Ready, Set, Ask: Giving Starter Kit Workshop with Black Impact Houston 

Black Impact Houston, in collaboration with Greater Houston Community Foundation, hosted an Individual Giving Day Workshop. Black-led organizations with deep community roots and powerful missions attended the workshop where they were empowered with tools, confidence, and simple strategies to mobilize their supporters and grow a base of donors who believe and invest in their work. Continue reading to understand some key takeaways of this event. 

About Black Impact Houston 

Black Impact Houston is an alliance of nonprofit organizations that are led by Black people and that have a mission that primarily benefits Black communities. Its primary focus is to support and strengthen Houston’s Black-led nonprofits through education, advocacy, mentorship, and leadership. Through its member organizations, Black Impact Houston serves thousands of the most vulnerable residents in the greater Houston area and provides a range of services and offerings. Black Impact Houston empowers its nonprofit members to become integral partners in building vibrant, thriving communities. 

Setting the Stage 

The workshop was facilitated by Eldon Lewis and Jovanny Orellana, President of Latin Women’s Initiative, whose goals for the day included empowering attendees with: 

• Understanding of individual giving and building sustainable fundraising models 

• Clarity on what it takes to execute a successful individual giving campaign 

• Networking opportunities for other nonprofits that are part of the Black Impact Houston alliance. 

The Power of Individual Giving 

According to Giving USA’s 2025 Report over 66% of charitable giving in the United States in 2024 was made by individuals, while corporate giving represented roughly 7% of charitable giving. This data highlights the importance of securing contributions from individual donors, but this takes time. Jovanny emphasized that securing an individual gift can take anywhere from one month to three years. Major gifts of $5,000 or more often require a minimum of one to three years of relationship-building. This extended timeline underscores the value of cultivating a diverse and resilient donor base to sustain long-term impact.  

Building Your Individual Donor Base 

Jovanny and Eldon shared several important considerations to keep in mind when building your donor base.  

• Tell a Clear, Compelling Story: When you articulate a clear, captivating story about your mission, you will recruit more support. Building a succinct yet inspiring story is crucial to differentiating your organization from others.  

• Start with who you know: All of us have cell phones, and it’s safe to say that most professionals have 100 or more contacts in their phone. We all know someone, and you never know who can open doors for you and your organization.  

• Make it easy to give: Perfection is the enemy of good. Don’t get caught up in having the latest, most beautiful giving platform. You must ensure that donors can easily donate funds to your organization in a straightforward and accessible manner. Click here to read more on how to strengthen your nonprofit to receive gifts from donor advised funds.  

• Segmenting Your Donors: If you don’t know who makes up your donor base, you won’t know what motivates them to give. Segmenting your donors means categorizing them so your organization can send tailored appeals in the manner in which each donor prefers to be communicated with.  

• Stewardship: Don’t forget to thank your donors! You can’t just ask and ask; you must show that you care about the donor and that you both share common interests. Jovanny shared, “Usually it takes about seven times to say thank you to a donor before you ask them again.”  

• Show Impact: Report back to a donor by highlighting the impact of their gift. Tell your donor base what your organization was able to do after achieving a fundraising goal.  

• Engage, Don’t Just Solicit: Don’t just ask your donors for support—invite them into the story. Ask how they want to engage with your mission. Many are eager to contribute more than just money, but also their time and talent. 

Power 25 Donor Mapping Activity  

Every attendee received a ‘Giving Starter Kit’, which was an individual campaign planning worksheet that contained four exercises to help attendees develop a roadmap for a successful individual giving campaign. The first exercise was for each person to write five names of people they know in each of the following categories:  

• Personal Inner Circle 

• Professional Circle 

• Mission-Aligned Supporters 

• Previous Supporters or Participants 

• Amplifiers (People who can share or connect you) 

Next, attendees were asked to pick ten out of the 25 people they listed who are the most likely to support your organization or connect you to someone who will. Eldon expanded, “The most dangerous assumption you can make is to rule someone out. Do not assume that people do not have the capacity to give.” This exercise helped demonstrate that a network can be more powerful than you think! 

What Makes an Individual Giving Campaign Successful? 

An individual giving campaign is an appeal that focuses on asking everyday people to give money in a specific amount of time to fuel your mission and address a need. Eldon and Jovanny highlighted three critical phases of an individual giving campaign:  

Prelaunch 

Start by defining your campaign goal, crafting a compelling theme, and creating a clear call to action—donors need to know exactly how their support can make a difference. One effective shared strategy that can build excitement around a campaign is to secure a matching gift.  

Additionally, campaign engagement from your board early on is paramount. Whether your board members are giving personally or leveraging their networks, the board must be involved in helping you to fundraise.  

Launch & Momentum 

Finalize your outreach plan, including which platforms you will utilize. Is it social media, mailed letters, emails, texts, or even phone calls? When conducting this outreach, ensure that you share stories about your organization that inspire supporters to take their giving to the next level. Share updates on any progress made with previous support. If appropriate, give your donor base an update when you ask for money, as few people like to be asked for money without context.  

Eldon highlighted the importance of sharing asset-based stories. Discussing what your organization lacks or how the community you serve struggles does not foster community. Instead, focus on how gifts help your organization live out its mission.  

Post Campaign 

The most critical part of any individual giving campaign happens after it ends. Without thoughtful follow-up, donors are unlikely to support you again. Thank donors in a personalized manner. Consider recruiting your board to assist with making follow-up thank-you phone calls. Showing donors sincere gratitude and sharing updates about how their gift ignited impact after a campaign ends can turn one-time donors into lifelong supporters.  

At the workshop, as Eldon and Jovanny shared about each phase of the campaign, attendees often broke up into groups to discuss different sections of the ‘Giving Starter Kit.’ The ‘Giving Starter Kit’ has prompts and examples of practical steps a nonprofit can take to streamline and unify their campaign strategy 

Black Impact Houston Giving Day – August 28, 2025 

Brandi Brown, Executive Director of Hype Freedom School, and who is also the founder and leader of Black Impact Houston, shared with everyone more about how to become a member of Black Impact Houston and its upcoming Black Impact Houston Giving Day. Black Impact Houston Giving Day is focused on supporting Black-led and Black-benefitting organizations on August 28, 2025.  

Black Impact Houston started as a movement and opportunity for its nonprofit members to become partners, highlighting how collective sharing, giving, and collaboration go a long way. When a nonprofit becomes a member of the Black Impact Houston alliance, it gains access to peer connections and support. And, when you support Black Impact Houston, you are strengthening Houston’s Black nonprofit community through belonging, education, mentorship, and so much more.  

Parting with Possibilities 

The workshop concluded with an opportunity for attendees to network and a key call to action: “What is one action you will take tomorrow?” Attendees were encouraged to write it down and text Eldon personally once that step was complete.  

In the fast-paced world of nonprofit work, where leaders and fundraisers often juggle multiple roles, it is easy to stay in constant motion. However, taking the time to develop a clear, intentional strategy for engaging your donor base is essential. When you slow down and craft thoughtful asks, you, in turn, build authentic connections, creating a stronger foundation for long-term support.  

More Helpful Articles by Greater Houston Community Foundation: 

• Giving Made Easy: How Greater Houston Community Foundation Supports Your Philanthropy
• Bob Harvey’s Amplified Giving: Evolving Philanthropy to Shape Houston’s Future
• Lily Johnson: A Young Changemaker Sharpening Her Philanthropic Toolkit
• 30 Ways We Amplify Giving

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