Thanks to a White Paper by Veritus Group , now I have a plan I can live with for qualifying major donors. Up until I read this White Paper, every time my Executive Director asked for my plan for each donor, I wrote one up, and handed it in, but always with the caveat, that these are people not pocketbooks, so this is flexible. I’ll be responding to each person.

So I was delighted to read “Qualifying Donors for Major Caseloads.” First, Veritus Group gives an excellent formula. Their White Paper has all the detail you might need, but here’s an outline:

• Rank donors who have given $1,000 or more in the last four years from high to low based on recent giving, amount, capacity, and current relationship.
• Have the ED send a letter introducing you and your role as a donor liaison.
• Research the database and note for information about the donor.
• Make a call to introduce yourself and your role but mainly to (see 5).
• Use the call to listen and learn about donor interests.
• Send a touch point, like the annual report, a program update, or a note from a person benefitting from the donor’s support.
• If you haven’t connected yet, send a brief survey.
• For top donors, try one more touch point.
• Call about the survey.
• Send a Handwritten note.

Okay, this is a great format, but what really sold me was their reminder:

Think of the donor as a friend – – . Be intuitive. Go with the flow. Pay attention to the person. They will give you the clues for what to do next.

How perfect. You have a plan, but it’s built on the knowledge that each donor is unique.

So – plan, but listen to the donor. Then go on a journey to complete the mission together.