How do you cultivate major donors before asking for a gift?

Cultivation means building genuine affinity before ever discussing a gift amount, and Catapult's Donor Engagement methodology treats that sequencing as non-negotiable: a personalized letter of introduction from leadership comes first, followed by an area-of-impact conversation and qualification call, and only then a pre-call letter that previews the ask.

The relationship-first discipline matters because donors who feel cultivated rather than solicited give larger gifts and stay engaged longer. It's the same principle behind Legacy Call's planned-giving process, where a Stewardship Officer's qualifying conversation always comes before any referral to a Gift Planning Specialist for the actual gift discussion.