Fundraising Strategy Continuation

Step 4: The Step-by-Step Process to Raise Money

Now we build the conversion path.

You already have:

Who your ideal funders are (Step 1)
Where to find them (Step 2)
How to attract them (Step 3)
Step 4 is what most nonprofits never properly define:

A clear, repeatable process that moves people from:
aware → engaged → trusting → asked → followed up → stewarded → asked again

This is not “a few emails.”
It’s a relationship system with structure.

And yes, you need to be clear about something important:
You do not ask for money at first contact or immediately after attraction.
That undermines trust and disrupts the entire process.

Part A: The Universal Fundraising Path

Every funder type follows the same stages.
What changes is how each stage looks.

The stages:

• Attraction entry point (already defined in Step 3)
• Follow-up after attraction
• Nurture sequence (know → like → trust)
• Engagement moment (two-way interaction)
• The ask
• Follow-up when they don’t give
• Stewardship when they do give
• Renewal and repeat giving

Now let's make this concrete.

Part B: Build Your Process First (Manual Brainstorm)

You will create three separate fundraising journeys:

• Individuals
• Businesses
• Grantors

Each one follows the same stages, but the tactics and tone differ.

Manual Worksheet: Individuals Fundraising Journey

A. First Touch (from Step 3)

• What is the attraction entry point they came through?
  (lead magnet / survey / RSVP / story campaign / community briefing)

B. Nurture Before Asking (3–6 touches)
Answer these:

1. What do we send or share first after they opt in that makes them feel seen?
2. What do we send next that increases understanding of the problem?
3. What do we send that shows credibility (proof, outcomes, stories, partnerships)?
4. What do we send that invites participation without money (reply, share, attend, feedback)?
5. What is the moment we know they are “warm” enough to ask?

C. Engagement Moment

• What is the engagement action before the ask? (reply to an email question, join a short Zoom, attend a community briefing, volunteer interest, donor community invite)

D. The Ask

• What exactly are you asking for?
  (amount, frequency, purpose, deadline)
• How will you frame it so it feels like a natural next step?

E. Follow-up If They Do Not Give

• What is your follow-up rhythm? (example: 3 touches over 14 days)
• What does each follow-up include? (data point, story, urgency, reminder, simple re-ask)

F. Stewardship If They Give

• How will you thank them within 24–48 hours?
• What proof will they receive within 7–30 days?
• How will they feel included, not just processed?
• What ongoing updates will they receive and how often?

G. Renewal (Second Gift Path)

• What is the trigger to ask again? (impact milestone, quarterly update, program expansion, matching opportunity)
• When do you ask again, and how?

Manual Worksheet: Business Fundraising Journey

A. First Touch (from Step 3)

• What did they engage with first? (briefing, survey, roundtable, insight report)

B. Nurture Before Asking (3–6 touches)

1. What do we share that connects our mission to their priorities?
2. What do we share that makes us look credible and organised?
3. What do we share that shows we understand their world (brand, staff, market, community trust)?
4. What do we share that invites conversation without pitching?

C. Engagement Moment

• What is the “no-pressure” meeting goal? (learn their priorities, understand decision structure, clarify what outcomes they want to be associated with)

D. The Ask

• What is the ask format? (proposal meeting, pilot partnership, defined package)
• Who must be in the room?
• What decision timeline are you requesting?

E. Follow-up If They Do Not Give

• What is your follow-up rhythm and what assets support it? (case for support, short impact memo, outcomes snapshot, partnership options menu)
• How do you keep it alive without begging?

F. Stewardship If They Give

• Who owns the relationship (account manager, founder, board member)?
• What do you deliver and by when?
• What visibility and reporting do they receive?
• How do you help them look good internally and publicly without overpromising?

G. Renewal

• When do you present the next opportunity (renewal proposal, second project, yearly partnership)?
• What proof do you show to make renewal obvious?

Manual Worksheet: Grantor Fundraising Journey

A. First Touch (from Step 3)

• What was the entry point? (webinar, event, report, referral, newsletter)

B. Relationship Before Application (3–6 touches)

1. What do we do to learn their priorities deeply?
2. How do we make ourselves visible without asking?
3. What is our “acquaintance” step? (intro email, questions meeting, LOI conversation)
4. What proof do we share that matches their outcomes?

