I’ve been glad to hear of my clients’ #GivingTuesday success. Matching gifts and leveraging peer-to-peer approaches seem to be the most effective reasons for their success.
But #GivingTuesday is over, now what?
3 Post #GivingTuesday Suggestions
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Start planning 2017’s #GivingTuesday
If you’ve determined #GivingTuesday should be part of your fundraising calendar, start planning 2017. (It’ll be on Tuesday, November 28.) Use Nancy Schwartz’s guide to review the emails you received from other nonprofits over #GivingTuesday. And listen to the conversation I had with crowdfunding expert Dana Ostomel. She gives some amazing tips on how to best structure any giving day. A recording of that interview is at: https://fundraisingcoach.com/2016/08/30/is-crowdfunding-the-right-fit-for-your-nonprofit/
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Keep asking
There’s still plenty of December left. As I reminded my Fundraising Kickers, people are still at work this month. Our job is not to decide for donors. Our job is to ask them. We need to respect them enough to make the decision themselves. So call, set up meetings, or even send a fundraising letter. If you’re planning on sending a newsletter, before you send it watch Steven Screen’s training on newsletters that raise money.
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Don’t close the office
Many coaching clients see around 30% of their total donations come in December. (Blackbaud reports the national average is 17% of annual donations come in December.)
With so many donations coming in September, why in the world would you close your office for an entire week this month? I recommend having at least the fundraising office open half days for much of the week. And executive directors and fundraising staff should have a special voice mail that says something like:You’re reached [your name]’s voice mail. If you’re calling to make a year-end gift, thank you! You can give securely online at: [your nonprofit’s website or donation page]. If you have any questions about year-end giving, I’m here to help. Leave a message here or try my cell phone at: [your mobile number].
The week is never overly busy. You’ll likely be the only one in the office. So you can get a lot of uninterrupted work done. In my experience and the experience of my clients, the few times a donor has called or dropped in during that week have been big. I remember receiving a $25,000 donation one December 30, simply because a board member was told he needed to give more in the calendar year! If we hadn’t been in, he would’ve given to the next charity on his list.
December is not over yet
There is still time to call donors and send letters. If your nonprofit is funded by donations, December is a work month. You can always take vacation in February. (Click here to tweet that.)
