It’s not just another event… IT’S A MUST-SEE EXPERIENCE

Something extraordinary happens when nonprofit leaders step away from the daily grind and gather with a shared purpose: to learn how to raise serious money. That’s exactly what takes place at a Major Gifts Ramp-Up Conference.

With more than 20,000 nonprofit executives already in attendance nationwide, this event is unlike anything you've experienced before. It combines unbounded enthusiasm, comic timing, and theatrical delivery with real-world fundraising expertise that will challenge everything you thought you knew about development.

Led by a faculty of fundraising veterans who’ve raised over $1 billion, this two-day experience delivers a step-by-step plan to build your case for support, engage top donors, activate your board, and secure major gifts with confidence.

MGRU RALEIGH-DURHAM
Sep 23 2026 - Sep 24 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

Goodwill Opportunity Campus

RALEIGH-DURHAM, NC (IN-PERSON)

MGRU DALLAS-FORT WORTH
Oct 07 2026 - Oct 08 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

The DEC Network at Red Bird

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX (IN-PERSON)

MGRU LAS VEGAS
Oct 13 2026 - Oct 14 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm PST

Paradise Activity Center

LAS VEGAS, NV (IN-PERSON)

MGRU ATLANTA
Nov 04 2026 - Nov 05 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia

ATLANTA, GA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU VENTURA, CA
Nov 12 2026 - Nov 13 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm PST

Ventura College, Guthrie Hall

VENTURA, CA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU NATIONWIDE
Nov 18 2026 - Nov 19 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

Virtual Happy Hour Both Days

Live Virtual Event (CENTRAL)

MGRU ORLANDO
Dec 02 2026 - Dec 03 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

Orange Technical College

ORLANDO, FL (IN-PERSON)

MGRU WACO
Jan 27 2027 - Jan 28 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

Magnolia Headquarters

WACO, TX (IN-PERSON)

MGRU DAYTON, OH
Feb 17 2027 - Feb 18 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

DAYTON, OH (IN-PERSON)

MGRU NEW ORLEANS
Mar 10 2027 - Mar 11 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

Antoine’s Restaurant

NEW ORLEANS, LA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU FREDERICK, MD
Apr 07 2027 - Apr 08 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

FREDERICK, MD (IN-PERSON)

MGRU BURLESON
Apr 15 2027 - Apr 16 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

TBD

BURLESON, TX (IN-PERSON)

MGRU FORT WAYNE
Apr 28 2027 - Apr 29 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

FORT WAYNE, IN (IN-PERSON)

MGRU SPRINGFIELD, MO
Apr 29 2027 - Apr 30 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

TBD

SPRINGFIELD, MO (IN-PERSON)

MGRU RICHMOND
May 05 2027 - May 06 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

RICHMOND, VA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU SAVANNAH
May 19 2027 - May 20 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

SAVANNAH, GA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU SAN ANTONIO
Jun 02 2027 - Jun 03 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CST

Kinected Co-Working

SAN ANTONIO, TX (IN-PERSON)

MGRU ATHENS
Jun 16 2027 - Jun 17 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

Athena Studios

ATHENS, GA (IN-PERSON)

MGRU CHATTANOOGA
Jul 14 2027 - Jul 15 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

CHATTANOOGA, TN (IN-PERSON)

MGRU LEXINGTON, KY
Jul 21 2027 - Jul 22 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

LEXINGTON, KY (IN-PERSON)

MGRU PENSACOLA
Oct 20 2027 - Oct 21 2027 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

TBD

PENSACOLA, FL (IN-PERSON)

Why 19,000+ Nonprofit Leaders Have Attended
The Major Gifts Ramp-Up Experience

“This isn’t another nonprofit conference. This is a complete rethinking of how charities raise money.”

WATCH THE 60-SECOND OVERVIEW

 
 

Your Mission Deserves The Funding To Reach Its Full Potential

Too many nonprofit leaders spend every year:

  • Scrambling
    for funding
  • Chasing
    grants
  • Worrying
    about payroll
  • Fighting financial uncertainty
  • Watching your worthy
    mission fail

Not because your mission lacks value...Not because donors don’t care.

But because most nonprofit leaders were never shown how to identify, connect with, and build relationships with donors capable of transforming their mission.

You don’t have to operate this way…

It’s Not Your Fault! Everything You’ve Been Taught About Fundraising Is Wrong!

For decades, nonprofits have been taught:

  • To work harder
  • To host more events
  • To chase more grants
  • To ask your board to fundraise
  • That major gifts are only for large organizations

Major Gifts Ramp-Up events challenge conventional fundraising wisdom head-on.

Over 2 Days You’ll Discover Why:

  • Feasibility studies fail to produce transformational results
  • Donor motivation matters more than donor wealth
  • Major gifts are the fastest path to financial capacity
  • Why there is far more philanthropic funding available than most organizations realize

This isn’t another nonprofit conference.

This is a complete rethinking of how charities raise money.

You will learn how to stop fundraising from desperation…and start building genuine donor relationships capable of funding your mission at scale.

What You’ll Discover During
This 2-Day Experience

  • How to identify millionaire donors in your community
  • Why most nonprofits stay financially stuck
  • The psychology behind transformational giving
  • How to secure 5-, 6-, and 7-figure gifts
  • Why traditional fundraising advice keeps nonprofits small
  • The Three-Part Ask strategy
  • How organizations build long-term financial stability

These aren’t theories.

These are real-world fundraising strategies that have helped, and continue to help organizations around the world raise millions for their missions.

Meet The Fundraising Veterans Who Have Raised Billions

No fluff... No recycled nonprofit theory... No endless academic lectures.

Just practical fundraising strategies, real-world experience, and honest conversations about what actually works.

Because you don’t need more theory. You need funding.

STEFANIE STARK

PRESIDENT, DSI

LOUIS FAWCETT

PRESIDENT, NANOE

HALL POWELL

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT PRESIDENT, DSI

JIMMY LAROSE

FOUNDER & ARCHITECT, MGRU

Imagine Your Organization:

Fully Funding
Programs
Building Operating Reserves
Attracting Transformational Donors
Expanding Your Mission With Confidence
Operating From Vision instead of Survival

This is exactly what Major Gifts Ramp-Up was built to help nonprofits accomplish.

Real Organizations. Real Results.

  • Allies In Youth Development $200k Spent $6M Raised
  • McKee Wellness Foundation $60k Spent $1.5M Raised
  • International Welcome Center $80k Spent $2.3M Raised
  • United Way of the Quad Cities $90k Spent $2.7M Raised
  • Baltimore Community Lending $125k Spent $10M Raised
  • Habitat North Central Georgia $70k Spent $1.3M Raised
  • Healing Strides of Virginia $110k Spent $7M Raised
  • Oakdale Christian Academy $65k Spent $2.6M Raised
  • Ride On St. Louis $90k Spent $3M Raised
  • The Carying Place $90k Spent $6.5M Raised
  • Allies In Youth Development $200k Spent $6M Raised
  • McKee Wellness Foundation $60k Spent $1.5M Raised
  • International Welcome Center $80k Spent $2.3M Raised
  • United Way of the Quad Cities $90k Spent $2.7M Raised
  • Baltimore Community Lending $125k Spent $10M Raised
  • Habitat North Central Georgia $70k Spent $1.3M Raised
  • Healing Strides of Virginia $110k Spent $7M Raised
  • Oakdale Christian Academy $65k Spent $2.6M Raised
  • Ride On St. Louis $90k Spent $3M Raised
  • The Carying Place $90k Spent $6.5M Raised