I have said many times that I love the "R" word, meaning that I love the word "relationship".
It is a word that too often is overlooked by fundraisers and professionals in philanthropy.
And that really needs to stop.
If you are passionate about your organization's mission, get into solid relationship with your donors.
If you want to rock your budget, build relationships with your donors.
If you want to build a source of revenue that that your organization can count on, make sure your donors know that you care about them.
How does one go about this?
Call them. That's right. Next time you get an email from a donor asking a question, call them with the response.
Invite them on a tour of your facilities.
Email them a video thank you note.
Send a personal note.
Send them an impact report, or annual report. When we send these out we add a big "Thank you" on the back with signatures of our team.
These are just a few ideas of many. Start here and I assure you your relationships with donors will change.
Thanks for reading!
Homeless youth
People we don't see.
Showing posts with label planned giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planned giving. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Rock it in January!
Sometimes I think January can be the new November.
Or whichever the second-biggest fundraising month is for you.
Several years ago I began making a concerted effort to spend the last few days of the year connecting with as many donors from the previous year who had not yet given during the current year.
Of course that type of effort can really happen all year, and in my development office it does. Still there are those who really don't respond until the end of the year.
The first year I did this we reached out to hundreds of donors. Many board members helped with calls and it made for a lot of excitement at the end of the year.
What I learned was not only did we increase giving for the last week of the year, but because of all of the connections and conversations January became our second-biggest fundraising month of the year!
In a fundraising world where everyone is always so "busy", our best successes can come from simply doing what we do best: engage with donors.
This year our team is all set to to completely engage the last two days of the year. We will be full force with lists and email addresses and phone numbers all ready to ensure that every donor has an opportunity to support us before the end of the year.
Between the phone calls, two email blasts and a gorgeous postcard that landed the day after Christmas, my hope is that we are definitely on people's minds as they consider a year end gift.
And it doesn't end at midnight on the 31st. On January 2nd we are right back, engaging, answering questions, thanking, expressing our gratitude. By the first full week in January we have the opportunity to connect with people about our upcoming Gala, our goals for the new year, our excitement of successes in the past month and pretty much anything that will help us engage with our donors.
Happy New Year! My wish is that 2014 is filled with peace, love and more passion for fundraising!
Or whichever the second-biggest fundraising month is for you.
Several years ago I began making a concerted effort to spend the last few days of the year connecting with as many donors from the previous year who had not yet given during the current year.
Of course that type of effort can really happen all year, and in my development office it does. Still there are those who really don't respond until the end of the year.
The first year I did this we reached out to hundreds of donors. Many board members helped with calls and it made for a lot of excitement at the end of the year.
What I learned was not only did we increase giving for the last week of the year, but because of all of the connections and conversations January became our second-biggest fundraising month of the year!
In a fundraising world where everyone is always so "busy", our best successes can come from simply doing what we do best: engage with donors.
This year our team is all set to to completely engage the last two days of the year. We will be full force with lists and email addresses and phone numbers all ready to ensure that every donor has an opportunity to support us before the end of the year.
Between the phone calls, two email blasts and a gorgeous postcard that landed the day after Christmas, my hope is that we are definitely on people's minds as they consider a year end gift.
And it doesn't end at midnight on the 31st. On January 2nd we are right back, engaging, answering questions, thanking, expressing our gratitude. By the first full week in January we have the opportunity to connect with people about our upcoming Gala, our goals for the new year, our excitement of successes in the past month and pretty much anything that will help us engage with our donors.
Happy New Year! My wish is that 2014 is filled with peace, love and more passion for fundraising!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)