{"id":72251,"date":"2025-04-29T12:35:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T16:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/network.napco.com\/non-profit-pro\/?post_type=article&p=72251"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T15:17:12","slug":"how-a-fundraisers-engagement-plan-helped-lead-to-transformational-gifts","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.nonprofitpro.com\/article\/how-a-fundraisers-engagement-plan-helped-lead-to-transformational-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Fundraiser\u2019s Engagement Plan Helped Lead to Transformational Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Baldwin’s first gift to the <\/span>St. Petersburg Free Clinic<\/span><\/a> was $5,000. Debbie Sokolov, the organization’s director of development at the time, flagged it as an outlier gift.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon learning about the gift, she immediately called Baldwin to thank him. She was unaware of his net worth then, but that small gesture would lead to numerous transformational gifts to her organization over the next decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sokolov, who is now the <\/span>deputy director of development and communications at <\/span>The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art<\/span><\/a>, shared her experience in the session, <\/span>“Unlocking Donor Generosity: Crafting Your Annual Stewardship Plan,”<\/span> at <\/span>AFP ICON<\/span><\/a> on Sunday. <\/span>Sara Leonard, CEO of the <\/span>Sara Leonard Group<\/span><\/a>, joined her as a co-presenter.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Stewardship is about building relationships, and that’s what we do,” Sokolov said. “That’s what makes us successful fundraisers, is building meaningful relationships. And then I want to emphasize they need to be authentic relationships also. When we thank a donor, when we share the outcome of their gift, when we just reach out and say, ‘we’ve been thinking of you,’ that builds trust with the donor because we’re just not going to them when we need money.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how her efforts resulted in transformational donations to her organization, plus pointers on how to build your own donor engagement plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Engagement Plan<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fundraisers should first <\/span>segment donors<\/span><\/a> based on frequency and cumulative gift amounts to create different courses of action for each — but don’t forget to account for new donors who aren’t on your file yet. Then select from a menu of engagement options to create the best annual engagement plan for each type of donor.<\/span><\/p>\n

An engagement plan should include a variety of touch points detailed in a spreadsheet and\/or your donor database. Determine which levels of giving receive which touch points. For example, you may decide to send every donor formal acknowledgement within 24 hours of receipt of their gift while asking the executive director to call major donors within 48 hours. The fundraiser could also call donors of outlier gifts, though the amount that triggers that could vary by nonprofit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, for recognition, all donors might get a monthly newsletter and annual impact report, while only donors with higher levels of giving are invited to a donor appreciation dinner or a facility tour. Start with what you’re already doing for various levels of giving and fill in the blanks. Though it’s important to requalify and reassess your plan throughout the year, an annual engagement plan might look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n