The success of any robust and successful fundraising process centers on four basic steps. They hold true for all levels and types of fundraising, but they are particularly essential for any successful capital campaign or major gift program. In many ways fundraising is more of an art than a science – which means you have to use your intuition and common sense rather than some impersonal or overly mechanical.

Although there is a “system” that can be applied it’s more important that the process is genuine, sincere and donor-focused. It must, above all things, focus on the person, who they are and what they are interested in, long before the financial aspects of the process.

In my opinion the best accepted process for successful fundraising is somewhat mechanical by design – but this “mechanical” process can only be effective if we focus on the person and not the wallet. This will help us focus on the relationship and not the transaction. This is an incredibly important distinction because in the new economy and the emerging online culture personalized and customized marketing and fundraising will become the norm.

At the end of the day it’s really more about the relationship we develop than anything else.

So if we keep our fundraising process genuine and personal and focused on the donor as a human being we will be far ahead of our peers who often view the donor as a private ATM machine that just keeps throwing off cash any time it is needed and requested.

The four primary steps in the fundraising process can be boiled down to the following steps:

Identification – Identifying potential donors is the most essential aspect of any fundraising campaign. It is an obvious point yet it isn’t always considered the keystone of the fundraising process; without prospects there can be no solicitation. We may find the major donor prospects within the group of donors we already classify as “major donors” but we need to look far beyond this group; there is often hidden capacity among donors that haven’t yet self identified with a larger gift. Our job is to dig into the other loyal, new and ongoing donors that have demonstrated affinity for the organization and have capacity but haven’t been given the appropriate opportunity to become a major donor. That’s why this step includes a qualification stage which may include comprehensive research and wealth screening of each prospect/donor to determine capacity and propensity.

Cultivation – Cultivation of the identified prospect is the second step in the fundraising process. During this stage the prospective donor is cultivated and nurtured for the potential solicitation. The solicitation might be in a month or two years but either way a well thought out strategy to bring that donor to the actual point of solicitation is critical. A process that is either too fast or too slow will both present problems. Too fast and we might offend the donor; too slow and we might miss an opportunity to a competing organization. This step may require months if not years of relationship building (cultivation) prior to even considering making the approach (solicitation). We can’t get discouraged. It is more similar to farming than anything else. Plant the seeds, cultivate the field, and be patient – but diligent. This doesn’t mean we plant the seeds and step back – no we plant the seeds and like a good farmer we tend to the field with care, interest, concern, and respect for the circumstances surrounding us.

Solicitation – Solicitation of actual major gifts is the single most important part in the fundraising process because it is the culmination of all your hard work cultivating the “fields”. But often this is the most difficult step for the major gift officer because asking for money isn’t easy for many people. But if the cultivation of the field was done properly and the prospect was well prepared the solicitation is that much easier and quite enjoyable. It’s really just the icing on the cake; it’s the bountiful harvest and the tangible fruit of your hard work. At this stage the prospective donor is approached with a specific request for support, usually in the form of financial support, although it could be a request for a gift-in-kind. Typically the solicitation meeting, or series of meetings, is handled by two or more people – one of which is the person that made the introduction. This must be orchestrated very well, very professionally and with a focus on the donor and their particular heart-felt interests. Yes, it’s ultimately about raising support for your cause but you have to connect the donor to the changed-lives in a demonstrable way. In other words you have to demonstrate how the donors support is going to directly impact people in a significant and meaningful way.

Stewardship – Stewarding the donor is critical to building good will and planting the seeds for future gifts. During this stage the donor’s gift is acknowledged and the donor is also regularly informed of the progress of the project and the results that were attained from their individual gift. Donors of all levels need to be stewarded to varying degrees depending on their level of financial commitment and involvement. This area of fundraising is so critical to the long-term success of the organizational and the fundraising program. People are very, very tuned into how they are treated by an organization. No matter how good you are at what you do the donor has heightened expectations regarding how they want to be treated. We can’t overlook this fact. Bottom-line – thank your donors profusely; demonstrate to them how important they are to your organization and in short, make them feel like they are true advocates of your organization.

Engage them for life not one transaction!

What is your experience? Would you add a step or refine a step?