Donors don’t ghost you because they don’t care.
They ghost you because they’re overwhelmed, unsure, and no one followed up in a way that made it easy to say yes.
I’ve seen it too many times:
You meet a donor. They smile. They nod. They say, “Send me something.”
💻 You send a 12MB PDF.
📩 You follow up once.
📉 And then… nothing.
They didn’t disappear.
You just didn’t convert them.
Truth is…
You don’t have a funding problem.
You have a follow-up system problem.
✨ Funding doesn’t come from a great pitch.
💰 It comes from great relationship rhythm.
You don’t need to chase people.
You need to guide them.
The 4-Stage Donor Conversion Path
1. Spark
Initial contact, event, or referral.
They hear your mission and say:
“That’s amazing work.”
📎 Your Goal: Don’t overshare. Just hook them.
2. Signal
They ask for more.
“Send me something” or “Let’s chat more.”
📎 Your Goal: Send a clean, focused pack.
1-pager + team bio + vision snapshot. Nothing more.
The 5 Docs Every Donor Wants to See
3. Safety
This is where most orgs fail.
Donors don’t move forward because:
- It feels risky
- They don’t fully understand your structure
- They’re confused on where their money goes
- They’re worried they’ll get roped into a guilt trip
📎 Your Goal: Build confidence before commitment
Use case studies. Show systems. Keep them updated (before they ask).
4. Support
This is the point where the donor gives not just money, but belief.
📎 Your Goal:
Make the first gift easy, meaningful, and followed up with a personalised thank-you + report.
I once coached a reserve team that had 18 “warm leads” from a donor dinner.
They waited 3 weeks to send anything.
When they did, it was a Google Drive folder with 9 PDFs and a broken download link.
Not one donor converted.
We built a 4-email sequence with:
✔️ A personal voice note
✔️ A 1-pager with visuals
✔️ A clear project ask
✔️ A “thank you anyway” wrap-up
👉 6 donors replied. 2 funded.
💰 One for R300,000.
Create a simple sheet to track where each lead is, what you’ve sent, and when to follow up.
You don’t need a new donor list.
You need a better way to walk the donors you already have through a journey of trust.
✨ Be clear.
🧭 Be consistent.
💡 Be personal.
Donors aren’t ATM machines.
They’re people looking to feel something.
What’s the last message you sent to a potential donor?
If they never replied… would you know what to send next?
Let’s build your legacy Together
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