A Four-Part Series on Donor Qualification Stages of Implementation
Stage 4: Breakthrough and Success
One thing Jeff and I and our team of front-line colleagues know for sure: the donor qualification strategy and system works. If you stick with it, it will deliver a full caseload of 150 active and interested donors who will relate to you.
That’s why you need to persevere through all the stages of qualification – so you can break through and experience success.
Throughout the many years we’ve been doing this work, every MGO we’ve worked with who has successfully qualified a caseload of donors says something to the effect of “It’s good I kept going.” And/or “I can now see how this works.” And/or “I now feel so much better, because working with my donors is so much easier.”
I asked our Client Experience Leaders – our Veritus colleagues who work with MGOs around the country and in Canada – to share what MGOs have said once they broke through and experienced the success of having a fully qualified caseload of donors.
I think you’ll find their first-hand accounts encouraging:

“To be honest, I started off really slow because I wasn’t following the plan and the system – I didn’t think it would work. After failing and wandering for several weeks, I decided I needed to give it a try. And now I’m on track and consistently qualifying donors.”
“It was hard and took a long time, but when I crossed over to 150, I was in a much better place. When I come into work each day, I’m clear on what I need to do. It’s so much more fun working with donors who want to connect.”
“This second year, working with donors who have said yes to engagement is so much better. I know I doubted the process at first – especially that survey – but when I finally did it and saw the results, I’m sorry I delayed. What a difference.”
“I was leery of the introductory calls, especially the number of attempts that Veritus recommended. I honestly didn’t believe people really wanted to talk on the phone these days. My Veritus colleague and my manager told me to believe in the process, and I did. Now I love phone calls and I’ve made so many good connections with our donors.”
“Before I started the donor qualification process, I was wearing many hats in our organization. I really wasn’t sure I had the time to go through the required steps. But I got into it anyway and was delighted to find that donors were very receptive to receive my introductory phone call – thanking them for their faithful giving. I was surprised at how genuinely pleased they were to hear from me! It made calling fun.”

We have many more of these examples of breakthrough and success.
I’d like you to notice the common theme that runs through each of these comments. The entire process starts with some skepticism and doubt, then moves to some form of discouragement. Then there’s a surge of discipline and energy, and the MGO breaks through and experiences all the benefits of a fully qualified caseload.
This is how it works. And what I’ve described in this series of posts is very typical. So regardless of where you are in the process of qualification (including thinking about doing it in the first place) – if you stay with it, you’ll break through and find you have an engaged group of donors who enjoy connecting with you.
But here’s the thing – implementation of the donor qualification strategy and system will, on the front end, “cost you” hard work and discipline. But it’s worth it. (Tweet it!)
Think about it this way: do you want to have a caseload of donors where only one-third of them want to connect with you? Or do you want to have a caseload of donors where every donor wants to connect? Seems like an easy choice to me. But you’ll have to make that choice. No one else can.
Richard
Read the full series:

1. Donor Qualification Sucks! Excitement and Fear
2. Donor Qualification Sucks! Discouragement
3. Donor Qualification Sucks! Avoidance
4. Donor Qualification Sucks! Breakthrough and Success (This post)