggest mistake small shops make is carrying too many prospects. Industry guidance for a full-time major-gift officer who does nothing else ranges from about 75 to 150 prospects (as of 2026 — verify; sources disagree). But almost no small-org fundraiser is full-time on major gifts — they are also running events, writing grants, and managing the database.
For a part-time or multi-hat fundraiser, a realistic working portfolio is about 20-40 active prospects. That is deliberately conservative, and it is the right call: deep, strategic relationships require time you do not have to spread across 100 names. A focused 25-person portfolio that each get four real moves a year will out-raise a 100-person list that gets a form letter.
Do the math on your own time
If a meaningful move takes ~2 hours (prep, the touch itself, logging the follow-up) and each prospect needs ~4 moves a year, that's ~8 hours per prospect annually. With 30 prospects that's ~240 hours — roughly a day a week. Size the list to the hours you actually have, not the hours you wish you had.
Two related rules of thumb help you choose which names make the list. First, the familiar pattern that a small share of donors provides most of the revenue — often cited as the top ~20% giving ~80% — means your portfolio should be drawn from your most committed givers, not strangers. Second, qualify ruthlessly: a prospect who never returns a call after several attempts should be moved out so a better one can move in. Use segmentation and, if you have it, wealth screening to build the list.
What counts as a move
A move is any meaningful, intentional touch that advances the relationship toward the next stage. It is donor-centered and two-way — the goal is to learn and to deepen trust, not just to broadcast. What separates a move from noise is that you planned it, it required effort, and it moved the relationship forward.
Things that count as moves:
- A personal phone call to catch up or invite involvement
- An in-person visit, coffee, or tour of your program
- A handwritten note tied to something specific they care about
- Inviting them to a small behind-the-scenes event or volunteer day
- A personalized impact update sent directly from a named person
- Asking their advice or inviting them onto an advisory role
- The solicitation itself, and the thank-you that follows
Things that do not count as a move:
- A mass email or newsletter they received with everyone else
- The automatic gift receipt
- An interaction you didn't initiate and didn't plan
The discipline that makes it work
- Every prospect has a next move defined and dated — no exceptions
- Every completed move is logged with what happened and what's next
- Moves are spaced — typically every 6-10 weeks, not so often you smother
- You review the whole portfolio on a fixed cadence (monthly works)
- Stalled prospects are re-qualified or removed, not left to rot on the list
Setting the ask amount
The ask amount is where small shops freeze. Ask too low and you cap a gift the donor would gladly have made larger; ask too high with no basis and you look careless. A good ask is specific, tied to a purpose, and grounded in evidence about the donor's capacity and history.
A practical way to triangulate the number:
- Giving history. Their largest past gift to you is your floor. A common cultivation goal is to invite the donor to step up — often a multiple of their current giving, when the relationship supports it.
- Capacity. Public signals (real estate, business ownership, prior major gifts elsewhere) and screening data suggest an order of magnitude — not a precise figure.
- Engagement. A deeply involved board member or volunteer warrants a bolder ask than a capable but distant donor.
- The project. Tie the ask to a concrete need ("$10,000 funds the after-school program for a year"). Specific beats vague every time.
When in doubt, ask slightly higher than feels comfortable and anchor it to impact. A donor can always negotiate down; they rarely volunteer to give more than you asked. And remember the ask is a conversation, not an ultimatum — "Would you consider a gift of $25,000 to name the new space?" invites a dialogue. For the full anatomy of the ask, see major gifts.
Specific multiples and capacity ratios vary by organization and source — treat any rule of thumb as a starting point to verify, not a formula.
A lightweight spreadsheet tracker
You do not need a CRM to start. A single spreadsheet with one row per prospect runs a small portfolio perfectly well — the discipline matters more than the tool. The non-negotiable columns are the ones that force the next move and its date, because that's what turns a list into a system.
Suggested columns:
- Prospect — name
- Stage — identify / qualify / cultivate / solicit / steward
- Capacity — your rough estimate of giving ability
- Ask amount — the target gift you're building toward
- Last move — what you did and when
- Next move — the specific next action
- Next move date — when it's due (sort by this column)
- Notes — interests, family, what they care about
Sort by Next move date and your weekly to-do list builds itself: whoever is at the top is who you contact next. Review the whole sheet monthly to spot prospects who've stalled. When the portfolio outgrows a spreadsheet — or you want automated reminders and richer history — graduate to a dedicated tool; see choosing a nonprofit CRM.
Start where you are
A spreadsheet you actually update beats a CRM you don't. Build the habit first, then buy the software to scale the habit — not the other way around.
