Is your donor really stuck, or is your cultivation strategy stuck? In this episode of Hey Fundraiser!, Mary explains the difference between a touch and a move, and why activity alone does not create major gifts. You’ll learn how to give every donor interaction a purpose, the five things Mary wants to understand before moving toward a solicitation, and how to introduce money into the relationship long before the ask. She also shares why permission-based fundraising can dramatically accelerate cultivation, how to recognize when “they need more time” is really fundraiser fear, and how to diagnose exactly why a donor relationship has stalled. Mary walks through her Relationship Rhythm of value, mission, access, and progress, shares the permission-based approach she used before closing the largest gift of her career, and gives you a simple exercise for your top 20: write down the single next move for every donor. Because “continued cultivation” is not a strategy. The goal is movement, clarity, and knowing when to deepen the relationship, make the ask, or bless and release.

🎓 The Professional Development Budget Kit. Free Download! Everything you need to get your organization to say "yes" to funding your growth: templates, talking points, and an ROI calculator.

💸 Major Gift Intensives. We're headed to 6 cities in 2027. Are we headed to yours? Join us for a 3 day deep dive into major gifts! Only 30 seats per city.

🌻 The 2027 Growth Pass. Only 5 seats available. The Growth Pass bundles Mary's three flagship live experiences into one powerful year of learning. One Major Gift Intensive. One Ask Workshop. One Small Table Intensive.

🪑 The Small Table Intensive. Half a day. Build or rebuild your major gift program around fewer donors and deeper relationships, using the methodology from my book Small Table Big Philanthropy.

🎯 The Ask Workshop. Half a day. The exact words to use when it's time to ask for 5 and 6-figure gifts. Walk in nervous about the ask. Walk out with the scripts.

💻 Connect with Mary Petersen

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