Summer provides us all with great excuses to do less of that “all important” donor cultivation and communication. Vacations, weekends at the cabin, camp for the kids, family reunions. There are plenty of reasons that donors and volunteers won’t stay in touch with you.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the effort to stay in touch with them.
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 your current schedule of donor thank you calls as contributions arrive. Ideally these are made within about 48 hours of receiving the gift. Leaving a voice mail can have as much impact as speaking directly with the person.
- Send out monthly short, 250-word or less, email newsletter updates that generate some “feeling” about your work and provide 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, and give at least one example of what’s missing (what you need more of). - Invite a handful of donors to participate in a summer event like the client picnic or something special that happens at your camp. Personally phone the donors to invite them. Keep the amount of time short for them to participate and allow them to bring their family. 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 too.
Creating connections that keep your mission on donors minds for a few minutes this summer, combined with clear messages about how their contribution is making a difference, will impact the effectiveness of your year-end appeal.
