Year-end campaign planning can be daunting. But like holiday shopping, it's not too late to get started!
While I’ve been thinking about my loved ones, I’ve not finished my holiday shopping yet. And guess what? Your donors haven’t planned out all their year-end charitable donations either. In fact, more than 1/3 of all donations are contributed the last month of the calendar year. You still have time to map it out and today is the day to start. If you are scared, I understand and I want to help.
Grab a pen and paper or open a new doc on your screen. Now, take 10 minutes to consider the following:
Your Data: Who gave from November 15 - January last year-end? Have they donated since? Who were your 5 largest donors in the past 18 months? Collecting information off your database will help you craft your plan for the next three months (more on why January is an important month at another time …. for now, just trust me that it is).
Priority Relationships: Who should you connect within the next two weeks? Your answer should be focused on both your largest past or potential future donors and/or those who can connect you with them.
Case for Support: Is there a program that is most at risk? What happens if you don’t raise funds to keep it going? What opportunities exist to expand your most unique service? Can you ask a major donor or prospective major donor to make a stretch gift to match donations collected by a certain date? I recommend steering away from Giving Tuesday. I'll dive deeper into this another time but trust me, one day of giving is not all the world needs.
Still looking for more help? Give me a call at 773.919.0317 or email me at jflint@fhpartnersconsulting.com. Let’s have a 30-minute call so I can learn more about your needs and why our tailored services can help with your year-end campaign planning and beyond.