A prospect does not give money immediately simply because they have read your documents and visited your project; effective relationships must be built in order to obtain support.
Supporters are donors and people who support you and show interest in your work in other ways. To build effective relationships and to obtain support you have to:
– Create awareness that you exist
– Build interest in your activities
– Build trust in your leadership and in your organisation
This relationship building is called cultivation – preparing the ground and sowing the seeds to build a fruitful long-lasting relationship.
Building trust takes time. You should not expect a prospect to give you money immediately simply because they have read your documents and visited your project. They have to be convinced that they can trust your NPO and its leadership to use their funds honestly to achieve your objectives.
REFERENCES:
ASK Inyathelo Magic Cube
Shelagh Gastrow and Amanda Bloch. Building Relationships with Potential Donors, Inyathelo’s Attracting Support kit for NPOs – ASK
Lizel Shepherd. What is Advancement? Presentation
