Last week, I sent my Fundraising Kick subscribers a couple ideas on how to make the most of the different pace of the summer.
Although Kicks are written for nonprofit CEO’s, I thought this might be helpful to a larger group of people as well.
Happy New (fiscal) Year, Kickers!
For many nonprofits, July 1 is the new fiscal year. And with Canada Day being yesterday and the 4th of July being Wednesday, here in North America this is a week many take as a vacation.
If you’re in the office, like I am, here are a couple ways to use the time well.
- Make your 5 -10 major gift calls anyway
People are working today. And since the average age of a major gift donor is 64, many may be home whether this were a holiday week or not. So get on the phone – or start typing letters – and set up those meetings.- Take the quiet week to plan
Leaders often get addicted to action and stress. And they often bring that stress onto themselves because they don’t plan. Sure, planning “feels” like you’re slacking. Because it’s not “putting out a fire.” But planning now is exactly what helps you not have fires to put out in the future.If you choose option 1, do it. If you choose option 2, there are lots of review systems you may already have set up. A few to consider when reviewing the last 12 months are:
- Did you retain donors from the previous 12 months? (That’s a good thing to check even if your calendar year didn’t end on June 30.)
- Did your average gift go up or down? (Total money raised divided by total number of donors)
- How many first time donors did you have in the last 12 months? How many did you have at this time a year ago?
Whether this is a full week in the office for you or a partial, enjoy it!
You’ve been Kicked!
Marc
Which will you choose? Or will you set aside time for both?
If you’re interested in getting weekly coaching emails like these, go to http://FundraisingKick.com/ and subscribe. It’s only $10 a month but the results could be phenomenal.
