TLDR
Moves management is the discipline of tracking each major gift prospect through a defined set of stages — identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship — with a documented next move and date for every prospect. Done well, it converts vague relationship-building into a measurable pipeline. Done poorly, it becomes spreadsheet theater.
What Moves Management Is
Moves management is a system for tracking individual major gift prospects through defined stages, with a documented next action and date for every prospect at every stage. The “move” is any substantive interaction that advances the relationship — a discovery visit, a private tour, a strategy lunch, an ask meeting, a stewardship report. The goal is to make sure no prospect goes 90 days without one.
The framework dates to G.T. “Buck” Smith and was popularized by David Dunlop and others at large universities in the 1970s and 1980s. The core insight has held up: relationship fundraising at scale requires the same discipline as a sales pipeline, with stages, owners, and accountable cadence. Calling someone after 18 months of silence to ask for a six-figure gift is fundraising malpractice, and yet most underperforming programs do exactly that.
This guide assumes you have at least a partial major gift program in place. If you’re earlier than that, start with the major gift cultivation guide and the major donor qualification guide.
The Five Stages
Every moves management framework boils down to five stages. The names vary; the substance does not.
Identification
A prospect enters the system. Identification can come from several sources: wealth screening of the existing donor file, board referrals, peer screening sessions, foundation board overlap, news mentions, or self-identification through high-tier annual fund giving.
Identification is cheap. The output is a list. The work hasn’t started yet.
Qualification
The disciplined screen of whether this prospect is worth investing in. Three questions:
- Capacity. Wealth screening, public records, real estate, business interests, prior giving — does the prospect plausibly have the capacity to make a meaningful gift?
- Inclination. Is there reason to believe they care about the cause? Prior giving history, board service at peer organizations, public statements, foundation interests.
- Access. Can someone in your network — staff, board, volunteer — credibly initiate a conversation? A high-capacity prospect with no access path is not actually qualified.
Qualification typically requires both desk research (the donor wealth screening guide covers this) and at least one discovery visit. The output is a yes/no/defer decision and, if yes, a tentative gift range.
Cultivation
The longest stage. Months to years of building the relationship to the point where an ask is appropriate. Activities include private tours, lunches with the executive director, invitations to insider events, briefings on programs the prospect cares about, and progressively deeper involvement (advisory committee, site visits, peer engagement).
The mistake here is performative cultivation — generic newsletters and donor events that don’t move the relationship forward. Real cultivation is specific to the prospect’s interests and signals progressively deeper trust.
Solicitation
The ask. A specific amount, for a specific purpose, on a specific timeline. Solicitation is rarely a single meeting — it usually involves a pre-ask conversation to test the amount, the formal ask itself, and one or more follow-up conversations to handle questions and refine the gift agreement.
Stewardship
After the gift is made, stewardship begins. Stewardship is itself the start of cultivation for the next gift. Reports on impact, recognition appropriate to the gift size, and continued personal contact are all stewardship moves. The donor stewardship plan guide covers the structure.
Portfolio Sizing
The portfolio is the set of prospects assigned to a given officer. Size matters: too small and the officer is under-utilized; too large and prospects don’t get the attention required to advance.
The standard target for a full-time major gift officer is 120–150 active prospects. “Active” excludes prospects in pure stewardship (post-gift hold) and prospects formally deferred. Of the 120–150:
- 25–40 in active solicitation (asks pending or being prepared)
- 50–70 in cultivation (substantive moves on cadence)
- 20–30 in qualification (assessment in progress)
- 10–20 in identification (newly assigned, awaiting first contact)
If your officer has 250+ prospects, half of them are getting nothing. Pruning the portfolio is more useful than adding more prospects.
The Cadence Rule
The single most important operational discipline: every prospect has a documented next move and date. No exceptions. A prospect with no scheduled next move is by definition stalled, even if the officer thinks they’re “warm.”
The default cadence by stage:
- Identification: first contact within 30 days of assignment
- Qualification: discovery visit within 60 days
- Cultivation: substantive move every 60–90 days
- Solicitation: weekly contact during active ask preparation
- Stewardship: at minimum, quarterly contact in year one post-gift
These are floors, not ceilings. The cadence on a $1M prospect is much higher than a $25K prospect. But every prospect has a next move and date, always.
What Counts as a “Move”
Not every email or holiday card is a move. A move is a substantive interaction that meaningfully advances the relationship or surfaces new information about the prospect. Examples:
- Discovery or strategy visit (in person or video)
- Private tour or site visit
- Briefing meeting on a program of interest
- Substantive phone call (not a quick check-in)
- Hand-written letter on a specific topic
- Personal introduction to a board member, executive, or program leader
- Cultivation event with documented follow-up
A generic newsletter, a routine acknowledgment letter, or a “happy holidays” email is not a move. Logging non-moves as moves degrades the data and creates the illusion of activity.
Reporting That Surfaces Stuck Prospects
Pipeline value and total dollars raised are lagging indicators — by the time they move, the work is done. The leading indicators are:
Substantive Moves Per Officer Per Month
A productive officer logs 25–40 substantive moves per month across the portfolio. Below 20 and the portfolio is going stale; above 50 and you’re probably logging non-moves.
Portfolio Velocity
The number of prospects who advanced a stage during the reporting period. A healthy program shows steady stage progression; a stuck program shows prospects piling up in cultivation indefinitely.
Pipeline Value
The sum of expected gift amounts weighted by probability of close. Standard probability bands: identification 5%, qualification 20%, cultivation 40%, solicitation 70%, gift agreement 90%. Weighted pipeline is the closest leading indicator of next-12-months major gift revenue.
Stuck Prospects
Any prospect with no logged move in 90+ days. These should appear on a weekly report and be either re-activated, transferred, or formally deferred. Letting them sit is the most common reason major gift programs underperform.
Common Failures
The four patterns that derail moves management programs:
- No portfolio assignment. Without a single owner per prospect, accountability vanishes.
- Cadence theater. Logging every email as a move inflates activity numbers and hides actual stagnation.
- No qualification discipline. Officers carry 200+ prospects, most of whom are unqualified. Pruning aggressively is healthier than adding.
- Solicitation without cultivation. Asking too early with insufficient relationship is the most common reason for declined gifts.
The case for support guide covers the messaging foundation that makes solicitations land.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the right portfolio size for a major gift officer?
120–150 active prospects for a full-time officer. Below 100 is under-utilization; above 175 is unsustainable.
How long does cultivation typically last?
12–18 months for five-figure asks, 2–3 years for six-figure, 3–5 years for seven-figure principal gifts.
How do you decide when to move from cultivation to solicitation?
Three signals: specific program interest, credible read on gift range, donor openness to a substantive giving conversation. Missing any signal means more cultivation.
Which metrics matter most?
Substantive moves per month, portfolio velocity, weighted pipeline value, and stuck-prospect count. Total raised is a lagging indicator.
Should board members be in the system?
Yes — those who are donors/prospects belong in the prospect track. Those who help cultivate others are tracked as solicitors against specific prospect records.
What’s a substantive move?
An interaction that advances the relationship or surfaces new information. Discovery visits, tours, strategy meetings, substantive calls, personal introductions. Generic touchpoints don’t count.
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