An Astonishingly Simple Summer To-Do List for Busy Nonprofit Fundraisers
It's summer! And whether your fiscal year is almost over, or you're smack-dab in the middle of the year, summer often comes with a pause in frantic fundraising activities. And it's a great time to hit pause and revisit those "important but not urgent" action items that make your development plan work....from donor relations to deduping data. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!
1) Make the Most of Your Mail
For nonprofits, returned mail can be a big problem. Not only is it an inconvenience, but it can also lead to inaccurate data in your CRM or donor database. And when your data is inaccurate, it can lead to undeliverable mailings, which cost your organization time and money.
Spend the summer going through that big pile of returned mail (I know you have one!) and updating addresses, marking that donors' addresses are inaccurate. Updating all those addresses now will save you time when you run mailing lists later in the year and make sure that you're not wasting money sending letters to bad addresses.
2) Give Your CRM Some TLC
Your donor database is the heart of your development operation. It's where you track donor information, gifts, and cultivation plans. And like any good relationship, it takes some work to keep it going strong. Set aside some time this summer to do some routine maintenance. You can update your board list, make sure your favorite reports are actually ones you use, and clean up any duplicate data. It might take a few days (or longer) but pop in your headphones, pour some coffee, and knock it out now...you'll be grateful you did when you're in the middle of a busy fundraising season!
3) Update Your Thank You Letters
One of the simplest but most important things you can do to cultivate donors is to send them a prompt and personal thank you letter after they make a gift. You want your donors to feel like their gifts are making an impact and that their support is appreciated. So take some time this summer to update your thank you letters. If you haven't sent one in awhile, now is the perfect time to dust it off, make sure it's still relevant, and personalize it to your organization. Then, update your donor database with your updated thank you letter templates and you're ready for seamless stewardship.
4) Review Your Website
Your website is often the first impression potential donors have of your organization. And you want to make sure that it's making a good impression! Take some time this summer to review your website and make sure that all the information is up-to-date and accurate. Check your donation page to make sure it's working properly and that you're using the most up-to-date payment processor. Take a look at your "About Us" page and make sure it accurately reflects your mission and vision. A little bit of time spent on your website now will pay off in the long run when you're bringing in new donors and supporters.
5) Calibrate Your Cultivation
Cultivating donors doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming, but it always seems to slip to the bottom of our to-do list! Take a minute to complete a one-page cultivation plan to chart out when you'll send thank you letters, make phone calls, or other ways you might want to say thank you!
Punkpost is a website that allows users to send Martha Stewart-approved greeting cards through the mail, and we love it for major donors or anyone who we really want to show some extra love.
Thanks.io is another great tool that makes it easy and convenient to send cute (and customized) postcards to donors and stakeholders.
You can also organize a donor thank-a-thon. This is a great way to show your donors how much you appreciate their support and it's also a great opportunity for your staff or volunteers to get involved in the mission of your organization.
6) Make Time for Systems
When you're in the thick of things, it can be difficult to find time to work on long-term projects or goals. But taking some time this summer to work on systems and processes will make your life easier in the long run! If you don't have one already, now is the perfect time to create a donor stewardship plan. This doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, but it will help you keep track of your donors and make sure they're being properly stewarded.
7) Calculate Your Donor Retention Rate
Your donor retention rate is a key metric to track because it tells you how many of your donors are giving again. If your donor retention rate is low, that's an indication that you need to work on your stewardship or cultivation plans. You can calculate your donor retention rate by taking the number of donors who give in a certain time period (usually a year) and dividing it by the number of donors you had at the beginning of that time period. For example, if you had 100 donors at the beginning of the year and 50 of them gave again during that year, your donor retention rate would be 50%. This can take some time - it's a lot of data! - so why not tackle it with a cup of iced coffee?
8) Update Your Grants Calendar
If your organization relies on grants, make sure you're staying on top of your calendar! Note deadlines for LOIs and applications, site visits, progress reports, etc. in a central place so you can ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. This is also a great time to review your past grant applications to see what worked well and what you can improve for next time.
9) Evaluate Your Events
Events are a great way to engage your supporters, but they can also be a lot of work! Take some time this summer to evaluate your past events and see what worked well and what you can improve for next year. Were ticket sales low? Was attendance down? Did you spend too much on decorations? Use this time to brainstorm ways to make your events more successful in the future.
10) Take a Break!
You deserve it! After a busy year of work, it's important to take some time for yourself. Relax, recharge, and get ready for an even better fiscal year! Seriously though...make sure to take some time off to take care of yourself! We'll be here when you get back :)"
Decided you want to tackle organizing a thank-a-thon?
Download our free guide, “How to Plan a Donor Thank-a-Thon”, for step-by-step instructions, tips, and two sample scripts!