Tell more stories. Ask less often. Trust grows, and so does giving.
A strong donor development strategy is built less on the ask than most ministries assume, and more on the trust you build in the long stretches between asks. A while back we had Brittany Baker, Regional Director of Marketing for IJM, on the podcast, and she walked through how IJM handles marketing, donor development, and storytelling in granular detail. This is Part 1 of a four-part series unpacking that conversation. (Part 2 covers creating content at scale, Part 3 covers story structure, and Part 4 covers protecting the people in your stories.)
If you do not know IJM: International Justice Mission is a global organization working to end slavery and violence against the poor and oppressed, people living outside the protection of the law. Alongside charity: water, World Vision, and Compassion International, they are widely regarded as a ministry worth studying when it comes to storytelling and donor development. Today we start with the engine underneath it all.
Table of Contents
Storytelling at Scale: The Esther Campaign
Within the first minutes of our episode, Brittany lit up about IJM’s end-of-year campaign built around Esther’s story. For the first time, IJM told a single child’s story as a two-part video paired with a five-episode podcast, and rolled it out across more than a month.
Tally just the Instagram output, two video parts with trailers on IGTV, a post for each podcast episode, and eighteen Instagram stories, and you land on roughly a piece of content every other day, all from one story. That is before their Facebook, Twitter, Medium, and email. It is a masterclass in stretching a single narrative, and we break down the mechanics of doing it on a ministry budget in Part 2 on content at scale. What matters here is what that engine does for your donors.
A Donor Development Strategy Built on Stories
Here is the shift. Most ministries treat storytelling as marketing and the ask as fundraising, two separate jobs. A healthy donor development strategy treats them as one motion: you tell true stories consistently, and generosity follows from trust rather than pressure.
Do the math on the Esther model. If one story can fuel a month of content, then twelve stories of changed lives can fill a year of communicating every other day. Add educational content, ministry updates, and mobile footage from partners in the field, and a small or mid-sized ministry can sustain a steady presence without a large budget. The question is not whether you can produce enough. The question is simpler and more human: can you find twelve people this year whose lives were changed through your work? Nearly every ministry we have ever talked with can. That inventory of real stories is the foundation of your donor development strategy.
How Often Should You Ask Donors for Money?
The question every ministry eventually asks: how many times should I communicate with a donor before I make a financial ask? You will hear everything from “ask every time” to a 1-to-7 or 1-to-10 touchpoint ratio. The honest answer is that it depends on the donor and the moment. I asked Brittany how IJM handles it:
“We are still working on that, and we can definitely get better, but right now we try to go three to six weeks after an initial gift before we make a financial ask. We do try to get a second gift from that donor by the end of that six-week window. Data is telling nonprofits that if you can get a second gift in that window, the lifetime value of that donor significantly goes up.”
Notice she did not hand over a tidy ratio, and that is the lesson. It depends on the donor. A first-time newsletter subscriber who just heard of you should be treated differently than someone who signed up for monthly giving on day one. That is why your strategy needs distinct communication tracks for distinct relationships.
For practical footing, here is where we tell ministries to land. Face to face, make the ask every time; that is what the moment is for. On new media, keep the ratio closer to 1-to-10, assuming you are telling stories at the volume described above. Tell your stories more often, and let the ask grow less frequent. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV). Storytelling exists first for God’s glory, and only then as an invitation to give.
The Second Gift: Why Donor Stewardship Wins
Return to Brittany’s data point, because it is the heart of donor stewardship: a second gift inside that six-week window sharply raises a donor’s lifetime value. Donor retention, not constant acquisition, is where sustainable ministry funding actually comes from. And retention is not won by asking harder. It is won by stewarding the relationship, thanking well, reporting honestly on what a gift accomplished, and showing the donor the work rather than only the need.
This is the payoff of telling stories at scale. When you increase the regularity with which you share what God is doing, you increase trust. Trust becomes loyalty, loyalty becomes brand equity, and equity is what carries a ministry through the years when the asks have to be leaner. A donor development strategy that leads with stewardship and story will outlast one that leads with the ask every single time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a donor development strategy?
A donor development strategy is the plan a ministry uses to attract, retain, and deepen relationships with donors over time. The strongest ones lead with consistent, honest storytelling and treat the financial ask as one moment in a longer relationship, not the point of every interaction.
How often should a nonprofit ask donors for money?
It depends on the relationship. Face to face, it is appropriate to ask every time. On social media and email, aim closer to one ask for every ten touchpoints, provided you are telling stories consistently. The more regularly you share what God is doing, the less frequently you need to ask.
Why is the second gift so important to donor retention?
Data shows that securing a second gift within roughly six weeks of the first sharply increases a donor’s lifetime value. A first gift is a test of trust; a second gift signals a relationship, and relationships, not one-time gifts, fund ministries for the long haul.
What is the difference between donor development and donor stewardship?
Donor development is the whole arc of attracting and growing donor relationships. Donor stewardship is the care you give after someone gives, thanking them, reporting on impact, and showing the work. Stewardship is the part of development that drives retention.
Can a small ministry build a donor development strategy without a big budget?
Yes. It starts with twelve real stories of changed lives and the discipline to tell them consistently. Trust, not production value, is what moves donors, and trust is free to build.
Want a donor development strategy that leads with trust instead of the ask? Reliant Creative helps ministries build fundraising and donor development rooted in honest storytelling and the dignity of the people you serve. If you want giving that grows because trust grows, we would love to help.
