This study underlines the importance for charities of developing a more relationship-based model for managing their major donors. Charities need to look at major donors as individual clients from whom they could gain more commitment (in terms of money, or time or skills). However, the essence of this approach is reciprocity and this requires giving more back to the donor: paying more attention to the longer term stewardship of each relationship rather than treating donations as discrete transactions. As this report from the Institute for Philanthropy (UK) describes, this has major implications for the charity's structure, culture and working methods.

http://www.instituteforphilanthropy.org.uk/Managing%20Major%20Donors%20report.pdf