How to Incorporate Donor Cultivation into Fundraising Plans

Guest post by Aly Sterling

Put yourself in a prospect’s shoes. Suppose you were to receive a donation request immediately after subscribing to a nonprofit’s newsletter for the first time. You’d probably be alarmed at the organization’s audacity and reconsider engaging with it.

As Aly Sterling Philanthropy’s donor stewardship guide explains, “Before you can jump into requesting a donation from a prospective donor, your nonprofit needs to form the basic building blocks for a long-term relationship. This will make the transition to a donation request much smoother and more relevant.”

This guide will explore how to build donor cultivation into your nonprofit’s fundraising plan so you can initiate relationships with prospects that lay the groundwork for future monetary giving.

1. Educate prospects about your mission.

Before new prospects even think about giving, they want to understand what your organization is all about. Help them explore your nonprofit and its cause by:

• Sending them educational materials. Compile content that welcomes prospects to your organization and familiarizes them with your mission. These materials may include a synopsis of your nonprofit’s history, a blog post emphasizing why your cause is so important, and a news article explaining your mission's relevance to current events.

• Sharing beneficiary videos. With your beneficiaries’ permission, film them sharing their stories and how your organization has helped them. This form of user-generated content (UGC) allows you to convey your mission authentically and demonstrate your impact.

• Hosting workshops. Invite prospects to attend virtual or in-person workshops explaining your core programs and projects. Allow them to ask questions about how your organization operates and how they can get involved.

Once prospects better understand your nonprofit’s work, they’ll get an idea of how they’d like to lend their support and start to picture themselves as part of your organization’s community.

2. Segment prospects.

As you get to know prospects, gather and record pertinent information about them. Using this data, segment prospects based on similar characteristics so you can personalize communications and connect with them on a deeper level.

For example, you may group prospects by:

• Giving capacity with groups for potential small, mid-level and major donors

• History with your organization, segmented by length or area of involvement

• Demographics like age and location

• Motivation or interests as they relate to your mission

• Communication preferences, such as phone, email or direct mail

Update these segments in your nonprofit’s CRM as you learn more about new prospects. If you want to expand your knowledge of prospects further and target them even more precisely, consider conducting a data append. For example, enriching your database may allow you to access key lifestyle information, such as other charities your prospects support, so you understand the other causes they’re passionate about.

3. Develop personalized communications.

Personalization shows you care about prospects as individuals and offers insight into the treatment and acknowledgment they can expect if they become donors. Additionally, it ensures that the messages you send to prospects resonate, making them more likely to take action.

Use the information you’ve gathered to customize messages following these tips:

• Greet prospects by name. Consider the subject lines “Learn more about our nonprofit!” and “Elliot, explore how you can get involved!” While both essentially convey the same information, incorporating the prospect’s name adds a personal touch that may entice them to open and engage with your message. Use your CRM’s automation tools to insert prospect names into messages for efficient customization.

• Reference past interactions. Just as you feel understood when a friend brings up something you did or mentioned in the past, the same goes for your prospects. Referencing past interactions shows you listen to prospects and want to develop strong relationships with them. For example, you may ask a prospect how they felt about an event they attended last week or how their recent vacation went.

• Focus on their interests. Your nonprofit likely covers various different initiatives and programs. Find out what prospects are passionate about and put those at the forefront of your messaging. For instance, send prospects interested in your disaster relief efforts case studies of beneficiaries you’ve helped through that programming.

• Leverage their preferred communication channels. Following prospects’ communication preferences shows you’re attentive to their needs. Let them know they can change their preferences or opt out of communications altogether at any time.

Assess how prospects respond to your personalization efforts by tracking engagement metrics like open and click-through rates. Consider surveying prospects to understand how you can further tailor your messaging to their interests and needs.

4. Offer nonmonetary engagement opportunities.

There are various ways prospects can get involved before donating. Ensure they’re aware of all the nonmonetary engagement opportunities available to them, including:

• Volunteering. Let prospects know about different volunteer roles and how they can participate. Additionally, many prospects may not know they can help your nonprofit earn money just by volunteering. According to Double the Donation, 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grants, which are funds employers contribute to the organizations their employees volunteer with. Encourage prospects to check their volunteer grant eligibility and apply for this funding to help your nonprofit without reaching into their own pockets yet.

• Advocacy. Prospects especially passionate about your cause may be interested in advocacy work. Equip them with resources like templates and brand guidelines so they can communicate about your mission according to your guidelines. You may also send them relevant petitions they can share and invite them to canvass your community.

• Events. Events allow you to meet with prospects face-to-face and introduce them to your community. Consider hosting facility tours, open houses, networking events, and panels that help prospects become more deeply ingrained in your cause.

Offering nonmonetary engagement opportunities not only helps you engage prospects but also retain current supporters. Donors will appreciate the ability to help your cause between donations so they can make a larger impact without contributing more financially.