Follow-up is Step Two in our model, the step many people say is the most important. When you are looking to build lifelong donors, the follow-up process never ends. After the initial Point of Entry^® Event, as well as after every subsequent event, you will want to be in contact with your key donors asking for their personal feedback.

If you think of this as a systematic research call, the Follow-Up Call can provide you with the personalized input you will need about each potential donor. What will it take to have them feel they have made a real contribution? To what extent do they want to become involved? Then you will need to customize a plan or pathway for that particular donor.

Much of the current business marketing research tells us that the sooner you can talk to the customer first-hand and ask them their preferences and opinions, the sooner you can give them what they want and keep them coming back for more. As a result, many businesses design elaborate strategies to have a legitimate reason to talk to their customers.

In our model, however, the Point of Entry Event easily sets up the Follow-Up Call. As your guests are leaving the Point of Entry event—inspired, informed, armed with your literature and rushing off to their next appointment—the person who will be doing the Follow-Up Call says to each of them: "Thank you for coming. I'll give you a call later this week to get your feedback."

Who Makes the Follow-Up Call?

Before you launch into implementing this model, it is worth thinking through who will be responsible for making the Follow-Up Calls. A personal, one-to-one relationship model requires talking to people on a regular basis. Who is the right person to be doing the communicating and recording the feedback?

I recommend you choose the most senior-ranking person you can spare who is able to attend all the Point of Entry Events, since you only want Follow-Up Calls to be made by a person whom the guest met at the event. The caller needs to be someone who has a direct line to the head of the organization, someone with maturity, "people skills," and outstanding organizational skills. It needs to be someone who can screen the many good ideas people will have for you, and someone with the authority to act on them or to pull together the decision makers who can act quickly. A donor or potential donor with a hot idea expects and deserves immediate attention.

If you decide to have more than one person responsible for Follow Up, be sure they share a computer data base and update each other regularly. You might want to assign each of them to be the Donor Service Representative for their own group of donors so that those donors feel they have their own contact person.

The Script for Your Follow-Up Calls

The Follow-Up Call is not just a courteous thank-you call, in which case a note would suffice. Think of this as a research call with a specific script of points to be covered. You are a detective on a mission to determine how each person might like to become involved, even if only a little bit, with your organization. It has to be a custom-fitted type of involvement, tailored to their needs and interests. You must have your radar detector turned up to high intensity for this call. You are listening for cues.

The better you listen, the more you will hear exactly how they might want to become involved. Involvement is what you are after, and listening is the key. You may need to practice asking people questions and then not talking so you can really zero in on the essence of their response, as well as on what they are not saying.

Here is a suggested script for the Follow-Up Call, including the points to be covered:

Step 1: "Hello, Jane. You may remember me from the tour at the children's home last week. I was calling to thank you for taking the time to come out and visit us. It means a great deal to us that you took your time to do that.

As we said last week, we are having these tours as a way to tell our story to more people in the community, to expand the base of folks who know what we're doing. We'd really appreciate your feedback."

Step 2: "What did you think of the tour?"

Step 3: Be quiet and listen.

Let them talk as long as they like. As you are listening closely to their response, pick up on any cues or hot buttons that interest them. Add a bit more information about programs they like. If they don't offer anything more, and they have not told you that they absolutely are not interested, you can proceed to the next question.

Step 4: Is there any way you could see yourself becoming involved with our organization?

Notice in their response what kind of involvement they are looking for. Is it something very hands-on and tangible? A project, perhaps? An in-kind donation? Or do they prefer more of an arms-length advisory or referral role? All of these qualify as involvement.

People don't like to say no. They want to be nice to you. They want to help you. They also want to get you off their backs. So, you have to listen carefully to read the signals. If they are not interested—no way, no how—just thank them again and say goodbye. In the long run, they will respect you a lot more for respecting their time and involvement in other organizations. Many times, they will send you their friends who truly are interested in your work.

Step 5: Is there anyone else you would suggest we invite to another introductory (Point of Entry) event like the one you attended?

If they give you a name, ask, "Would it be all right for me to call them and mention your name, or would you prefer to call the person first to let them know I will be calling?"

Any suggestions, names, or ideas they have given you need to be acted on immediately and, in turn, reported back to them quickly.