Advancement · Community and Giving

Remember what they said,
and do what you promised.

Log each visit, call or event conversation the same day: why you met, what the donor cared about, any gift discussed and the next step you agreed. The organizer lists every next step across your donors and flags the ones that are late or missing.

Log a conversationWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Development and giving kit, $39 for 19 items.

Conversations

The worked example is made up: a discovery visit whose follow-up report is a day late, and a $25,000 ask with no next step agreed. Records save on this device only and use donor codes.

Loading the conversation form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Community & Giving$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per conversation with donor code, date, kind, purpose, participants, interests, what the donor shared, gift discussed and the next step with its date; four note-keeping checks; a list of upcoming and late next steps; flags for overdue next steps, an ask with no next step, no follow-up after a week and notes that stray beyond what the donor shared.
Who it is for
Development directors, school foundation staff, principals and board members who meet donors, and advancement volunteers.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per conversation. Prints a conversation summary before the next meeting, every conversation as a table or a blank call sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Development and giving kit ($39) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Community & Giving space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Log the conversation the same day, while you remember the words.
  2. Write what the donor shared, not your guesses about them.
  3. Agree a next step and a date before you leave.
  4. Send the thank-you or follow-up within a week.
  5. Before the next meeting, print the last summary.

Log a conversation

The relationship cycle

Every conversation moves a relationship somewhere12345the donor1. DiscoverListen for what they care about2. CultivateShow them that work, up close3. AskA specific gift for a specific purpose4. ThankWithin days, by a person5. StewardReport what the gift didEvery conversation moves a relationship somewhere12345the donor1. DiscoverListen for what they care about2. CultivateShow them that work, up close3. AskA specific gift for a specific purpose4. ThankWithin days, by a person5. StewardReport what the gift did
Notes are what let the next person pick up the relationship where the last conversation left it.

Notes a donor could read

Write as if the donor might one day ask to see the file. Keep to what they told you about their interests and their giving, the questions they asked and what you promised. Leave out guesses about wealth, health or family, and anything they said in confidence. Ethics codes for fundraisers treat donor information as confidential and to be used only for its purpose.

The next step is the point

Most relationships stall after a good conversation because nobody did the thing they said they would. Every conversation should end with one next step, an owner and a date, whether that is a report, an invitation or the time they will decide.

Sources

  1. Association of Fundraising Professionals. Code of Ethical Standards: confidentiality of donor information (afpglobal.org).
  2. Association of Fundraising Professionals and partners. Donor Bill of Rights (afpglobal.org).
  3. Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Principles of practice for fundraising professionals at educational institutions (case.org).
  4. Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (Apra). Ethics and Compliance statement on donor information (aprahome.org).

The worked example is made up. Your organization’s donor privacy policy decides what is recorded and who may see it. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.