A more sustainable approach to transformational giving

Advancement teams are being asked to help close the gap between university ambition and available resources. Whether the priority is a new strategic initiative, a major capital project, or addressing financial pressure, philanthropy is often expected to help make it possible.

The challenge is that fundraising growth is becoming increasingly concentrated at the very top of the pyramid. EAB’s benchmarking analysis found that nearly two-thirds of fundraising production growth over the past seven years has come from gifts of £1 million or more. At the same time, campaign goals continue to rise, with campaigns ending between 2028 and 2032 setting targets nearly 400% larger than those completed between 2020 and 2023.

For many universities, transformational gifts are no longer simply a driver of growth. They have become essential to achieving institutional ambitions.

At our recent advancement roundtable at the University of Cambridge, leaders explored what it takes to build a more sustainable model for transformational giving. While universities are approaching the challenge in different ways, the discussion repeatedly returned to three areas of opportunity: expanding the prospect pipeline, creating momentum earlier in donor relationships, and building the organisational capacity needed to support increasingly complex donor relationships.

Revitalise the prospect pipeline to tap into growing wealth

Many advancement teams continue to focus heavily on a relatively small group of established donors, even as the number of individuals capable of making transformational gifts continues to grow. EAB benchmarking shows that more than half of prospects rated at the £1 million level remain unassigned, while non-alumni donors account for an increasingly significant share of principal gift activity.

Participants discussed the need to broaden how institutions identify principal gift prospects. Leading teams are using wealth screening, relationship mapping, donor profiling, and community networks to uncover opportunities beyond traditional alumni pipelines. Rather than treating prospect identification as a periodic exercise, they are building repeatable processes that continually surface new prospects and expand the pool of potential donors.

Create momentum earlier in donor relationships

Finding the right prospects is only the beginning. Many universities acknowledged that building a transformational donor relationship can take years, while today’s leading donors increasingly expect faster engagement, greater involvement, and clearer evidence of impact. This creates a growing mismatch between institutional processes and donor expectations.

In response, universities are creating more intentional donor experiences that build momentum earlier in the relationship. Some are bringing donors together with senior leaders and academics through carefully designed engagements, while others are helping donors better understand their philanthropic options and potential impact. Increasingly, institutions are also inviting donors into conversations about institutional priorities, recognising that many transformational donors want to help shape outcomes rather than simply fund them.

Build the infrastructure that transformational giving requires

As campaign goals grow, principal gift fundraising is becoming more complex. What was once managed primarily by a single fundraiser now often requires coordination across advancement, academic leadership, stewardship, prospect development, operations, and project management.

Advancement leaders at Cambridge discussed the importance of building support structures around principal gift work rather than relying on individual effort alone. Dedicated coordination roles, cross-functional teams, and specialised expertise can help institutions manage increasingly sophisticated donor relationships while creating a more sustainable model for long-term growth. The objective is not simply to secure larger gifts, but to build the capacity needed to do so consistently.

What comes next

The conversations at Cambridge reinforced a simple reality: transformational gift growth rarely happens by accident. Institutions that consistently secure principal gifts are not merely asking for larger commitments. They are building the systems, relationships, and organisational capacity that make those commitments possible.

Our work at EAB focuses on helping advancement leaders strengthen each part of that equation—from expanding prospect pipelines and creating momentum earlier in donor relationships to building the structures needed to support increasingly complex donor engagement. For universities facing rising campaign expectations, the opportunity lies in creating a more coordinated, repeatable approach to transformational giving that turns occasional success into sustained growth.