A worked moves pipeline
Here is a filled tracker for a part-time fundraiser carrying a small portfolio. Notice every active prospect has a dated next move, the stages span the pipeline, and one prospect is being disqualified to make room. (Names and figures are illustrative.)
| Prospect | Stage | Capacity | Ask target | Last move | Next move | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Alvarez (board member) | Solicit | $50k+ | $25,000 | Tour of new site, 5/2 | In-person ask over lunch | Jun 24 |
| The Chen family fund | Cultivate | $25k | $15,000 | Impact update letter, 5/18 | Invite to volunteer day | Jun 30 |
| D. Okafor (lapsed major) | Qualify | $10k? | TBD | Left voicemail, 6/3 | 2nd call + coffee invite | Jun 20 |
| M. Russo | Cultivate | $10k | $5,000 | Coffee, 4/29 | Handwritten note re: her ask about youth program | Jul 8 |
| J. Patel (new $1k donor) | Qualify | $15k? | TBD | Thank-you call, 5/25 | Invite to small donor breakfast | Jul 12 |
| L. Brooks | Steward | $20k | (gave $20k) | Received gift 4/10, thanked 4/11 | Q3 impact report + name a program | Aug 1 |
| T. Nguyen | Disqualify | ? | — | 3 unreturned calls | Move out of portfolio; back to mail list | Done |
What this pipeline shows in practice:
- One ready ask now. Alvarez is fully cultivated; the next move is the solicitation itself, with a specific amount and purpose.
- A healthy middle. Two prospects (Chen, Russo) are in active cultivation with concrete, donor-centered next moves on the calendar.
- Fresh qualifying. Two newer names (Okafor, Patel) are being qualified to see if they belong in the portfolio at all.
- Stewardship in motion. Brooks already gave — the work now is reporting impact so a second gift becomes easy.
- Honest pruning. Nguyen never engaged after several attempts, so they're moved out. That open slot can go to a better prospect.
Run this sheet for a year, sorted by due date, reviewed monthly, and you have a functioning major-gift program — no extra staff required.
The supporters you never have to solicit
Moves management wins the big gifts — but it takes months of patient cultivation. Good Circles gives you a steady, unrestricted base underneath it: a supporter picks your cause once, then a share of their everyday local spending funds you automatically — about $72 per active supporter per year (≈ $36,000/year from 500 supporters), recurring and free to join. No ask, no renewal, no portfolio to work. It's an estimate, not a guarantee, and it frees your scarce time to focus on the relationships that need a human touch.
Claim a Founding Nonprofit spot →Sources & tools
Free first
- AFP — Association of Fundraising Professionals & Donor Bill of Rights — The ethical foundation for cultivation: the Donor Bill of Rights and AFP's standards define how to treat prospects honestly and respect gift intent throughout the moves process.
- Candid Learning — major-gift courses — Free and low-cost training on major-gift cultivation, the ask, and donor relationships — the skills each stage of moves management depends on.
- NonprofitReady — free fundraising courses — Free on-demand courses covering donor relationships, major gifts, and the ask — practical training for an accidental or part-time fundraiser building a portfolio.
- BoardSource — Guidance on engaging board members in fundraising — often your warmest, highest-capacity prospects and your best door-openers to others.
Paid — optional labor-savers
- Bloomerang — A donor CRM with built-in moves and task tracking — stages, next-move reminders, and interaction history that replaces your spreadsheet as the portfolio grows. Worth it when Your portfolio has outgrown a spreadsheet and you want automated next-move reminders so no prospect goes cold.
- Fractional development director — An experienced fundraiser hired part-time or by contract to build and work a major-gift portfolio on your behalf. Worth it when You have real major-gift capacity among your supporters but no staff time to cultivate it — a fractional pro can run the moves while you run the program.
Last verified 2026-06-16. Figures and rules change — verify at the source before you act.
FAQ
How many prospects should a part-time fundraiser carry?
Roughly 20-40 active prospects (as of 2026 — verify against your own hours). That is well below the 75-150 sometimes cited for full-time major-gift officers, and deliberately so: a part-time or multi-hat fundraiser cannot cultivate deeply at scale. A short, well-worked list that each get several real moves a year will out-raise a long, neglected one.
What are the five stages of moves management?
Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward. You identify prospects with capacity and connection, qualify that the interest is real, cultivate trust over time (often 12-18 months — verify), make a specific solicitation, and then steward the donor so the next gift becomes natural. Every prospect sits in exactly one stage, and your job is to move them forward or disqualify them.
What counts as a "move"?
A move is an intentional, donor-centered touch that you planned, that took effort, and that advances the relationship — a personal call, a visit or tour, a handwritten note, an invitation, or the ask itself. A mass newsletter, an automatic receipt, or any interaction you didn't initiate does not count. The discipline is that every prospect always has a next move defined and dated.
How do I decide how much to ask for?
Triangulate from their giving history (their largest past gift is your floor), their capacity (from public signals or screening), their engagement level, and the specific project you're funding. Tie the ask to a concrete purpose and amount, and when in doubt ask slightly higher than feels comfortable — a donor can negotiate down but rarely volunteers more. Treat any capacity multiple as a starting point to verify, not a formula.