Advancement · Community & Giving

The gift officer left.
The donor stays.

When a gift officer, head of school or development director leaves, donors notice: the calls stop, a promised visit never happens, a pledge reminder arrives under a departed name. List each relationship changing hands and what was promised, and the checklist shows what to do first so the donor feels the handoff was planned.

Add a relationshipWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

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

Your relationships

The worked example is made up: a major donor last contacted in July, with a promised tour overdue and a pledge payment due, and an annual fund donor. Saved on this device only; donors are listed by code.

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

What you get

Advancement · Community & Giving$5 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per relationship: donor code, giving level, departing and new contacts, last contact, first new contact, open commitments with due dates and status, and eight handoff steps. Counts open and overdue commitments, days since the last contact and to the next; flags long silences for major donors, overdue promises, no warm introduction, a slow first contact and pledge reminders.
Who it is for
Development directors, gift officers, heads of school and advancement services staff.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per relationship. Prints one handoff, every relationship in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 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. Add each relationship changing hands, by donor code.
  2. List every open commitment with its due date.
  3. Arrange a warm introduction.
  4. Reach out within 30 days, overdue promises first.
  5. Check in again at 90 days.

Add a relationship

Six steps

A handoff that keeps the donor1Write it downNotes, preferences andpromises in the database2IntroduceA call or note from thedeparting contact3Reach outThe new contact within 30 days4Keep promisesOverdue visits and reportsfirst5StewardPledge reminders in the newname6Check inAt 90 days: is therelationship warmA handoff that keeps the donor1Write it downNotes, preferences and promises in thedatabase2IntroduceA call or note from the departingcontact3Reach outThe new contact within 30 days4Keep promisesOverdue visits and reports first5StewardPledge reminders in the new name6Check inAt 90 days: is the relationship warm
Donors give to organizations, but they often stay because of people. Staff turnover is one of the most common reasons major donors lapse.

Before someone leaves

Ask a departing gift officer for a short note on each top donor: what they care about, what was promised, what to avoid and who else in the family matters. An hour of writing saves months of rebuilding.

Who reaches out first

For the largest donors, a call from the head of school or board chair before the new officer’s first visit signals that the relationship matters to the institution, not just to one person.

Sources

  1. Association of Fundraising Professionals. Fundraising Effectiveness Project: donor retention reports (afpglobal.org).
  2. Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Stewardship and donor relations resources (case.org).
  3. Burk, P. (2003). Donor-Centered Fundraising. Cygnus Applied Research.
  4. Association of Donor Relations Professionals. Stewardship standards (adrp.net).

The worked examples are made up. The 30-day and 90-day marks are common practice, not rules. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.