C. Engagement Moment

• What is the goal of the pre-application meeting? (clarify fit, learn what strong applications look like, confirm timing, build familiarity)

D. The Ask (Application / LOI / Proposal)

• What exactly are we applying for and why are we competitive?

E. Follow-up If Not Funded

• How do we request feedback professionally?
• How do we stay on their radar?
• How do we time the next cycle?

F. Stewardship If Funded

• What reporting rhythm will we follow?
• What real-time outcomes will we share?
• What stories, videos, and participant voices will be used to show transformation?
• How do we make them feel proud without being performative?

G. Renewal

• What signals do we send before the next grant season?
• How do we re-enter the cycle intentionally?

Part C: AI Prompts to Build a Stronger Step-by-Step Process

(After you complete the manual process)

These prompts will take what they’ve built and tighten it into a clear, repeatable system.

AI Prompt: Individuals' Journey (Step-by-Step Conversion Path)

You are a senior nonprofit fundraising strategist.
Your role is to turn our draft individual funder journey into a clear, step-by-step process that moves people from attraction to trust to giving, with follow-up and stewardship built in.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE]
Individual target audience (Step 1): [PASTE]
Where to find them (Step 2): [PASTE]
Attraction entry point (Step 3): [PASTE]
Our draft step-by-step journey (manual worksheet): [PASTE]

Requirements:

Improve the process without adding complexity.

Build a 30–60 day journey with clear stages:

Follow-up after opt-in
Nurture touches (3–6)
Engagement moment
The ask
Follow-up if no gift
Stewardship if gift
Second gift pathway

For each step provide:

Goal of the step
What is sent/done (email, call, event invite, message)
Timing (Day 0, Day 2, etc.)
What success looks like
Include 2 versions: a “lean” version (1 person) and a “team” version (with board/volunteers).

Output format:

Step-by-step table (with timing)
Lean vs Team version
Follow-up scripts (short)

AI Prompt: Business Journey (Step-by-Step Conversion Path)

You are a nonprofit–business partnership strategist.
Your role is to build a step-by-step business partner journey that starts from attraction and moves toward a clear partnership ask, followed by follow-up and stewardship.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE]
Business target audience (Step 1): [PASTE]
Where to find them (Step 2): [PASTE]
Attraction entry point (Step 3): [PASTE]
Our draft journey (manual worksheet): [PASTE]

Requirements:

Create a clear 45–90 day journey with stages:

Follow-up after opt-in
Nurture touches (credibility + alignment)
Discovery meeting structure (questions to ask)
Proposal meeting structure
The ask
Follow-up if no decision
Stewardship if yes
Renewal pathway
Provide exact steps, timing, and assets needed (1-pager, impact memo, briefing, proposal).
Keep it executable for a small nonprofit team.

Output format:

Journey table with timing
Discovery meeting agenda + questions
Follow-up sequence templates
Stewardship checklist

AI Prompt: Grantor Journey (Step-by-Step Conversion Path)

You are a nonprofit grant strategist.
Build a step-by-step grantor relationship journey that starts from attraction, warms the relationship, leads to application, includes follow-up if declined, and stewardship if funded.

Organization mission statement: [PASTE]
Grantor target audience (Step 1): [PASTE]
Where to find them (Step 2): [PASTE]
Attraction entry point (Step 3): [PASTE]

Our draft journey (manual worksheet): [PASTE]

Requirements:

Create a clear journey with stages:

Visibility and engagement (webinars, events, learning)
Pre-application contact (questions, fit check)
Application submission
Follow-up if declined (feedback + next cycle)
Stewardship if funded (reporting + outcomes storytelling)
Renewal pathway
Provide timing, assets, and a simple tracking method.
Keep it professional and realistic.

Output format:

Journey table with timing
Pre-application email templates (short)
Declined follow-up scripts
Stewardship checklist + reporting rhythm

What Success Looks Like at the End of Step 4

At the end of Step 4, you should have:

• a written journey anyone on your team can follow
• clear next steps for yes, no, and silence
• a system that builds trust before asking
• a path to repeat giving that doesn’t depend on pressure

This is how fundraising stops feeling random.
This is how it becomes dependable.

