Atlas Prospect Pipeline End-to-end user flow Phase 3 primary feature

From "who's that?" to a $1M check.

Five stages, three roles, twelve months, a hundred touchpoints — moves management is a 50-year-old discipline and Atlas's pipeline is built to industry standard. Here's the full flow with every screen, decision point, cadence, and benchmark.

5
Stages
100–150
Prospects per officer
12–24 mo
Cycle time · major gifts
8–12%
Of identified → donate
1

The 5 stages at a glance

Industry-standard moves management. Each card → click for full detail below.
~ 4 wks

1 · Identification

weeks to months
Find people with capacity + affinity. Wealth screening, peer referrals, gift-history analysis.
→ ~50% qualify for next stage
1–2 wks

2 · Qualification

1–2 visits
A discovery call/visit to confirm interest, capacity, and connection. Weed out wrong-fit prospects.
→ ~70% advance to cultivation
6–18 mo

3 · Cultivation

6–18 months · 12–18 touches
Build the relationship. Visits, calls, notes, events, content shares. Monthly cadence minimum.
→ ~40% reach solicitation
days to wks

4 · Solicitation

days to a few weeks
The actual ask — specific $, specific project. Face-to-face for major gifts. Sometimes co-solicited by board.
→ ~60% close
years

5 · Stewardship

ongoing · multi-year
Care after the gift. Reports on impact, recognition, anniversaries. Sets up the next ask.
→ 3–4× lifetime giving multiplier

Out of 100 identified prospects, roughly 8–12 ever become donors — and that's industry standard, not a failure mode.

2.1

Stage 1 · Identification

Goal: build a "raw prospect pool" 3–5× larger than your portfolio target. Most will be filtered out at Qualification.
1
Identification — finding people with capacity AND affinity
Weeks to months · researcher-led · officer reviews and accepts
Owner: Prospect Researcher 3–5× portfolio

Actions in Atlas

1
Add a new constituent manually
atlas-add-constituent.html → Step 4 set code to "Major prospect"
2
Bulk-import from a wealth-screening run
atlas-add-integration.html · iWave / DonorSearch / WealthEngine
3
Auto-promote from large incoming gifts
GiveCentral sync → Wealth Engine v1 → flag if ask range > $500
4
Build a segment from existing donors
atlas-segment-builder.html · "Gave ≥ $1k in 2 of last 3 years"

Who does this work

PRProspect Researcher DDDev Director (reviews) MGOGift Officer (accepts portfolio)

Exit criteria

Confirmed major-gift potential (Wealth Engine ask range ≥ $1k)
Assigned to a specific gift officer (portfolio)
Officer accepts the prospect ("yes, I'll work this one")

Industry benchmarks

Capacity rating$1,000+ Wealth Engine ask rangeLAI score: any "A" or "B" rating
Time in stage2–4 weekslonger = the prospect is stuck pre-qualification
SourcesWealth screen · Peer screen · Board referral · Self-identified(by responding to an appeal)

Atlas screens involved

atlas-add-constituent.html
Manual entry · 5-step wizard
atlas-wealth-screening.html
LAI scores · capacity rating · RelSci connections
atlas-segment-builder.html
Pull candidates from existing donor base
atlas-pipeline.html
First column · cards appear with grey border
2.2

Stage 2 · Qualification

A focused 1–2 visit / call sequence to confirm the prospect is real. Most attrition happens here.
2
Qualification — a discovery visit
1–2 weeks · officer-led · 70% confirm and advance, 30% drop or recycle
Owner: Gift Officer

Actions in Atlas

1
Read the Guru AI pre-meeting brief
atlas-meeting-brief.html · giving trend, ask range, recommended ask
2
Plan the visit geographically
atlas-visit-map.html · route 2–3 prospects in a half-day
3
Conduct the discovery call/visit
Ask: What matters most to you about our work?
4
Log the outcome immediately (within 24h)
atlas-log-activity.html · outcome = qualified / not qualified / recycle

Exit criteria — advance to Cultivation

Prospect agreed to a follow-up conversation
Specific interest area surfaced (capital · scholarship · mission · ministry)
Capacity verified (a wrong wealth-screen result gets caught here)
Next move scheduled in Atlas
Disqualifier: Wrong-fit (e.g., they don't care about the cause)

Industry benchmarks

Visits per qualification1.4 averageBest officers do it in 1; complex prospects take 2
Pass rate~70%Lower means wealth-screening is wrong; higher means too lenient
Time in stage1–2 weeks · max 30 daysOlder = re-evaluate or drop

