Strong relationships with donors are important to ensure fundraising success for non-profit organizations all year round. Donor cultivation strategies are not difficult; they are partly art and partly science. If carefully planned and executed consistently, they are powerful tools for any organization. So what should be done right?
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.
Formal and informal events and parties are also a necessity in the cultivation process. They include wine events, annual dinners, program reviews and luncheons. The most important part of the events is the follow-up. Personalized telephone calls, emails and thank-you notes should come after a successful event. The follow system should be well planned and coordinated.
It is not just about personal interaction. The messages communicated during the growth process have the biggest impact. The message in the phone calls, letters, emails and newsletters should communicate the impact of the organization programs. It should also portray in words and pictures the people served in the programs. The message should not be only the special events of the organization but also volunteers, recognize them and the impact they have had in the communities they serve.
The culture to welcome and cultivate donors should be carried out by everyone including volunteers, staff and board. Also, current donors should be part of the process as they serve as champions for your cause. When there are many diverse people in your course, even more people are attracted to it. You cannot predict the immediate returns of a cultivation process but you can influence it.
It is easier to sequence activities for corporations and foundations compared to individuals who do not have a calendar. However, the process of growing donors should be systematic, coordinated and strategic for corporations, individuals and foundations. Lastly, do not ignore the small givers. You cannot tell big givers from small ones and after all anyone has the potential to give big. So, grow both groups in the same way.
Cultivation is for growing a deep relationship, not with their checkbooks but their personalities. It is your business to know their business. What their vision for the future is, their culture and interests. It should not be cultivated when a fundraiser event is near rather all the time, all round the year. You will know whether you have succeeded if everyone is part of one big family with shared interest.
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.
Formal and informal events and parties are also a necessity in the cultivation process. They include wine events, annual dinners, program reviews and luncheons. The most important part of the events is the follow-up. Personalized telephone calls, emails and thank-you notes should come after a successful event. The follow system should be well planned and coordinated.
It is not just about personal interaction. The messages communicated during the growth process have the biggest impact. The message in the phone calls, letters, emails and newsletters should communicate the impact of the organization programs. It should also portray in words and pictures the people served in the programs. The message should not be only the special events of the organization but also volunteers, recognize them and the impact they have had in the communities they serve.
The culture to welcome and cultivate donors should be carried out by everyone including volunteers, staff and board. Also, current donors should be part of the process as they serve as champions for your cause. When there are many diverse people in your course, even more people are attracted to it. You cannot predict the immediate returns of a cultivation process but you can influence it.
It is easier to sequence activities for corporations and foundations compared to individuals who do not have a calendar. However, the process of growing donors should be systematic, coordinated and strategic for corporations, individuals and foundations. Lastly, do not ignore the small givers. You cannot tell big givers from small ones and after all anyone has the potential to give big. So, grow both groups in the same way.
Cultivation is for growing a deep relationship, not with their checkbooks but their personalities. It is your business to know their business. What their vision for the future is, their culture and interests. It should not be cultivated when a fundraiser event is near rather all the time, all round the year. You will know whether you have succeeded if everyone is part of one big family with shared interest.
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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