5 Things Fundraisers Should Report On After A Donor Visit

You’ve heard it from a multitude of sources: fundraising success depends on contact with donors. But what about after the contact has been made? What information did we learn that matters with regard to moving the relationship forward?

What are a few key elements of a visit with a prospect that a fundraiser should focus on in a contact report? Here are my favorite five:

1. Any triggering events taking place in the life of a donor that might impact a gifting decision. For example, a 67 year-old long-time annual giving donor has decided to retire within the next year and sell her closely-held company.

2. Changes in family circumstances that might impact the percentage of income that the donor can direct to philanthropy.

3. A change in the donor’s capacity to give, such as receiving an inheritance, selling a home, or losing a job.

4. Information that a donor shares about plans to make a gift to your nonprofit in the future.

5. Learning what causes or issues the donor is passionate about. It may take several visits to build a trusting enough relationship with a donor for them to reveal their true passions.

What is critical is that fundraisers sensitively, but clearly provide enough information in a report that a person reading it two, three, or more years from now will understand the information contained therein.

So remember contacts matter, but so do those contact reports!