Mitzie Schafer, the creator of the Donorarc Model, is currently the only person trained and certified to teach or coach Donorarc.
If you are interested in becoming certified in Donorarc, please let us know below. When the certification program is complete, we will contact you with the details.
Certification Program in Development
Ways to learn Donorarc
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Read the Book
Tell Stories Your Donors Can’t Ignore - the book - launched January 1, 2025. It outlines the entire storytelling process using the Donorarc Model. It is a detailed outline with step by step directions.
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Virtual Training
Join or schedule an upcoming training for you or your nonprofit or congregation to learn the tenants of Donorarc you can implement to increase giving.
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Personalized Consulting Contract
Schedule a FREE 30-minute consult to see how a year of training and coaching in the Donorarc model can transform donor engagement to your nonprofit or church.
This quick read will get you started telling stories immediately!
Real Donorarc Results?
Giving to Epworth Children's Home in Columbia, SC grew 85% in the first three years. This equaled an additional $1.2 million for mission and impact every year.
Giving to NovusWay grew 68% over a 12-month period of time and provided an additional $800,000+ in annual revenue.
The System is Clear
Just telling the organization’s story isn’t enough.
We need to tell it in a way that connects our donors to the change that happens in the lives of those we serve.
We need to create an emotional connection between giving and impact.
The Donorarc Model does this, clearly and systematically.
Donorarc was developed by Mitzie Schafer, CFRE more than 15 years ago as a repeatable system for engaging constituents and telling powerful impact stories.
It was built upon and remains grounded in the goal of being “donor first” by telling the impact made possible by a donor’s generosity.
Being donor first means building relationship equity.
As we implement the four steps to fundraising, inform, inspire, ask, and thank, we must reach the appropriate ratio of relationship deposits vs. withdrawals to maximize giving and treat our donors the way they deserve to be treated.
Donorarc uses a proven system to balance relationship deposits with withdrawals.
Donorarc is foundational to all aspects of nonprofits:
Annual Fund
Capital Campaigns
Planned Giving
Board Development
Strategic Planning
Start building relationship deposits today that grow giving and engagement to your organization.
The Book is Now Available
The fundraising world keeps telling us that we need to tell stories to raise money.
This step-by-step guide to the Donorarc Fundraising Model outlines exactly how to write and share stories your donors can't ignore. Stories that build relationship equity with donors so that when you ask for a gift, the response is increased engagement.
Donorarc was developed by Mitzie Schafer, CFRE, during her time at Epworth Children's Home, now Epworth. Through the development and implementation of this model, which she didn't know she was creating at the time, annual giving increased from $1.4 million to $2.6 million in the first three years. Since then, she has successfully implemented Donorarc with countless other organizations.
The key is building a "donor first" organizational DNA, and that starts with stories that inspire and thank donors for the real impact they have on the lives of those you serve. The model has been implemented in secular nonprofits, faith-based nonprofits, and churches of all denominations. Donors are donors. They deserve to know their gifts make a difference, and Donorarc is the clearest way to tell them - again and again.
Yes, this book is for professional fundraisers, but to grow a "donor first" culture and maximize the amount of money you can raise, Mitzie encourages board or council members, executives, program staff, and key volunteers to also read it.
Virtual Training
Mitzie offers virtual training in the core storytelling elements of Donorarc to private and group clients. During the Donorarc Training, we focus on being “donor first” and telling the story of the impact your work has on the lives of those you serve. There are a number of ways to tell a single story. The Donorarc model is designed specifically to increase giving to your organization or congregation. Mitzie will guide you to tell inspiring stories that donors can’t ignore.
You & Your Team Will Learn:
The tenants of Donorarc: Donor First, Agent of Change, Publication
How to identify individuals with a story and how to interview them to gather the intentional pieces needed to tell a true Donorarc story
How to write the stories for purpose and engagement
How to use those stories strategically in your communication to maximize your ability to make deposits new and existing constituents
How the Virtual Training Works
We begin with a scheduling and training call with the leadership.
The training includes two separate virtual workshops scheduled three to five weeks apart.
The first training lasts from 1.5 hours to 2 hours, depending on questions. During this workshop, we cover all the foundational principles listed above. Students are given the homework of finding, interviewing, and writing 1-3 stories.
During the second training, Mitzie will edit one or two of your stories with the group. Students learn to listen for and capture the emotional connection needed for a successful Donorarc story. They learn what content to include or omit. They learn to choose a title.
We also outline the ideal ways to share your stories, including developing your timeline for sharing stories through social media, email, print, and website. We learn how to use Donorarc messaging in other communication pieces to decrease withdrawals and maximize relationship deposits.
Personalized Consulting Contract
Knowing the tenants of Donorarc and having Mitzie coach you through implementing it can maximize efforts and keep you from second-guessing yourself.
In a board meeting, when an anxious board member says, “We need money now,” the temptation is to host a fundraiser…
Fundraising is instant gratification and transactional. It is organization focused.
Donorarc Funds Development work is relational and sets your organization up for the long-term sustainable health needed in today’s quickly changing landscape. It treats donors with respect. It makes them partners in your mission.
Be certain you are making the right choices, sharing the right stories, and working toward your strategic goals.
The Virtual Training is included with all Personalized Consulting Contracts.
“Either you are going to tell stories that spread, or you will become irrelevant.”
— Seth Godin
Sample Donorarc Stories
Get Started
Electrify Donor Engagement
You have an impact on those your serve.
You have a story worth telling.
Lets tell the stories your donors deserve.
The adults and administrators of the school and community didn’t have any sort of precedent for what kids needed. They sent them back to school almost immediately, in part to protect them from the extreme level of media presence. Charlotte and many of her classmates were dealing with emotions that they couldn’t understand, and they needed time and space for their recovery.