We tell people every day: "If you are going to adopt this model, you will need a tracking system." Heads nod, people agree in theory. Yet, in day-to-day practice, people ask, "What exactly should we be tracking?"

A good place to begin is to look at what you are already tracking. Do you have lists of current donors and volunteers, lists of board members, past board members, staff and former staff? What other information do you collect on these people? Ultimately, even if you adopt a new system, you will need to convert the data you already have. You may be surprised by all you do collect now.

If you presume that every person who attends your Point of Entry^® may become a lifelong donor, you need to begin tracking key information from the point of initial contact. The basic contact information card that each person fills out (your Capture the Names tool) can become your initial source. This should include their name, address, phone and e-mail, and ideally the name of the person who referred them to your organization. As this information is entered into your database, you will begin a log of your contacts with this person, by coding the date of the Point of Entry Event they attended and the relationship of the referring contact, when one exists.

Next, track your Follow-Up Call. Note the date you called them, or any messages left before you reach them, as well as what they said on the call. If possible, have the five-step Follow-Up Call as a form in your database and enter each guest's answers to those questions. When you ask the fifth question, "Is there anyone else you can think of who we ought to invite to attend our Point of Entry?" and they suggest others, right then is the time to begin a separate record for these new people as well. A good database/contact management system should enable you to track the relationships between people in your system, which is a very valuable cross-referencing tool. Make sure that your note for each contact (such as the Follow-Up Call) includes a date for your next contact and that this links to an action item in your daily planner for that future date.

This same tracking process holds true throughout the Cultivation Superhighway^™. Each contact--whether by phone or in person--must be tracked with notes and next actions, all tied to dates and, ultimately, to someone's daily to-do calendar. The difference between successful and lackluster cultivation is related to the amount of listening and note-keeping you do in your dialog with donors.

If you will be putting on the Free One-Hour Ask Event^™, there will be many things you'll want to track. These include data on each individual guest as well as collective data from the overall event.

Data on each individual guest includes: did this person RSVP, did this person attend, the name of this person's Table Captain, the amount of the donor's gift or pledge on the day of the event, and the dates these pledges were paid off or increased (perhaps at subsequent events).

Data on the overall event might include the names of everyone who accepted the invitation, the number of total guests who attended your Ask Event, total gifts received by all donors (including pledges) on the day of the event, and total gifts and pledges received in the next three months from Ask Event guests.

In conjunction with future Ask Events, you might collect data on donors who become Table Captains, donors who pay off or increase their gift at the next Ask Event, the number of repeat attendees, etc.

After the Ask Event, you will want to track the entire follow-up process. As you call each new donor, what are they saying? Who would they like to invite to a Point of Entry? Would they like to host a Point of Entry? Would they like to be a Table Captain again next year? Did any of their guests express interest in becoming Table Captains? What about the people who left their table without turning in a completed pledge card? What, if anything, did they say as they left? Be sure to note these comments in the file for that guest, including any next steps needed.

As for the thank-you and recognition process, you need to track when and how each donor was thanked. What other feedback have they given you since the event? What is the next contact or next step with each of these donors? Is that next step tied to the to-do calendar for that date?

What about Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™? You can use your tracking system to note in each donor's record that they were invited, whether or not they accepted and, ultimately, whether they attended.

In other words, your tracking system should be the one solid, reliable repository for the chronology of every single contact with that donor. Everyone who has access to your database will come to count on this as the sole source for up-to-the-minute information on each donor, potential donor and volunteer.

Even more importantly, the tracking system will then allow you to make queries of the data in the system and to make reports of any information you need. Who attended which event? Who were the major donors at your Ask Event? Who are the people who need a Follow-Up Call, a visit from a board member or a thank-you note? No matter how good a system is at collecting information, it should be reevaluated if it is not easy to retrieve the information you need.

Today's technology makes it possible to accumulate critical knowledge more easily and less expensively than ever before. Over time, you will see more ways to customize your data tracking system to the model, extrapolating reports and charts to summarize your progress. While it may seem like a daunting task, launching a centralized tracking system is an invaluable and lasting legacy you will be leaving for your organization