Donor Cultivation

  30 March 2021   By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Imagine this scenario: A Board member recruits a $5,000 donation from one of their friends. The actual event took the Board member completely by surprise. (This story really happened!) The donor simply called out of the blue and announced her intention...

  12 January 2021   By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Have you challenged yourself for 2021? Lose 5 pounds, paint the house, learn Spanish. What about organizational challenges? Secure an Americorps Volunteer, achieve accreditation. How about start a major gift program? Nationally, more than 80% of charitable giving comes from individuals....

  18 August 2020   By David Allen, Development for Conservation   I’m working on refining a Fundraising Planning Seminar for land trusts in Colorado, and I created a Five-Step process. Actually, it’s a process that has five steps assuming you are already clear about the goals! (See also Start with...

  12 November 2019   By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Major gift development isn’t hard. It’s a discipline. And it’s scalable. So just start. Let movement create momentum and let momentum create habit. It starts in January, and it could start for you in January 2020. You can do this for ten donors....

  By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Several weeks ago, I posted an imaginary conversation with “Well-Meaning Tom” about a person who had made a gift of land to a land trust and subsequently hadn’t given anything at all. (See It’s OK to Ask.) In fact, I...