Nonprofit Solutions 4 organizations: strategic planning, leadership training, & annual giving fundraising best practices. Cost effective donor engagement & web-based fund development system 4 year-end direct mail.
Let's talk... about the Cycle of Cultivation. Here's what you are thinking... the cycle of cultivation- What on earth is left to say about this topic? It has been discussed ad nauseum at conferences and workshops for years. Why should I bother to read this post? The cycle of cultivation has become misunderstood. Too often it is seen through two paradigms. It is seen as a way to (1) deepen a relationship with a donor and (2) to engage with a donor to move them to a larger gift. In its purest form it has one purpose. That is to identify, engage, ask, and steward a donor. One Purpose. When you start using the cycle of cultivation two ways- to both deepen and move donors, your annual giving donors are shortchanged. Maybe you stop identifying new annual giving donors, because your focus is major gifts. Now your pipeline is weak. Maybe you stopped engaging with annual giving donors now you struggle to get people involved with your organization. Maybe, sounds crazy but it happens, you have stopped asking your annual giving donors because it is too expensive to reach them or, and, etc. Now your program is out of balance on a number of philanthropic metrics. Maybe your stopped doing stewardship with your annual donors. The result- these donors don't know the impact they are making. You need to take every segment of your donor base through a cycle of cultivation. Stay tuned. AMPO is ready to dig deep on your annual giving cycle of cultivation.