Atlas screens involved

atlas-meeting-brief.html
Pre-meeting Guru AI summary
atlas-visit-map.html
Visit routing
atlas-log-activity.html
Post-visit contact report
atlas-donor-360.html
Full prospect record · stage history
DECISION POINT after the discovery visit
✓ Qualified
Move to Cultivation · plan first relationship-building move within 14 days
↺ Recycle
Right capacity but wrong moment (life event, family change). Pause and re-engage in 6–12 months
✗ Disqualify
Wrong-fit. Return to general pool. Don't waste cycles on prospects who'll never give majorly
2.3

Stage 3 · Cultivation

The longest stage. 6–18 months for $25k+; 2–5 years for $1M+. Where relationships are built and asks are earned.
3
Cultivation — earning the ask
12–18 substantive moves per year · monthly cadence · officer + Dev Director check-ins
Owner: Gift Officer Atlas's biggest leverage area

Standard moves in cultivation

1
Cultivation visit
In-home or office · 60–90 min · agenda but conversational
2
Hand-written note
Reference something specific from your last conversation
3
Curated content share
Annual report · case study · press article on their area of interest
4
Event invite
Behind-the-scenes tour · donor recognition event · gala
5
Pastor / leader meeting
Bring in the Bishop / president / executive for a peer-altitude conversation
6
Site visit / mission tour
See the work · meet beneficiaries · highest-impact move

Exit criteria — ready to ask

Prospect has expressed verbal interest in a specific project
A target ask amount + project have been identified
The right asker has been identified (officer · Dev Director · Bishop · board peer)
The ask conversation is scheduled
Stall flag: > 18 months in cultivation with no progress = consider closing

Industry benchmarks

Moves per year12–18 substantive movesLess = relationship fades
Visit-to-other ratio~1 : 31 visit per 3 other moves (notes, calls, events)
Cycle time6–18 months · median 12 monthsCapital campaigns can be 2–3 years
Conversion to solicitation~40%Higher means you're cherry-picking; lower means cultivating wrong people

Atlas screens involved

atlas-meeting-brief.html
Before every move · Guru AI prep
atlas-log-activity.html
After every move · within 24 hours · auto-creates next task
atlas-task-modal.html
Plan the next move · Guru AI suggests priority
atlas-email-compose.html
Personalized content shares · curated by officer
2.4

Stage 4 · Solicitation

The ask itself. Specific amount, specific project. Usually face-to-face. The shortest stage but the highest stakes.
4
Solicitation — the actual ask
Days to a few weeks · officer or Bishop · paperwork ready
Owner: Gift Officer + co-solicitor

Actions in Atlas

1
Final ask-amount calibration
Wealth Engine v1 · ask range · officer-pinned override
2
Prep the gift agreement template in DocuSign
atlas-docusign-agreements.html · auto-fills name/address/total
3
Conduct the ask meeting
Sometimes co-solicited by Bishop / board peer for high-altitude asks
4
Send the DocuSign envelope same day
Conversion drops 28% if you wait 5+ days post-visit
5
Log the ask conversation
atlas-log-activity.html · outcome = yes / no / defer · pledge link if yes

Three outcomes

YES — full ask: pledge created · DocuSign sent · move to Stewardship
PARTIAL — smaller amount than asked: take the gift · keep cultivating for upgrade
NO / DEFER — either truly declined (move to Closed-Lost with reason) or "not yet" (back to Cultivation with new timing)

Industry benchmarks

Yes-rate~60% close to some amount~40% give the full asked amount
Best officers75%+ close rateDriven by cultivation quality, not closing skill
Time-to-paperworkSame-day to 5 daysBeyond that, conversion drops materially
Co-solicitation lift+18% close rateWhen Bishop / board peer joins the officer

Atlas screens involved

atlas-pledge-create.html
5-step wizard · auto-schedule instalments · attach to campaign
atlas-docusign-agreements.html
Send same-day · auto-filled from pledge
atlas-gift-entry.html
If first payment comes in immediately (check at the meeting)
atlas-pledge-detail.html
Track the schedule · reminders fire 14 days before each instalment
2.5

Stage 5 · Stewardship

Often skipped or under-resourced — yet drives 3–4× lifetime giving multiplier. The next gift is closed in this stage.
5
Stewardship — caring for the gift
Multi-year · stewardship officer + gift officer collaborate · sets up the next ask
Owner: Stewardship Officer (or MGO)

Atlas stewardship moves

1
Personalized thank-you within 48 hours
atlas-email-compose.html · Cathedral major-donor thank-you template
2
Tax receipt automatically sent
atlas-receipt-preview.html · Pub-1771 compliant
3
Quarterly impact report
"Your gift funded X · here's what changed"
4
Annual recognition event invite
atlas-events-dashboard.html · Bishop's Annual Gala
5
Anniversary acknowledgement
Year-mark of the gift · "Thank you again"
6
Pledge payment confirmations
Each instalment fires a thank-you · shows new balance

