StretchLearn Course

Raise More, and Keep the Donors You Earn

A practical donor-development course covering prospecting, annual campaigns, major gifts, grants, and the stewardship that builds lifetime giving.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Learn the full donor development cycle used by professional fundraisers, from building a qualified prospect list to closing five- and six-figure major gifts. You will run an annual giving program, write a case for support, weigh grants against individual giving, and design a stewardship system that turns first-time gifts into lifetime relationships. Every lesson uses real frameworks, named tools, and worked dollar examples you can apply to a small or growing organization.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Build and qualify a donor prospect list using the LAI capacity model and named research tools

Design an annual giving program with segmented appeals, a clear case for support, and realistic dollar goals

Move major-gift prospects through the six-stage cultivation cycle from identification to solicitation

Compare grants and individual giving on cost, restriction, and reliability to balance a revenue mix

Operate a stewardship system that lifts donor retention and grows lifetime value year over year

Track fundraising performance with the metrics and benchmarks that boards and funders expect

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The Donor Pyramid and Finding Your Prospects

Understand how fundraising revenue actually breaks down, where individual giving fits, and how to build and qualify a prospect list using capacity and affinity.

3 lessons

Where the Money Really Comes FromContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Qualifying Prospects with Capacity and AffinityContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Prospect Research Tools and Building the ListContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Annual Giving and the Case for Support

Build the broad base of the pyramid: write a compelling case for support, design segmented annual appeals across direct mail and digital, and convert one-time donors into recurring givers.

3 lessons

Writing a Case for Support That Moves PeopleContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Designing Segmented Annual AppealsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Converting Donors to Recurring and Sustaining GiftsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Major Gifts and Choosing Your Revenue Mix

Move into the high-value top of the pyramid: cultivate and solicit major gifts through the donor cycle, make a face-to-face ask, and weigh grants against individual giving to build a resilient revenue mix.

3 lessons

The Six-Stage Major Gift CycleContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Making the Ask Face to FaceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Grants Versus Individual Giving: Building the MixContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Stewardship, Retention, and Measuring Success

Keep the donors you worked to earn: thank and report well, build a stewardship system that lifts retention and lifetime value, and track the metrics boards and funders expect.

3 lessons

Stewardship and the Discipline of Saying Thank YouContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Donor Retention and Lifetime ValueContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Fundraising Metrics, Benchmarks, and the Board DashboardContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

nonprofit fundraisingdonor relationsmajor giftsannual givingdonor stewardshipprospect researchgrant fundingdonor retention