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 quality of conversation is the most important factor in building successful relationships. The message communicated in form of telephone calls, emails and fundraising letters ought to leave an impression. The public should not be left out of the conversation. Newspaper ads, review programs, tune-in ads and pledge breaks comprise the public conversation. Inclusive programs ensure more people give.
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.
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.
Donor cultivation is to requests for gifts what courtship is to marriage. One always leads to the other. All potential donors are interested in is in what your organization does and whether it reflects their own values. So, do not shy away from sharing down to the smallest detail. Make cultivation a life -long process rather than an event. Think it through, design and implement it thoroughly. Do it before and after the gifts are given, it can make a huge difference.
The quality of conversation is the most important factor in building successful relationships. The message communicated in form of telephone calls, emails and fundraising letters ought to leave an impression. The public should not be left out of the conversation. Newspaper ads, review programs, tune-in ads and pledge breaks comprise the public conversation. Inclusive programs ensure more people give.
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.
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.
Donor cultivation is to requests for gifts what courtship is to marriage. One always leads to the other. All potential donors are interested in is in what your organization does and whether it reflects their own values. So, do not shy away from sharing down to the smallest detail. Make cultivation a life -long process rather than an event. Think it through, design and implement it thoroughly. Do it before and after the gifts are given, it can make a huge difference.
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