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Major Donor Cultivation Plan and Messages
Describe one donor and what you hope they will support. Get a step-by-step cultivation plan, each message drafted, leading to a well-prepared ask.
River's major donor cultivation writer plans the steps between a promising donor and a well-prepared ask, then drafts each one. Describe the person, their giving and what they have told you, and what you hope they might support. River writes a cultivation plan for that one donor: the purpose of each touch, who makes it, roughly when, and the actual email, letter, call notes or visit agenda. The plan ends with an ask meeting prepared in detail.
Most cultivation advice is a generic sequence of a thank-you, an update and an invitation, sent to every prospect alike. Major donors are not alike. One gave after a tour and asked about a waitlist; another cares about a founder's story. This plan is built around what this donor has shown they care about, and it treats each touch as a chance to learn more, with questions to ask. To track many prospects at once, the moves management template keeps every next step dated.
This is for executive directors and development directors at organisations without a large major gifts team, and for board members helping with donor relationships. Use it when a loyal donor upgrades, when a board member offers an introduction, or when a campaign needs leadership gifts. A strong case for support gives the ask its substance. If your file shows donors whose giving looks larger once records are combined, a CRM duplicate cleanup may reveal prospects you are missing.
How major donor cultivation actually works
Cultivation is the work of deepening a donor's connection to the mission until a larger gift is a natural next step for them. Fundraisers often describe it in stages: identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Each contact, or move, should have a purpose, such as learning what the donor cares about most or showing them the work up close. A touch without a purpose is just contact, and experienced donors can usually tell the difference straight away.
Listening matters more than messaging. The most useful cultivation meetings are mostly questions: what drew you to this work, what would you most like to see change, how do you like to hear from us. The answers shape the eventual proposal, from the program it supports to its timing and size. Record what you learn in a short contact report soon after each conversation, because the next person to contact the donor needs it, and details fade within days.
Respect is part of the method. The Donor Bill of Rights, adopted by fundraising associations including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, says donors should be assured that information about their giving is handled with respect and confidentiality. Keep notes factual and professional, as if the donor might read them. Base the ask amount on what the donor has shown and told you, and test it with someone who knows them well, rather than guessing at their wealth.
How it works
Describe the donor
Share their giving history, interests, connections and anything they have said about your work.
Name the opportunity
Optionally say what you hope they might support, its cost, and who would make the ask.
River plans the touches
You get the strategy, each touch with its purpose, and every message drafted and ready to adapt.
Update after each step
Tell River what the donor said, and it adjusts the next touches and the ask.
What you get
- A cultivation strategy for one donor, built on their giving and what they have told you
- A sequence of purposeful touches, each with who makes it, the channel and rough timing
- Every message drafted: emails, letters, phone call notes and a visit or tour agenda
- Discovery questions for each conversation, so every contact teaches you something new about them
- An ask meeting plan with the proposal, the amount reasoning, who asks and likely responses
- Stewardship steps for after the gift, whether the donor says yes, not yet or no
Common questions
How many touches before asking for a major gift?
There is no set number. What matters is whether you know what the donor cares about, whether they have seen the work, and whether they have signalled interest in doing more. For a loyal donor already close to the organisation that may take a few months; for someone new, longer. The plan names what each touch needs to learn before moving on.
How do we decide the ask amount?
From what the donor has given, what they have told you, and advice from someone who knows them, such as a board member. River explains the reasoning for a suggested range from the facts you give and labels it as an assumption to test. It never estimates a donor's wealth or uses information they would not expect you to have.
Who should make the ask?
Usually two people: someone the donor knows and trusts, often a board member or peer, and the executive director or program leader who can answer questions about the work. The plan assigns each person a role in the meeting, including who states the amount and who stays quiet afterwards while the donor responds.
What if the donor says no or not yet?
Thank them sincerely and ask what would make it a better fit, whether timing, amount or purpose. A not yet is common and usually means the relationship continues. River writes a follow-up and stewardship steps for each outcome, so the donor keeps hearing what their past giving achieved, as the donor thank-you letter writer does for every gift.
Can it write plans for several donors at once?
Write one donor at a time. Each plan depends on that person's history and interests, and a shared sequence quickly becomes generic. Once the first plan exists, ask River in chat to draft the next donor's plan in the same format. For a portfolio of many prospects, track next steps and dates in a moves management sheet.
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Major Donor Cultivation Plan and Messages
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.