Development Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation

Just because many of our supporters take a summer vacation doesn’t mean we should take a vacation from them. Summer provides great excuses about why we shouldn’t make as many phone calls or schedule as many face-to-face meetings: vacations, weekends at the cabin, camp for the kids, family reunions. There are plenty of reasons that donors and volunteers are less visible in the summer.

Just because they aren’t as easily accessible doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the effort to stay in touch with them. In fact, 46% of donors stop giving for reasons connected to a “failure to communicate” according to Penelope Burk’s book, Donor Centered Fundraising.

I suggest year-round communication that ensures supporters know you are thinking about them and their gifts matter. Make a plan for keeping donors and volunteers “in the loop” and stick to it, even this summer. Here are a few quick suggestions:

• Maintain a monthly schedule of donor thank you calls as financial and in-kind contributions arrive. Ideally these are made by a volunteer within about 48 hours of receiving the gift. Leaving a voice mail message can have as much impact as speaking directly with the person. And now they know for sure you noticed their gift and it matters to you that they made a contribution.
• Stay in touch via electronic monthly email newsletter updates that are 250 words or less. These short, compelling messages should generate some “feeling” about your work while also providing some factual information. Less is more in length.
  Format to use:
  – Share a short story or quote from a client
  – Tell what’s working – briefly
  – Give at least one example of what’s missing (i.e what you need more of to serve more people)
• Make a phone call to invite a selected group of financial supporters to participate in a summer event. Invite them to your client picnic, a special day at camp or to stop by for a short visit in the morning when people are lined up to be served by your foodbank.
  It’s the personal invitation that counts. Keep the amount of time short for them to participate in your event and allow the donor to bring their family or a colleague. Most importantly make sure the time spent is meaningful. Have a client shake their hand and thank them for their support or have them arrive just in time to see the kids get their end of camp awards.
  Remember: The donor doesn’t have to attend the event to have the invitation be of value. The phone call inviting them keeps you on their radar and reminded them of how important they are to your organization.
• Have some of your clients create handwritten thank you notes to send to selected supporters.This is a great exercise in teaching youth about the value of thanking others or giving elderly clients a feeling of “helping out.” The note reminds your supporters that there are real people being touched by their contributions.

Creating connections that keep your mission on your supporters minds will impact the effectiveness of your year-end appeal.