To ensure fundraising success all round the year, a non-profit organization ought to build strong relationships with prospective donors. Actually, it is part science and part art but donor cultivation strategies done right effective. They have to be consistent, have personalized communication methods and be carefully planned to ensure mutual benefit. The following are some of the growing strategies;
The most important factor to take care of is the quality of conversation. Fundraising letters, telephone calls and messages should leave a powerful impression. The conversation should also be taken to the public. This comprises of pledge breaks, review programs, newspaper and tune-in ads. More donations are made if people feel part of the process.
Cultivation events are also necessary. They are in form of annual dinners or luncheons, small parties, wine events and program previews. However, parties and events do not mean anything if there is no good follow up system. Every activity or event should have a systematic and pre-planned follow-up plan. These include thank-you letters, follow-up emails or personal phone calls.
Personal interactions are essential but not everything. What matters is what and how you communicate. The phone call, newsletter and email should have a carefully designed message to invoke certain emotions. Use words and sometimes pictures to tell of the people served by the organization. Also talk of volunteers and donors and how much their sacrifice has been useful.
Do not resign the work of welcoming and growing donors to individuals or certain groups of people. The process is a team effort that should include volunteers, board, staff, and even current donors. They serve as champions of activities of the organization and their impact on the society. The more people involved, the more people it attracts. Since you cannot predict the outcome of the cultivation process, influence it.
This process should be systematic, coordinated and strategic. It is easy to plan the activities for corporations and foundations as they have calendars. However, Individuals do not and patience has to be exercised with them. Anyone has the potential to give big donations so remember to treat small and big givers alike. After all, you can never tell big from small givers.
The cultivation process is not about knowing more about their checkbook. It is about getting real interest in their personalities. Get to know their culture, vision for the future and interests. Do not rush to develop the relationship when the fundraiser is around the corner, it will not work. A successful relationship should make everyone feel like part of a big family that shares a common goal.
Just as courtship precedes marriage, donor cultivation precedes requests for gifts. Potential donors want to know more about your organization and whether you share similar values. So let them in into what you do, right to the details. Let cultivation be a process not an event or series of events. The process should be thorough, well thought, designed and implemented both before and after the gifts are given.
The most important factor to take care of is the quality of conversation. Fundraising letters, telephone calls and messages should leave a powerful impression. The conversation should also be taken to the public. This comprises of pledge breaks, review programs, newspaper and tune-in ads. More donations are made if people feel part of the process.
Cultivation events are also necessary. They are in form of annual dinners or luncheons, small parties, wine events and program previews. However, parties and events do not mean anything if there is no good follow up system. Every activity or event should have a systematic and pre-planned follow-up plan. These include thank-you letters, follow-up emails or personal phone calls.
Personal interactions are essential but not everything. What matters is what and how you communicate. The phone call, newsletter and email should have a carefully designed message to invoke certain emotions. Use words and sometimes pictures to tell of the people served by the organization. Also talk of volunteers and donors and how much their sacrifice has been useful.
Do not resign the work of welcoming and growing donors to individuals or certain groups of people. The process is a team effort that should include volunteers, board, staff, and even current donors. They serve as champions of activities of the organization and their impact on the society. The more people involved, the more people it attracts. Since you cannot predict the outcome of the cultivation process, influence it.
This process should be systematic, coordinated and strategic. It is easy to plan the activities for corporations and foundations as they have calendars. However, Individuals do not and patience has to be exercised with them. Anyone has the potential to give big donations so remember to treat small and big givers alike. After all, you can never tell big from small givers.
The cultivation process is not about knowing more about their checkbook. It is about getting real interest in their personalities. Get to know their culture, vision for the future and interests. Do not rush to develop the relationship when the fundraiser is around the corner, it will not work. A successful relationship should make everyone feel like part of a big family that shares a common goal.
Just as courtship precedes marriage, donor cultivation precedes requests for gifts. Potential donors want to know more about your organization and whether you share similar values. So let them in into what you do, right to the details. Let cultivation be a process not an event or series of events. The process should be thorough, well thought, designed and implemented both before and after the gifts are given.
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