Assignment Best Practices

To help cultivate relationships and gifts, fundraisers can interact with constituents and prospects on behalf of your organization. For the best results, take a moment to consider various items and make informed decisions when you choose who should manage a constituent relationship.

A constituent who gave once is likely to give again, but one who hasn't given for some time may take some coaxing. Likewise, a constituent you haven't interacted with in a while may require special attention. When you identify lapsed or lapsing donors, look at their giving histories to determine which are worthwhile and likely to respond — such as those who gave multiple gifts of at least $10 over consecutive years, within the past five years — and assign them to a fundraiser for a personalized and quarterly recapture appeal.

To quickly view a constituent's most recent gift and interaction, check the timeline under Constituent summary on their record, or include the Latest gift and Last action columns on the Portfolio list in Fundraising, Work . For deeper analysis of giving history, select Work with gifts under Giving history on their record. For more information, see Constituent Giving.

Consider a constituent's wealth ratings to help determine how to best cultivate their relationship. For example, we recommend you assign your wealthier constituents to an attentive fundraiser for the white-glove treatment, with more care and interaction than other donors. For more information, see Ratings.

Tip: Wealth doesn't necessarily indicate philanthropy. With Prospect Research Management, you can track details such as giving preferences and contributions to other organizations to help determine a constituent's likelihood to give. For more information, see Prospect Management.

If a relationship requires personalized attention, consider the value of face-to-face interactions. To help foster individualized conversation, try to pair a constituent and fundraiser who live or work near each other so they can conveniently meet at familiar locations, such as a local coffee shop or restaurant. Other commonalities between the constituent and fundraiser — such as shared relationships or education history — can also help strengthen their bond. You can find and compare these details from the constituent records of the donor and fundraiser. For more information, see Constituent Records.