The new year is here, and hard as it is to believe, it will soon be June 30th and we will be halfway through the year. To help keep time from creeping up on you, we offer five suggestions for how to energize your fundraising efforts for 2020. 1. Review your data. Take time to run reports that illustrate what is working and what’s not. The following are examples of the types of reports you want to run and review, and why.
Renewals. Who gave in both 2018 and 2019? Who gave in 2018, but not 2019? Get to work immediately reaching out to those who are “lapsed” donors and ask for their support in the first quarter of 2020.
Donor expansion. Did the number of donors and funders who gave in 2019 expand from 2018? Contract? How about the amount of funds raised from those donors: did you experience financial growth, or did you raise less than projected?
Major gifts. How many of your donors and funders gave at a level you consider a major gift? That could be $1,000 for a grass roots organization or $5,000 or $250,000 or more depending on the size of your organization. Look at those names. Which are new? Which could renew in 2020? Who is the right person within your organization to help keep each donor or funder engaged with your organization throughout the year? Could those who make major gifts be encouraged to give a larger gift, or a multi-year pledge?
Unsolicited gifts. Who gave to your organization without anyone making an ask? Do you know who these people are, how they found you, and why they gave? How many are in this group? What was the largest gift? The average gift size?
Growth and Decline. What categories of giving saw the greatest growth and which the greatest decline? What do you attribute these to? How will you leverage growth and mitigate decline as you fundraise in 2020?
If you don’t have data that is accurate and meaningful, make a commitment to recording your data throughout 2020 so you will be in a different place come 2021.
2. Talk with stakeholders. Take time to meet with internal and external stakeholders and partners to learn their observations and suggestions for how you can improve the quality of your services, advocacy, and engagement.
3. Secure more in-kind resources. Put in place a program to secure more in-kind services and resources to offset costs, and help put more people on the ground to sustain and grow the organization’s priorities.
4. Focus on what you do well and eliminate or downsize those activities that are time consuming, costly, and no longer in-line with your mission, vision and community needs.
5. Grow your talent. Put in place projects that can easily provide a win for your leadership and staff; ones that have potential for growth, and that build confidence and experience within your team.
2020 is here – now is the time to plan for your success.
Copyright 2020 – Mel and Pearl Shaw
When you are ready to grow your fundraising, prepare for a fundraising campaign, or increase board engagement we are here to help. Call us at (901) 522-8727. www.saadandshaw.com.
