FUNDRAISING · JUNE 29, 2021
Why Donor
Qualification
Matters
What if your wealthiest
donors — or those who
you believe are the
wealthiest — are just not
that into your
organization?
Too often in non-profit organizations, we are focused on
capturing the richest individuals as donors. However, you
may miss the mark if you rush into gift solicitation with
donors simply because you believe they have the most
money. In fact, by doing so you may be alienating less
wealthy donors who can provide more impactful gifts —
whether due to “hidden wealth” or alternative and aboveand-beyond philanthropic efforts.
Donor qualification enables you to
determine who is supportive of your
organization in more ways than
financial support and identify the
various facets of philanthropy that
enable your non-profit to fulfill its
mission.
USE A CUSTOM RUBRIC TO MEASURE
DONOR ENGAGEMENT AGAINST THE
METRICS THAT MATTER MOST TO YOUR
ORGANIZATION.
When working to qualify your donors, first identify
engagement metrics that include both financial and nonfinancial efforts and develop a rubric. Consider including
items such as: toured the facility, met with the
organization’s Executive Director, attended or sponsored an
event, given more than once per year, increased average
gift over time, and indicated the organization is in their
estate plans. Once you’ve identified the metrics that
indicate philanthropic engagement, rate your all donors or a
subset of identified donors accordingly.
ANALYZE THE RESULTS PRESENTED IN
YOUR RUBRIC TO STRATEGICALLY
CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR
DONORS.
As you complete the rubric, you can easily identify gap
areas that provide opportunities for you to better engage
your donors. Invite donors who have provided financial
support but who have minimally engaged to participate in
some of the identified activities, such as touring a facility
or meeting with your organization’s Executive Director.
Alternatively, invite individuals who have engaged with your
organization to provide financial support in addition to their
other efforts.
Ultimately, this rubric development and donor analysis
enable you to qualify your donors. You can fairly easily
identify individuals who have somehow contributed to your
organization’s mission and work and enhance that
relationship so that you can grow a donor or volunteer into
a valuable organization advocate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael J. Buckley, CFRE is a career fundraising
professional and Founder and Managing Partner
of The Killoe Group. His firm assists nonprofit
organizations increase revenue, exposure and
capacity through smart, data driven, successive
decisions and effective planning. Mike’s
experience and passion for the profession of
fundraising have made him a sought-after
speaker, consultant and presenter. The Killoe
Group’s broad experiences include annual
campaign audits and management, capital
campaign leadership, feasibility studies, interim
program leadership, board governance, strategic
planning and capacity building.
PR EVI OUS
Six Easy Secrets to Better Fundraising Letters
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
N EX T
Steward Your Superheroes
FUNDRAISING
Home
Our People
mbuckley@the
killoegroup.co
m
Albany, NY |
(518) 2033799
Our Successes
Services
Data-Inspired
Fundraising
New York, NY |
(646) 8891450
Blog
Contact Us
Copyright © 2022 The Killoe Group
Website Designed by Highly Caffeinated Marketing LLC
!