When to re-enter the pipeline

Pledge fully paid → consider next ask within 6–12 months
Capacity rating increased (new wealth-screen data)
Life event (sale of business, retirement) — major-gift trigger
New campaign launches in their interest area

Industry benchmarks

Retention rate~75% donor retentionFirst-gift retention is much lower (~45%) — stewardship lifts this dramatically
Lifetime multiplier3–4× of first giftWith good stewardship
Touches per yearQuarterly · 4 substantivePlus auto-receipts and event invites
Time-to-next-ask6–18 months from prior giftFor multi-year campaigns; longer for capital

Atlas screens involved

atlas-pledge-detail.html
Track instalments · auto-reminders
atlas-communications.html
Schedule recurring stewardship sends
atlas-receipt-preview.html
Tax receipts · year-end summaries
atlas-events-dashboard.html
Recognition events
3

The operational cadence

Good major-gift programs are predictable, not heroic. Here's the rhythm officers actually run.
Monday morning

Week planning

Daily

Log everything · 24h rule

  • Log every contact within 24h via Log activity
  • Always create the follow-up task before closing
  • If not in the system, it didn't happen
  • Check Notifications for major-gift alerts
Friday

Wrap & plan ahead

  • Update pipeline stages (drag cards)
  • Write contact reports for the week
  • Plan moves for next 2 weeks (add tasks)
  • Send weekly recap to Dev Director (Compose)
Monthly + Quarterly

Strategic review

  • 1:1 between officer and Dev Director
  • Review stalls (>18 mo in cultivation)
  • Quarterly pipeline forecast meeting
  • Solicitor performance review
4

Who works the pipeline

Major-gift work is a team sport. Four roles, clear handoffs.
MGO
Gift Officer (MGO)
e.g. Sarah Reynolds in Atlas

Owns a portfolio of 100–150 active prospects. Runs the moves. Schedules the visits. Writes the contact reports. Identifies the ask. Brings in the Bishop or board peer when needed.

Lives on these screens
Pipeline Donor 360 Meeting brief Log activity Visit map
DD
Dev Director / VP Advancement
e.g. Bridget McCarthy

Owns conversion. Watches stage transitions and intervenes on stalls. Approves portfolio assignments. Runs the quarterly forecast meeting. Reports to the Bishop or board.

Lives on these screens
Solicitor perf. Campaign detail Reports
PR
Prospect Researcher
e.g. Daniel Cho · part-time

Finds new prospects. Refreshes wealth data. Scores capacity. Feeds the Identification stage. Builds segments for officers to qualify.

Lives on these screens
Wealth screening Segment builder Duplicates
SO
Stewardship Officer
e.g. Julia Kelleher

Owns post-gift care. Writes the thank-yous. Designs the recognition events. Builds the quarterly impact reports. Frees the MGO to focus on cultivation.

Lives on these screens
Communications Events Receipts
5

How Atlas differs from legacy CRMs

Pipeline mechanics are industry-standard. What's different is the AI layer + the auto-task-on-activity workflow.
Industry pain point
Raiser's Edge / Bloomerang / DonorPerfect
Atlas approach
Stage hygiene · prospects rot in cultivation
Officer-only alerts; Dev Director doesn't see stalls
Days-in-stage badges fire alerts to BOTH officer and Dev Director after 90/180/365 days
"What's the next move?"
Officer must figure it out from notes
Guru AI suggests proactively on every card AND in meeting briefs
Logging visits but forgetting to plan next
Two separate flows · 38% of logged visits have no follow-up
Auto-task offered by default after every "positive outcome" activity log
Capacity scoring on every card
Hidden behind 3 clicks · researchers maintain it
Wealth Engine v1 ask range surfaced inline · refreshes monthly
DAF / soft-credit attribution
Manual reconciliation · Schwab Charitable pollutes the prospect list
Native handling · recommender gets soft credit · sponsor org never enters pipeline
Portfolio rebalancing
No tool · one-by-one reassignment
atlas-portfolio-assign.html · Guru AI suggests assignments based on capacity, geography, officer match. Bulk-assign 42 unassigned in one screen.
Probability-weighted forecast
Most show raw pipeline value ($1.84M) which is meaningless
atlas-pipeline-forecast.html · expected-to-close = sum(pipeline × stage conversion). 12-month trend vs. actual · top stalls dragging the forecast.

Walk the flow live

Open the Pipeline Kanban and follow a real prospect — Margaret O'Brien — through Identification → Cultivation → Solicitation → Stewardship. Every screen in this document is clickable.

Open Pipeline → Rebalance portfolios Pipeline forecast Margaret's Donor 360 Pre-meeting brief Gift Officer tour