Step 5: Identifying the People (Roles) Needed to Execute Your Fundraising System

Up to this point, you’ve designed a complete fundraising process:

• how people enter (attraction)
• how they’re nurtured
• how the ask happens
• how follow-up works
• how stewardship and renewal happen

Now comes the question most founders avoid: Who is actually doing each part of this?

If the answer is “me,” the system will break.
If the answer is “everyone,” nothing will happen.

This step helps you turn your process into roles, so execution doesn’t depend on founder energy.

First: A Critical Reframe

You are not identifying people.
You are identifying roles.

One person can hold multiple roles.
One role can later be split across people.

But every step in your process must have an owner.

No owner = no execution.

Part A: How to Do This Yourself (Before AI)

Step 5.1: Lay Your Process Out Visually

Take the step-by-step fundraising process you created in Step 4 and lay it out in order.

For each step, ask only two questions:

• What actually needs to be done here?
• What kind of person could realistically do this?

Do NOT ask: “Who do we have right now?”
Ask: “What role does this require?”

 
Role Identification Worksheet

For each step in your process, fill this in:

What is the task?
Does this task require:

• authority? (asking, closing, approving)
• relationship depth?
• technical execution?
• consistency and follow-through?
• Who should own it?
  • Volunteer
  • Staff
  • Founder / Executive Director
  • Board Member
  • System / Tool (email platform, CRM, scheduler)

That’s it. Keep it simple.

Part B: Worked Examples (So You See It in Practice)

These examples are not suggestions.
They are models of how to think.

 
Example 1: Individuals Fundraising – Role Breakdown

Attraction
Role: Volunteer or Staff
Task: Launch polls, surveys, lead magnets
Tool: Landing page + email platform

Nurture
Role: Email system
Task: Send education, stories, credibility emails automatically

Ask
Role: Founder
Task: Make the ask via email or scheduled call (for major donors)

Follow-up (No Gift)
Role: Email system
Task: Segment non-givers and send follow-up sequence

Stewardship (Gift Given)
Role: Founder + Board Members
Task:
Founder feeds donor into stewardship system
Board members call to say thank you
Tool: Stewardship email sequence

Renewal
Role: Email system + Founder
Task: Invite donor to give again based on outcomes

What this shows:
Volunteers launch
Systems nurture
Founder asks
Board stewards
The founder is not everywhere.

 
Example 2: Business Fundraising – Role Breakdown

Business Research
Role: Volunteer
Task: Identify aligned businesses

Attraction
Role: Volunteer or Staff
Task: Share insight reports, surveys, and roundtable invites

Nurture
Role: Email system
Task: Send alignment and credibility emails

Meeting & Discovery
Role: Founder
Task: Lead meeting, ask questions, understand priorities

Proposal & Ask
Role: Founder
Task: Present proposal and make the ask

Follow-up
Role: Staff or Volunteer
Task: Send follow-up materials and reminders

Stewardship / Account Management
Role: Board Member or Senior Staff
Task:
Relationship ownership
Check-ins
Outcome updates

Benefit Delivery
Role: Staff or Volunteer
Task: Deliver reports, recognition, and materials promised

This keeps the founder focused on high-value conversations only.

 
Example 3: Grantors – Role Breakdown

Grant Research
Role: Volunteer
Task: Identify aligned foundations

Attraction
Role: Volunteer / Founder
Task: Attend webinars, monitor announcements

Initial Outreach
Role: Volunteer or Staff
Task: Email program officers to set up meetings

Relationship Meeting
Role: Founder
Task: Meet program officers, assess fit

Grant Writing
Role: Volunteer
Task: Draft application

Grant Review & Submission
Role: Founder
Task: Edit, approve, submit

Grant Reporting
Role: Founder or Board Treasurer
Task: Reporting, compliance, outcomes

This separates research and drafting from authority and accountability.

Part C: Now Do It Yourself

Before using AI, you must complete this sentence for every step:

“This step will be owned by ________, and supported by ________.”

If you can’t fill that in, the process is not executable.

