DonorArc Fundraising Cohort for LuMin & LOM

Join Our LOM and LuMin Donorarc Fundraising Cohort! When your annual fund is healthy, you have options. This cohort is designed to help you build that kind of health, step by step, with a proven system and a community of peers doing the same work alongside you.

By the end of our time together, you can expect to:

  • Increase giving an average of 15% in the first year.
  • Grow the number of annual donors giving to your mission.
  • Decrease dependence on revenue sources that are not stable.
  • Implement a system that works for you and fits into your schedule.
  • Equip your board members and volunteers to be partners in funds development.

How it Works

  • Join a one to two-hour Zoom call each month to learn a new step of the DonorArc Annual Fundraising model.
  • Between calls, implement what you learned in the previous session.
  • Mitzie will provide all the templates adn directions you need.
  • You will receive at 15-month development calendar that we work through together, one step at a time.
  • Need more support? Jump on Mitzie’s calendar for additional training as needed. There is no limit to the number of additional support sessions you may schedule.
  • Can’t make a meeting? While being present is the best way to ask questions and learn from others in the cohort, all sessions are recorded and available for those who miss them or want to hear the content a second or third time to help the information stick.
  • There is no limit to the number of folks from your ministry who may attend. Mitzie encourages you to invite your full board, key volunteers who help with fundraising, your leadership staff, and your communications staff.
  • The fee per organization is $1200. You will sign up here and pay through your respective organization, either LuMin or LOM.
Sign Up Now

Come and Ask Questions Before you Register

Join Mitzie and colleagues for a Meet and Greet by Zoom to ask questions about the cohort before registering!

Tuesday, September 1, 20226 at 2pm Eastern

Your Teacher & Guide: Mitzie Schafer

Deacon Mitzie Schafer, CFRE

Deacon Mitzie Schafer is a full-time consultant with GSB Fundraising, helping nonprofits and churches tell their story in ways that increase engagement. She specializes in strategic planning, annual fund, planned giving, and the Donorarc story-based fundraising model training and coaching. She has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit executive leadership and fundraising for organizations including Epworth Children’s Home in Columbia, SC, the ELCA Foundation, and NovusWay Camps.

Mitzie specializes in growing passion, engagement, and giving to nonprofits. In her first three years at Epworth, she implemented a system she designed and titled Donorarc Storytelling. The annual fund grew from $1.4 million to $2.6 million. At NovusWay, using the same system, she grew giving 68% over 72 months, from $1,078,000 to $1,809,000. In her last two years at the ELCA Foundation, she helped congregation members take the necessary steps to create charitable estate plans that will gift more than $24 million to churches, church-related nonprofits, and other charities.

She recently completed an intentional interim co-CEO contract with Mike Ward, the
managing partner at GSB. Together, they helped turn a $1.3 million deficit around, launched a capital campaign that raised $3,000,000 before they completed their work, and helped the organization navigate the effects of Hurricane Helene.

Mitzie has led two successful cohorts for Lu Min campus ministries and is actively leading a cohort for United Methodist camp friends. She is also leading an active open cohort.

Mitzie serves on the board of The United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries Association, which is committed to providing resources, advocacy, inspiration, and networks to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of camp and retreat ministries.

Mitzie is an avid quilter, writing her own patterns in Newberry, SC, where she lives with her husband, Pastor Jason. She is a mother of two. Ella is an engineering major at Clemson, and her son Micah is a business major at Winthrop.

Course Schedule

All meetings are held from 2pm to 3pm Eastern unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 from 2pm to 4pm Eastern – DonorArc Training 1: This foundational training will teach you the Donor First Principles, the fundraising steps, and how to gather and write stories your donors cannot ignore. Basecamp training will also be covered in this session. We use Basecamp to manage our work together.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 from 2pm to 4pm Eastern – DonorArc Training 2: Learn to edit the stories you collected and begin to share them each month.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 – Newsletter Training: Learn to use your stories in a printed newsletter format to help ensure your donors build an emotional connection to your mission. We will work to launch your first newsletter in Q1 of 2027. You will need this time to draft stories, create the document, and send it to the printer.

Tuesday, December 8, 2026 – Database Management: Database management best practicesthat will help ensure you have the right data to ask for the right gifts in the best ways. This session will also help you pull your first mailing list for your Q1 newsletter and learn how to track giving solicitation year over year.

Tuesday, January 19, 2027 – Gratitude Plan: Gratitude plan strategies and implementation. This is a huge step in funds development. Know your legal obligations and yoru relationships obligations.

Tuesday, February 16, 2027 – Spring Appeal: Spring appeal letter preparation including segmentation, timeline, and followup.

Tuesday, March 16, 2027 – Major Donor Solicitation: Learn how to identify, cultivate, and ask for a major gift.

Tuesday, April 13, 2027: Board Develpment (Board Members are Strongly Encouraged to Attend!): Learn how to engage your board members in your annual fundraising efforts and empower them to best use their gifts to help.

Tuesday, May 22, 2027: Friend Raisers and Prospecting: Training to ensure you are not wasting time on events that do not work and that you are maximizing your efforts when you do have an event.

Tuesday, August 24, 2027: End of Year Appeal Letter Training: This is foundational to increasing giving in your organizaton. You cannot skip this step, but you also need to ask in a way that fosters engagement. Timing of when this goes in the mail is really critical, so we plan early on purpose.

Tuesday, September 14, 2027: Planned Giving Documents: An overview of what you need to have in place to best speak to your legacy donors.

Tuesday, October 12, 2027: Planned Giving Solicitation and Workshop: Learn how to approach a legacy donor and ask for a planned gift.

Tuesday, November 9, 2027: End of Year Best Practices: Best practices for managing hte end of year in a nonprofit funds development office.

Tuesday, January 11, 2028: Final Meeting & Calendar Review