Resource 1 — Reframe
The Case for a Different Approach
The traditional fundraising cycle is useful infrastructure, but it tracks institutional activity, not donor experience. This short video makes the case for a different orientation to your work.
2 min 30 sec
Reflect
A Moment From Your Own Experience
Think about a donor conversation, recent or not, where something felt off.
Maybe the conversation went fine on the surface, but did not go where you hoped. Maybe you left feeling like you had missed something.
What do you think was happening?
Capture your answer in your own notes.
Optional, this is not submitted or scored. It is for you.
Sort It Out
Transactional or Relational?
Below are eight behaviors an MGO might bring to a donor relationship. Drag each card into the column that best describes it, or tap a card to select it, then tap a column to place it. You must place all eight before checking.
Cards to sort
Opens a donor meeting by asking about their experience with the institution
Leads with a funding priority from the latest campaign brief
Asks what the donor would most want to accomplish through their giving
Submits a proposal based on what the research profile suggests the donor can give
Follows up after a gift to share a specific impact story tied to the donor’s stated values
Marks a donor as ‘Stewardship’ in the database after the gift and moves to the next prospect
Schedules a visit with no specific ask in mind, just to deepen the relationship
“I wanted to connect because we have an exciting opportunity…”
Transactional
Relational
Results
Your Sorting
—
placed correctly
The distinction that matters
The difference between transactional and relational is not always obvious in the moment. That is exactly what the rest of this series is for, giving you a framework and the self-awareness to navigate it. Continue to Resource 2 to meet the Collaborative Donor Relationships Framework.
Resource 1 complete
You have made the case for a different approach. Resource 2 introduces the framework itself.
Start of seriesResource 1
NextIntroducing the Framework