We’re all about ease and joy in fundraising. For years, we’ve been searching and experimenting to find ways to connect with donors and move more money to mission in ways that feel good. We’ve learned from leaders of the Community Centric Fundraising movement and our own experience, that fundraising feels good when it's in line with you and your organization’s values, when the connections are authentic.
It's during cultivation that you have the chance to really start to build authentic connections with donors. But, too often, with traditional donor cultivation approaches, fundraisers often focus on simply getting time with donors, doing whatever it takes to get that meeting. They’ll talk about whatever they think the donor wants to discuss, often with the goal of making the donor feel appreciated enough to give. The meeting becomes about the donor, not the mission.
In Values-Based Major Giving, we practice and teach a different kind of cultivation. Cultivation that brings fundraising and community organizing together to create powerful and lasting support. When you’re doing values-based cultivation, you are supporting donors as they move towards their most meaningful gift to your mission. And you’re making the best possible use of your time – because you and your time are valuable. 💗
In values-based cultivation, the purpose is different. It’s about you—the fundraiser—gathering the information you need to know about when and how to ask the donor for their next significant gift. This approach flips the traditional model on its head. As the fundraiser, you are a representative of your organization and its mission. Your goal is to support the donor in making a gift that aligns with their values and drives your mission forward. 🎯
Here’s how values-based donor cultivation differs from traditional cultivation.
1️⃣ Purpose-Driven Interactions
In traditional donor-centered cultivation, the primary goal is often to secure time with the donor, focusing on their interests and preferences to encourage a gift. Meetings are tailored to what the donor wants to discuss, often involving flattery and persuasion.
Values-based cultivation, however, shifts the focus. Here, the purpose of each interaction is to gather the necessary information to ask the donor for their next significant gift. This approach centers on the fundraiser’s needs as a representative of the organization and its mission. The goal is to understand the donor’s values, interests, and perspectives on money and giving. By asking insightful questions, fundraisers can uncover common values and demonstrate how the donor can live their values through engagement and giving to the organization.
2️⃣ Power Held in Community
Traditional donor-centered fundraising often places disproportionate power in the hands of donors, sometimes at the expense of the community being served. Donors may influence organizational decisions, and staff may go to great lengths to accommodate donor requests, even when these requests do not align with the community’s needs.
Values-based cultivation seeks to redistribute this power, placing it back into the community. This approach involves integrating donors into the community, making them part of the collective effort alongside service users, staff, volunteers, and others. By doing so, donors can see firsthand how they benefit from the work and understand that the real experts are those with lived and learned experiences within the community. This shift ensures that the community’s needs and voices are prioritized over donor preferences.
3️⃣ Mission-Focused Efforts
A significant departure from traditional practices is the focus on the mission rather than the donor. Traditional donor-centered fundraising often centers on the donor’s interests, feelings, and legacy. Fundraisers may spend considerable time catering to what donors want to achieve and how they want to be recognized.
In contrast, values-based cultivation keeps the spotlight on the organization’s mission and the community impact it aims to achieve. The focus is on the collective benefit and the change the organization is striving to create. This approach ensures that donors understand how their contributions support the mission and benefit the broader community, rather than just fulfilling their personal interests or gaining recognition.
4️⃣ Building Trust Around Shared Values
Trust is a cornerstone of any successful donor relationship. Traditional cultivation often builds trust through detailed reports, financial transparency, and showcasing outcomes. Donors are introduced to service users who share their stories, and organizations highlight awards and positive press to gain donor trust.
Values-based cultivation, however, builds trust on a deeper level—around shared values. Donors are encouraged to trust the organization because they see that it shares their values. The trust is not solely based on reports or accolades but on the alignment of values between the donor and the organization. This approach fosters a more genuine and lasting trust, as donors feel a deeper connection to the mission and the people involved.
Values-based cultivation builds authentic connections with donors and moves more money to mission (lots more). And it’s better for you, dear fundraiser. You’ll feel better when your fundraising lines up with your values. And you’re worth it.
Want to learn more about values-based cultivation? We go in-depth on cultivation and all the other steps of the donor life cycle (you know, identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) and much more in Values-Based Major Giving Academy. It’s a feel-good major gifts program in a box (with a bow 🎁) that raises more money.
Schedule a free consultation now to talk about whether Values-Based Major Giving Academy is for you. Our promise: No pushy sales pitch. Just real talk about where you are in your fundraising journey and whether Values-Based Major Giving Academy is right for you.
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