Cultivation is the process of building relationships, which is what fundraising is all about. But how well you cultivate your prospective donors will determine just how likely they are to give to your cause.
What Cultivation *IS NOT*
Many fundraisers have some misconceptions about cultivation. Cultivation is NOT:
- A monologue about how great your program is.
- A single meeting with a donor.
- A tour of your facility, highlighting the shiny new (or dirty old) equipment, classrooms, facilities, conference rooms, etc.
How to Cultivate a Prospective Donor
So how should you cultivate a prospective donor? Make a cultivation plan and incorporate the following tasks over the course of a year.
1. Give a tour.
Don’t simply give a tour of the facility or walk them through your programs. Instead, provide an opportunity for them to meet individuals who benefit from your organization’s services (if appropriate) or to meet a staff member.
After a proper tour, your donors should leave with an understanding of how important and meaningful your work is, and who your organization is helping — not just whether the facility is shiny and new (or old and in need of repair). They should be able to tell a story about someone they met or someone your program helped.
2. Meet at the donor’s home or office.
This is an opportunity to really get to know your prospective donor, to find out what motivates them, as well as to share important program updates. This is your best chance to build a meaningful relationship in the comfort and privacy of a home or office.
Notice, I didn’t say meet at a restaurant. Restaurants can be noisy, distracting, and are generally not the best meeting place — especially for a first meeting or any meaningful conversation.
3. Pick up the phone.
Call or email you donors and prospects on a regular basis to keep in touch, as well as to provide program updates. Ask open-ended questions to learn more about them, as well as how they’re feeling about your programs and organization.
4. Send a note.
Similar to picking up the phone, keep in touch with donors by email and handwritten notes. Send them press releases, event invitations, success stories, photos, and updates about your programs.
5. Provide meaningful volunteer opportunities.
Invite all prospects and donors to become more involved with your organization. This includes working directly with clients, serving on committees, or one-time opportunities.
To Sum Up, Here’s What Cultivation *IS*
We started this post with what cultivation is not. By now, you should have a better understanding of what cultivation truly entails:
- A dialogue between someone at your organization (usually the executive director and/or a board member) and the prospective donor.
- Authentic relationship building over time, which requires a series of meetings or interactions.
- A wonderful way to educate your prospect about the benefits and outcomes of your organization, and ignite their passion for your mission.
- An opportunity to learn about a prospect and to understand their interests, as well as what motivates them to give.
What other things have you tried to cultivate your donors? I’d love to hear about it in the your comments.
Note: This post was originally written more than a decade ago, but It’s been updated and rewritten with an eye on modern fundraising practices.
Amy – this is a terrific list. It breaks down cultivation into simple steps that anyone can follow. Thanks for taking the mystery out of a process that many people are just unsure about. Way to go!
Amy, great simple ways to remember to keep in touch with supporters. And the main goal of each, I believe, is to LISTEN to them. I coach my clients to be on a mission of learning at least one new thing about the person they are talking to…every time they connect.
Utilizing board members, other donors and other staff in this process can be helpful to a small development shop.
Lori, great suggestion! I love that you say listen to learn one new thing about the person every time they talk! Concrete and simple to follow.
Amy, cultivation of donors is so critical to fund raising success! I’ve been in fund raising for longer than I care to mention and switched my focus to grant writing consulting about ten years ago. It’s the same formula for winning grants as well. There is no denying that a personal connection makes a much better “sell” for your organization. Thanks so much for your insight.
Betsy Baker
Amy,
Nice. Simple to do.
One more thought. When dropping notes, think about adding things that your donor or prospective donor might be interested in. They might not be about your organization at all. It could be an article related to some aspect of that person’s business, or travel or a hobby — something that says you are thinking about them not just you.
Gayle
Great comment, Gayle! Thanks for the helpful suggestion.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for this article. What do you think about small wine and cheese events? Our plan is to host three intimate parties with 5 – 10 possible donors, along with staff and other friends. We have a new ED and we want to use the opportunity to connect with current donors, but also cultivate new prospects. We’ll have the appropriate number of staff to ensure one on one conversations, then follow up with in person meetings.
I’d love to get your feedback or the feedback from anyone here. Thank you!
Jennifer
Jennifer,
I like the idea of small wine and cheese events, especially hosted by board members or other volunteers. A 1:1 staff to prospect ratio is probably overkill and won’t work well. Having the ED and development director there is sufficient, along with a few key board members.
Let me know how they go!
Amy
I just need to sincerely thank you for your endless love and efforts you have employed to ensure that people are on proper direction on finding their desired donors. Thanks abundantly
I need one
How does this list apply during covid-19 social distancing? What modifications have people made?
Excellent question, Mark. Are you receiving my weekly emails? They focus on how to adapt during covid-19 and my current posts focus on that as well. Join my list at amyeisenstein.com/join.
The short answer is – continue to cultivate remotely. On the phone and via video chat.
such a nice article. Thank you
Amy, Absolutely loved this article! Especially the part about ditching the brag-worthy tour for a real connection with the impact. Building those authentic relationships, not just shaking hands and asking for money – that’s what makes a difference, right? Thanks for the reminder!