Part D: AI Prompts (Only After You’ve Done the Work)

AI’s job here is not to invent roles.
It’s to clean up overlaps, remove founder overload, and simplify execution.

 
AI Prompt: Individuals – Role Mapping

You are a nonprofit operations and fundraising systems strategist.
Review our individual fundraising process and help us assign clear roles for execution.

Fundraising process (Step 4): [PASTE PROCESS]
Our initial role assignments: [PASTE YOUR ROLE NOTES]
Current capacity (people, volunteers, tools): [PASTE]

Instructions:

Identify where the founder is overloaded.
Recommend which tasks can be handled by volunteers, staff, board members, or systems.
Propose a lean role structure that works with minimal capacity.

Define each role with:

Responsibilities
Skills needed
Time commitment (weekly)
Provide a clean role-to-step mapping table.

Output format:

Role definitions
Step-by-step ownership table
Founder-only tasks (protected list)

AI Prompt: Businesses – Role Mapping

You are a nonprofit–business partnership operations strategist.
Help us assign roles to execute our business fundraising process efficiently.

Fundraising process (Step 4): [PASTE PROCESS]
Our draft role assignments: [PASTE]

Instructions:

Separate relationship authority from execution tasks.
Identify where volunteers or staff can support the founder.
Define an account management role for stewardship.
Provide a minimal team structure that still protects relationships.

Output format:

Role descriptions
Execution flow with owners
Stewardship ownership model

AI Prompt: Grantors – Role Mapping

You are a nonprofit grants operations strategist.
Help us assign clear roles for executing our grant fundraising process.

Fundraising process (Step 4): [PASTE PROCESS]
Our draft role assignments: [PASTE]

Instructions:

Separate research, writing, authority, and reporting roles.
Identify what can be handled by volunteers versus leadership.
Recommend who should own compliance and reporting.
Provide a simple grant operations structure.

Output format:

Role definitions
Grant workflow with owners
Risk points and how to mitigate them

What Success Looks Like for Step 5

Step 5 is complete when:

Every step in your fundraising process has a clear owner
The founder is only responsible for:

• high-stakes conversations
• final decisions
• relationship authority
• Volunteers and systems handle consistency
• Board members have a clear, practical stewardship role

You can onboard someone and say:

“This is your role. This is what you do. This is when.”

At this point, fundraising stops being “something you do” and starts being something the organization runs.

Step 6: Identifying the Fundraising Content and Materials Needed to Execute

A fundraising strategy fails most often not because it’s wrong, but because the materials don’t exist when they’re needed.

This step ensures you are never asking:

• “Do we have something for this?”
• “What should we send here?”
• “Can you write this quickly?”

Instead, you already know:

• what content is required
• where it fits
• who creates it
• and what can be reused
   

First: A Critical Rule

You do not create content randomly.

Every piece of content must answer one question: “What job does this perform in the fundraising process?”

If a piece of content doesn’t move someone from one stage to the next, it doesn’t belong here.

Part A: How to Identify Materials Yourself (Before AI)

Step 6.1: Lay the Strategy Next to the Journey

Take:

• your Step 4 fundraising journey
• your Step 5 role assignments

Now go step by step through the journey and ask: “What must exist for this step to happen smoothly?”

Think in terms of assets, not ideas.

 
The Content & Materials Identification Worksheet

For each step in your fundraising journey, write:

• What is happening at this step?
• Who is responsible?
• What does the funder need to see, read, receive, or interact with?
• What material enables that interaction?

Be literal. Over-detail is better than under-detail here.

Common Categories of Fundraising Materials

Use these categories as prompts. You don’t need all of them, but most strategies use many.

