Show Notes
Key Takeaways:
The Donor Flow Framework moves donors through four stages: Aware, Interest, Connect, and Act. Awareness and interest are often handled well, but true giving comes when people feel personally connected. The real gap is in the Connect stage. Without structured opportunities for meaningful interaction, donors may like your work but won’t feel invested enough to take action. Small, consistent, and low-risk events like lunches, behind-the-scenes tours, or after-hours experiences turn interest into real relationships. Regular, predictable opportunities make engagement repeatable and sustainable. Fundraising is about influence. Meeting people where they are, providing value first, and creating consistent follow-up builds trust and long-term support.
“Systematize to stabilize.”
“Connection… is where people feel important, where people feel loved, and where people see that they just don’t say, ‘I’m interested in you.’ They say, ‘I feel personally connected to what’s happening to your cause.’”
“The biggest shift of all is that fundraising isn’t about tactics. It’s about influence.”
- Maryanne Dersch
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