Cultivation is where it all begins, so to speak...
How do you even begin? How do you get to know folks who may be interested in your organization who who have never even met...yet?
Here are some ideas that will get you going:
1. "Who-do" cards/mailings/emails - The best advertisement is word of mouth, right? It is. Send a postcard or mailing with a way to reply to your current donors, friends, etc. and ask them for the names and basic contact information for five of their acquaintances that might have an interest in your organization.
2. One up that idea and go electronic - Send your email list an email to the same effect and on every outgoing email be sure it is forwarding-friendly and encourage everyone on your list to pass the information along. Send out a special email two times a year with the intent of picking up new constituents. Include basic information in that email making it appropriate for your donors and friends to pass along saying, "this is an organization which I believe in and I would like to share some information about them with you."
3. List Share - Collaborate with like-minded organizations in your area to share lists of donors/friends. For instance, if you are one type of arts organization and there is a similar arts organization in your area where you might have an overlap of constituents but you might also be able to pick up new ones, ask if they would like to exchange lists.
4. Chamber of Commerce Lists - Most chambers offer their members access to mailing lists and most already in an Excel format to merge into a letter. This couldn't be easier! Get the list, work through it to remove what you need to and mail out an introductory letter with a reply option. Then, follow up on those letters by phone about 7-10 days after mailing.
5. Event follow-up - At every event, be sure to offer guests a way to get on your list so to speak. Many of your guests will be first-time friends who have come with an existing donor/friend so don't lose those valuable new friends by letting them slip out the door with out getting their contact information and asking for a contribution.
Getting newbies on your list is just the beginning. Next time, we'll walk Susie Soon-to-be Supporter through the process.
Showing posts with label individual solicitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label individual solicitation. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Development (Fundraising) Process
As a small nonprofit that is just beginning or even a nonprofit seeking to build up your donor base, it is vital to keep the steps to successful fundraising in mind.
Development (Fundraising) is a process and it is equally a full set of systems that comprise that process and we'll explain that in more detail later.
Your overall objective is raising money, correct? Your goal (which is best matched to your budget and vice versa) determines your measurement for whether or not you've achieved that objective.
In some respects you are introducing people to your organization and helping them to learn more about it by engaging them in organizational activities. As you meet people through a variety of events, opportunities, even mailings, etc. you begin to "cultivate" these prospects.
As you determine a specific strategy for a prospect, you begin to be more involved in steps that could better be described as Solicitation. Solicitation starts when you begin to introduce your prospect to a specific way or ways they can help support your organization.
After you've successfully asked Mr. Jones for his gift of $5,000 to purchase the scoreboard in the gym, you need to be sure to steward this donor and the relationship he has with your organization. This is a common sense step unfortunately all-too-often overlooked.
Check back next week and we'll unpack the cultivation step a little more.
Have a good week and happy fundraising!
Development (Fundraising) is a process and it is equally a full set of systems that comprise that process and we'll explain that in more detail later.
Your overall objective is raising money, correct? Your goal (which is best matched to your budget and vice versa) determines your measurement for whether or not you've achieved that objective.
In some respects you are introducing people to your organization and helping them to learn more about it by engaging them in organizational activities. As you meet people through a variety of events, opportunities, even mailings, etc. you begin to "cultivate" these prospects.
- Cultivation is step ONE in the development process. Cultivation occurs in every meaningful contact related to your organization and that individual, foundation, or business/corporation. From a solicitation done through direct mail because they were on a list of businesses from your local chamber of commerce to a lunch you scheduled with them to share more about your organization to an event for your organization to which you invited them. Cultivation can also include birthday, anniversary, and Christmas cards as well as sending a newspaper article about a common interest to say, "hey, I thought about you when I saw this." All of those steps are cultivation.
As you determine a specific strategy for a prospect, you begin to be more involved in steps that could better be described as Solicitation. Solicitation starts when you begin to introduce your prospect to a specific way or ways they can help support your organization.
- Solicitation is step TWO in the development process. Solicitation occurs when you realize that Mr. Jones is very interested in private, Christian education and he and his family attended Christian schools. His business is close in proximity to your school and does business as a vendor. He has both the personal affinity to your organization and is related to it through business. You may need a new Scoreboard in your gym that would cost approximately $5,000 and based on your research, that would be a gift he could make. Your job now is to determine your strategy for soliciting Mr. Jones.
After you've successfully asked Mr. Jones for his gift of $5,000 to purchase the scoreboard in the gym, you need to be sure to steward this donor and the relationship he has with your organization. This is a common sense step unfortunately all-too-often overlooked.
- Stewardship is step THREE in the development process. Stewardship can also involve birthday, anniversary, and Christmas cards but it also includes a photo of that beautiful scoreboard with Mr. Jones and your students with the press release sent to the local papers. It includes continuing the connection and continually working on the relationship so that the donor feels connected to his gift after it has been given. All of these details will ensure that the next time you have a need which fits with Mr. Jones' giving interests, he will be more likely to help again.
Check back next week and we'll unpack the cultivation step a little more.
Have a good week and happy fundraising!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Announcing...a new fundraising blog!
LLM Development Services is proud to announce our new blog! Great news and a wonderful opportunity to share tools and tips to help you reach your fundraising goals.
Recently, a client asked us to write their appeal letters to individuals, corporations, and foundations. The proposal we provided to them included a script for volunteers to use when calling to follow up on the letter as well as a timeline for mailing, follow-up phone call, thank you letter (s), and an additional letter for non-responders.
Additionally, we wrote a letter for both renewals as well as prospects and included updated giving levels.
Their results were fantastic! Their goal for individual renewals alone was exceeded by 33%. That's great to hear. What was even better was hearing the following:
"We are thrilled! We will definitely use your [LLM Development Services] services again!"
Woohoo! This is exciting stuff!
What is the first thing you can do to improve your fundraising bottom line? Simply start...start researching, start asking, start evaluating, start, start, start...
The one thing that will hold you back is the fear of starting. So, don't let one more day go by without doing something, anything, to move your business forward. Tomorrow or even tonight before you go to bed, send one email, take a look at one website, and say that you did something rather than nothing to take a step in the forward direction!
Happy Fundraising!
Lisa
Recently, a client asked us to write their appeal letters to individuals, corporations, and foundations. The proposal we provided to them included a script for volunteers to use when calling to follow up on the letter as well as a timeline for mailing, follow-up phone call, thank you letter (s), and an additional letter for non-responders.
Additionally, we wrote a letter for both renewals as well as prospects and included updated giving levels.
Their results were fantastic! Their goal for individual renewals alone was exceeded by 33%. That's great to hear. What was even better was hearing the following:
"We are thrilled! We will definitely use your [LLM Development Services] services again!"
Woohoo! This is exciting stuff!
What is the first thing you can do to improve your fundraising bottom line? Simply start...start researching, start asking, start evaluating, start, start, start...
The one thing that will hold you back is the fear of starting. So, don't let one more day go by without doing something, anything, to move your business forward. Tomorrow or even tonight before you go to bed, send one email, take a look at one website, and say that you did something rather than nothing to take a step in the forward direction!
Happy Fundraising!
Lisa
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