Leveraging Peer Influence and Giving Circles in Major Gifts
Scaling Major Gifts. Strategies, action steps, and ideas for scaling major gifts by Tammy Zonker, Major Gift Expert & Keynote Speaker.
There's a quiet shift happening in major gifts, and I don't want you to miss it.
For most of my career, we've treated major donor relationships as a staff-to-donor exchange. The fundraiser builds the relationship. The fundraiser makes the ask. The fundraiser stewards the gift. That model still works, and it always will. But in 2026, something else is working alongside it, and in some cases, working better.
Peer influence.
More donors are showing up to giving circles or groups, ambassador roles, and small peer-led gatherings than at any point I can remember. They're saying yes to friends. They're saying yes to fellow board members. They're saying yes to someone who looks like them, gives like them, and cares about the same things they do. In a year when trust in institutions is wobbly, and donors are asking sharper questions about values, peer voices carry weight that staff voices simply can't replicate.
I want to walk you through how to fold this into your major gift strategy without losing your relationship-first approach.
What to focus on next week
Start by widening your definition of who fundraises for your organization. Your team is bigger than the people on payroll.
Look at your current major donors and identify three to five who could step into a peer role. Not everyone wants this. That's fine. You're looking for the ones who already talk about your mission unprompted, who bring friends to events, who forward your emails. They've already self-selected.
Match each peer to a role that fits how they show up. Some donors love to host a small gathering in their home. Others would rather write a personal note or make a single phone call. Some are ready to convene a giving circle. The right role depends on personality, not a generic title.
Get clear on what you're asking them to do. A peer role with no script and no plan turns into awkward silence. I've found that one specific ask, one clear timeline, and one promise that staff will handle the logistics is the recipe that gets a yes.
Build a light guardrail for ethics and equity. Peer influence can tip into peer pressure quickly if you're not careful. The goal is invitation, not obligation. Coach your peer leaders to share their own story and reasons for giving, then step back and let the guest decide. No follow-up texts the next day. No checking in to see if someone is "ready." Trust the relationship. Trust the mission. The yes comes when it's right.
Pay attention to who's in the room. If your peer hosts and circle conveners all share the same background, you'll keep reaching the same kind of donor. Mix it up. Invite peer leaders whose lived experiences and networks reflect the full community you serve.
A Quick Story
A client of mine, a mid-sized health nonprofit, was stuck at six major donors for two years. The development director invited one of those donors, a retired executive, to host a small lunch for four of her friends. No ask at the table. Just a story from the program director and a clear next step for anyone curious. Within ninety days, two of those four had made gifts of $25,000 or more, and one had agreed to host her own lunch. The retired executive never sold anything. She just opened the door.
Try this next week
Pull your top fifty major donor prospects and current donors. Highlight the three to five who already advocate for you without being asked. Reach out to one of them this week and have a no-pressure conversation about what kind of peer role might fit. Ask them. Don't assign them.
If you want a head start, ask your AI assistant to draft three different "peer role" descriptions you could offer, one for a host, one for an advocate, and one for a giving circle convener. Adapt the language to match your donor's voice, not your brand voice.
Want to take a deeper dive?
This week's episode of The Intentional Fundraiser podcast is called "Peer Power: Ambassadors and Giving Circles." I share the story behind a gift that came in because of a peer, walk through the four most useful peer roles I've seen, and offer design tips for peer-led gatherings that feel like an invitation, not a pitch.
Listen to the full episode below.
I’d love to hear from you
Have you tried bringing peers into your major gift work? What worked? What didn't?Connect with me on LinkedIn and share your answers. Your stories help shape what I share with this community.
The most powerful voice in your donor's life is rarely yours, and that's a gift, not a threat. When you make room for peers to lead, you get to do what you do best, which is build the conditions for generosity to happen.
Keep scaling,
Tammy Zonker
Author of Calling All Heroes
Founder of Fundraising Transformed
President of Modern Institute for Charitable Giving
ps– Learn more about our upcoming Excellence in Major Gift Fundraising Seminar