164. Human-Centered Major Gifts
What Is Human-Centered Major Gift Fundraising, and How Do You Share Power With Donors and Communities?
Human-centered major gift fundraising combines the best of donor-centered and community-centered approaches, so donors are honored as partners and communities are honored as experts. The practical way to do it is to share power on purpose. Bring major donors and community members to the same table, be clear about who decides what, and report back to everyone on what you did with their input.
This is for major gift officers, development directors, executive directors, and board members at small to mid-sized nonprofits. After reading, you'll understand why the human-centered model is rising, which shared-power practices work in major gifts, and how to frame this work with donors, communities, and your board.
A longtime donor I'll call Richard once rode a city bus at 6:15 in the morning with a neighborhood leader I'll call Ms. Dorothy. They were taking the route families use to reach the local food pantry.
It took an hour and ten minutes. When they arrived, the doors didn't open until ten.
Richard looked at his watch and said, "Nobody who works a morning shift can do this."
Ms. Dorothy smiled. "That's what we've been trying to tell you."
Richard and his wife had offered $250,000 to expand the pantry's warehouse. Instead of saying yes on the spot, the executive director invited them to join a table with other donors and five paid neighborhood residents to decide the next big investment together. The table chose a mobile market along bus routes and evening hours. The donors turned their gift into a multi-year commitment.
Why is human-centered fundraising rising in 2026?
For years, donor-centered and community-centric fundraising felt like opposing camps. In 2026, the conversation has matured. More leaders are choosing both.
Here's what's driving it:
Trust. Donors are skeptical of polished stories. Communities want to be heard, not photographed. Shared power builds trust with both.
Participatory philanthropy. More foundations invite community members into grant decisions, and major donors are asking, "Why can't I give that way too?"
Donor expectations. Many major donors want proximity, not a slide deck. A seat at a real table gives them that.
Legitimacy. Programs shaped by the people closest to the problem work better, and that strengthens your case for support.
I think of it as a three-legged stool. Donors, community, organization. When one leg is longer than the others, the whole thing wobbles. Shared power evens out the legs.
What are practical shared-power practices in major gifts?
I've seen four models work at organizations of every size.
Combined advisory tables. Donors and community members meeting together, not in separate councils.
Participatory funds. A pool of donor dollars where community members help decide how it's spent.
Co-designed gift opportunities. Community members shape the need and the solution before a proposal reaches a donor.
Shared decision-making on one initiative. You name in advance which decisions belong to whom.
To keep this honest, I use something I call the Power Dial. It has four settings. Inform, Consult, Co-design, and Co-decide. Most organizations live at Inform and Consult. Shared power means turning the dial up, on purpose, for specific decisions.
Watch for two traps. Saviorism casts the donor as the rescuer. Tokenism invites one person to "represent" a whole community, or asks for input after the decision is made. Invite more than one voice, bring people in early, and pay community members for their expertise.
AI can help with the logistics, like sorting session notes into themes or drafting a one-page summary. Listening for what someone isn't saying is still your job.
How do you frame shared power with donors, communities, and boards?
With donors, make it an invitation. Shared power doesn't mean donors disappear. It means they sit at a unified table. Try, "Our best programs come from the people closest to the problem. We'd love for you to be part of that."
With communities, earn trust through follow-through. Send a "You said, we did" update after every session. Share what you heard, what you decided, and what you couldn't do and why.
With your board, start with a small pilot. Shared power doesn't change who holds fiduciary responsibility. It changes how you gather wisdom before decisions are made.
Try this in the next 30 to 60 minutes
Draw three columns. Community, Donors, Staff. List which decisions on one upcoming initiative could sit in each.
Pick one area to shift from "for" to "with." A proposal, a program, or a donor briefing.
Draft a one-page pilot proposal for your board, including stipends and when you'll report back.
For the full story of Richard, Ms. Dorothy, and the Neighborhood Food Table, plus more on framing this with your board, listen to this week's episode of The Intentional Fundraiser.
I'd love to hear from you
Connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me where you're starting. Which area of your major gifts work are you shifting toward "with"?
You don't need a new strategy to share power. You need one seat at the table, and the courage to save one for someone else.
If you want the complete guide to bringing human-centered fundraising to your organization, I wrote a whole book about it. Calling All Heroes: Combining the Best of Donor-Centered and Community-Centered Fundraising for Greater Impact walks you step by step through building a program where donors and communities both have a real seat at the table. Grab your copy here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who is this approach best suited for?
This approach is designed for major gift officers, development directors, and executive directors who want to deepen donor trust and community legitimacy at the same time. It works especially well if you already have a few major donors who want to be closer to the work, and relationships with program participants or community leaders who'd welcome a real seat at the table.
Q2. How much time should I expect this to take each week?
Most fundraisers can get started with about one to two hours per week focused on planning one shared decision, inviting participants, and following up. The more important piece is consistency. Protect this time on your calendar so it doesn't get swallowed by internal noise.
Q3. What if my organization is small and I wear multiple hats?
The principles still apply, but you may need to scale the tactics. Start with a lighter version you can sustain, perhaps three donors and three community members, one decision, and two meetings. Expand as you see results.
Q4. How do I know if it's working?
Look for early signals like donors asking deeper questions, community members returning for a second session, and richer CRM notes about donor values. Over time, you should see this reflected in stronger retention, larger and multi-year commitments, and more community members becoming advocates and donors.
Q5. Where does AI fit into this, if at all?
AI is there to reduce friction, not replace your relationships. Use it for sorting session notes into themes, drafting "You said, we did" updates, and preparing plain-language briefing sheets. Keep sensitive information about community members out of public tools, and keep the human work of listening, facilitation, and relationship-building firmly in your hands.
“More and more leaders are landing on what I call human-centered fundraising. It takes the best of both. Donors are honored as partners. Communities are honored as experts. And the organization's job is to bring them together, not to stand between them.”
Tammy Zonker, Major Gift Expert, Keynote Speaker, Author
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