Incorporating Planned Giving Into Your Fund-raising Strategy (2 of 3)
Cultivate donors for life by spending more time and energy nurturing first-time and repeat donors and spending less time acquiring new first-time givers.
Cultivate Donors for Life in these 7 Steps:
- PRELIMINARY MEETING. This is a discovery meeting to determine the 4 rights; the right TIME, the right AMOUNT, the right PROJECT, the right PERSON.
- SOLICITATION. This is a no-pressure meeting. You want to take pressure off your prospects; not try to pressure them into making a pledge or gift. Use the five steps in your solicitation. (1) small talk, (2) tell the prospect why you are there and mention you have a proposal you want to leave with them, (3) tell the story about the project you want the prospect to consider supporting, (4) ask for a specific dollar amount, (5) ask if you can follow up in five to ten days.
- FOLLOW-UP. Call back and ask if the prospect has any questions or concerns about the proposal you presented to them recently. Use IPAT if they say “NO”. Is there a problem with the Institution/Project/Amount/Timing?
- COMMITMENT. This is the close and is where the pledge card is signed.
- THANK YOU. Always send a hand written letter immediately after the visit.
- STEWARDSHIP. It is so important in today’s fund-raising environment that you report back to the donor the impact his or her gift made on the organization.
- SOLICITATION. When the donor’s pledge is paid up, go back to step number one and start over.
IF steps five AND six do not happen, THEN seven cannot happen.
Need Additional Help?
Feasibility studies can help assist with this process by uncovering which donors are likely to be donors for life. For additional help, please feel free to contact us.
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