Attraction Materials (Step 3 related)

• Lead magnets (guides, briefs, reports)
• Surveys or polls
• Event or webinar landing pages
• RSVP forms
• Signup pages

Follow-up & Nurture Materials

• Welcome email
• Educational email sequence
• Story emails
• Credibility emails (outcomes, partners, results)
• Community or event invitations

Engagement Materials

• Meeting agendas
• Discovery call question list
• Briefing decks or one-pagers
• Talking points for conversations

Ask Materials

• Case for support (short and long versions)
• Donation page copy
• Proposal decks or documents
• Grant applications / LOIs
• Ask emails or scripts

Follow-up (No Gift)

• Reminder emails
• Objection-handling emails
• Data or urgency follow-ups
• “Still open” messages

Stewardship Materials

• Thank-you email templates
• Thank-you call scripts
• Impact reports
• Outcome snapshots
• Participant stories or videos
• Donor update emails

Renewal Materials

• Renewal emails
• Annual impact summaries
• New opportunity briefs
• Invitation-to-give-again messages

Internal & Execution Materials

• Email templates
• CRM tags or segments
• Tracking spreadsheets
• Role instructions
• SOPs or checklists

Part B: Worked Example (So You See It Clearly)

Example: Individual Fundraising Journey

Attraction
Material needed:

• Survey landing page
• Survey questions
• Thank-you confirmation email

Nurture
Material needed:

• 4-email education/story sequence
• One credibility email with outcomes

Ask
Material needed:

• Short case for support
• Donation page copy
• Ask email

Follow-up (No Gift)
Material needed:

• 3 follow-up emails with data and urgency

Stewardship
Material needed:

• Thank-you email
• Board call script
• Impact update email
• Participant story template

Renewal
Material needed:

• Renewal email
• New opportunity brief

When written out like this, nothing is abstract.

Part C: Do This for All Three Audiences

Repeat the worksheet for:

Individuals
Businesses
Grantors

You should end up with three clear lists of materials.

Do not combine them.
Different audiences require different assets.

Part D: AI Prompts (Gap Detection + Completion)

Now and only now do you use AI.

AI’s role here is to:

• scan the entire strategy
• spot missing materials
• prevent execution breakdowns
• help you sequence creation logically

 

AI Prompt: Individuals – Materials Audit

You are a nonprofit fundraising operations strategist.
Review our individual fundraising strategy and identify every piece of content and material required to execute it smoothly.

Fundraising journey (Step 4): [PASTE]
Role assignments (Step 5): [PASTE]
Our initial materials list: [PASTE]

Instructions:

Identify missing or overlooked materials at each stage.
Flag materials that are unclear or doing too many jobs.
Recommend reusable assets to reduce workload.

Organize the final list by:

Stage of journey
Purpose
Owner
Format (email, page, document, video)
Suggest a logical creation order (what must be built first).

Output format:

Complete materials inventory
Gaps and risks
Creation priority list

 

AI Prompt: Businesses – Materials Audit

You are a nonprofit–business partnership strategist.
Review our business fundraising strategy and identify all materials required to execute it effectively.

Fundraising journey (Step 4): [PASTE]
Role assignments (Step 5): [PASTE]
Our draft materials list: [PASTE]

Instructions:

Identify missing materials needed for discovery, alignment, proposal, follow-up, and stewardship.
Flag where business audiences require clearer data, outcomes, or alignment language.
Recommend which materials should be customizable versus fixed.
Organize the final materials list with owners and usage points.

Output format:

Materials checklist by journey stage
Owner assignment
Reuse opportunities
Creation sequence

 

AI Prompt: Grantors – Materials Audit

You are a nonprofit grants operations strategist.
Review our grant fundraising strategy and identify all materials needed to execute it professionally and consistently.

Grantor journey (Step 4): [PASTE]
Role assignments (Step 5): [PASTE]
Our current materials list: [PASTE]

Instructions:

Identify missing grant-related materials (pre-application, application, reporting).
Flag compliance or reporting risks.
Recommend standardized templates to reduce errors.

Organize the final list by:

Attraction
Application
Follow-up
Reporting
Renewal

Output format:

Complete grant materials inventory
Risk flags
Template recommendations
Creation priority order

What Success Looks Like for Step 6

Step 6 is complete when:

• You have a complete list of materials required to run your fundraising system
• Every material is tied to a specific step and role
• Nothing critical is left to improvisation
  You can confidently say:

“If we build these assets, the system can run.”
At this point, you are no longer “planning fundraising.”
You are preparing for execution.

Step 7: Build a Simple Execution Timeline and Budget

(So This System Actually Runs)

By now, you have:

• a clear fundraising process (Step 4)
  defined roles (Step 5)
• a complete list of content and materials (Step 6)

What’s left is coordination.

