It’s mid-summer and the weather is warm. Families are squeezing in one last vacation before school starts. You still hope you can get out of work a little early on Friday, so you can get to the lake or pool to relax. Well, I hate to break you out of your summer day dream…but in the fundraising world, if you haven’t already, you had better start paying attention to year-end giving right now! This is just as true for Planned Giving programs.
There are likely multiple stakeholders at your organization who want to send particular messages to your donors all timed to arrive between Thanksgiving and Christmas. How does your organization coordinate these communications and appeals? How do you make the most of every touch with each donor during the strongest giving period of the year? Hopefully, you considered these questions when your organization formulated its multi-year Fundraising Strategic Plan—and the annual communications and appeals strategy that came out of that exercise. That will make your year-end execution easier, but even the best plans must be refreshed at every turn.
A lot has happened with your donors over the last several months. Make sure you identify this important data and incorporate it into your year-end strategy. Careful planning and analysis—and application of lessons learned throughout the year and through years of experience—will pay off here. Take the time to do this now. If you don’t have a plan yet, all is not lost! But you should get one together right away. Also, remember to engage with strategic partners outside your organization, as soon as possible. They have expertise and experience that will help you achieve your year-end goals.
Author: Pierson Gerritsen
Comments