Most founders fail here because they try to do everything at once, or they don’t know what costs to expect. This step fixes that by turning the entire system into:

a realistic execution timeline
a sample working budget they can adjust
No guessing. No chaos.

 
What This Step Is (and Is Not)

This step is:

about sequencing, not speed
about clarity, not perfection
about control, not pressure
This step is NOT:

a rigid project plan
a promise to do everything immediately
a reason to delay execution
You are building a minimum viable execution plan.

Step 7: Build a Simple Execution Timeline and Budget

(So This System Actually Runs)

By now, you have:

• a clear fundraising process (Step 4)
  defined roles (Step 5)
• a complete list of content and materials (Step 6)

What’s left is coordination.

Most founders fail here because they try to do everything at once, or they don’t know what costs to expect. This step fixes that by turning the entire system into:

a realistic execution timeline
a sample working budget they can adjust
No guessing. No chaos.

 
What This Step Is (and Is Not)

This step is:

about sequencing, not speed
about clarity, not perfection
about control, not pressure
This step is NOT:

a rigid project plan
a promise to do everything immediately
a reason to delay execution
You are building a minimum viable execution plan.

What You Will Give AI

You do not need to brainstorm here.

You will simply paste:

• Your full fundraising process (Step 4)
• Your role assignments (Step 5)
• Your materials list (Step 6)
• Your current capacity (people + tools)

AI will do the heavy lifting.

 
What AI Will Produce

AI will create:

• a phased execution timeline (what to build and launch first)
• a realistic weekly breakdown
• a sample detailed budget showing expected costs
• a lean version and a slightly expanded version

This gives you something concrete to work from, instead of vague plans.

AI Prompt: Build the Execution Timeline and Budget

Paste everything below into AI. Do not edit the structure.

You are a nonprofit fundraising operations and project planning strategist.
Your role is to turn our complete fundraising system into a simple, realistic execution timeline and sample budget that avoids overwhelm.

Here is our full fundraising system:

Fundraising process (Step 4):
[PASTE FULL STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS]

Role assignments (Step 5):
[PASTE ROLES AND OWNERS]

Fundraising content and materials list (Step 6):
[PASTE COMPLETE MATERIALS INVENTORY]

Current capacity:

Founder availability (hours/week): [PASTE]
Staff/volunteers available: [PASTE]
Tools we already use (email, CRM, scheduling, etc.): [PASTE]
 
YOUR INSTRUCTIONS

Create a phased execution timeline (not everything at once), organized as:

Phase 1: Foundation and first launch
Phase 2: Follow-up and optimization
Phase 3: Stewardship and renewal readiness
For each phase, provide:

What is built or launched
Who is responsible
Estimated time commitment per week
Create a 12-week execution timeline showing:

Weekly focus
Key deliverables
What can be delayed safely
Build a sample fundraising execution budget, including:

Software/tools (email platform, CRM, scheduling)
Content creation (design, video, copy if outsourced)
Volunteer/staff support (if applicable)
Stewardship costs (printing, calls, reporting, recognition)
Contingency buffer
Provide:

A lean budget (minimal spend)
A supported budget (modest support)
Flag any budget items that are optional vs essential.
 
OUTPUT FORMAT

Phased execution plan
Timeline table
Sample detailed budget table
Lean vs supported comparison
Key assumptions and notes

How to Use the Output

When AI returns the plan:

• Do NOT try to execute everything immediately.
• Choose Phase 1 only.
• Adjust numbers to match your reality.
• Treat the budget as a guide, not a rulebook.

The goal is not perfection.
The goal is movement with clarity.

What Success Looks Like for Step 7

Step 7 is complete when:

• You know exactly what you’re working on this week
• You know what can wait
• You have a realistic sense of cost and effort
• Fundraising no longer feels like a black hole of time and money

At this point, you are no longer “building a fundraising strategy.”

You’ve installed the first step of your fundraising operating system.

One that:

• doesn’t depend on panic
• doesn’t rely on memory
• and doesn’t collapse when the you are tired

That’s the whole point.