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Are you struggling with where to start with your fundraising? Try this exercise:
1. Make a list of all the people your organizations are naturally connected to. This could be current and former volunteers, current and former volunteers, service recipients, "fans" who have made their appreciation known to you and more. Involve a few people who have been regularly involved with your organization to make sure this list is as comprehensive as possible.
2. Add all available current contact information for the people on this list. Track this contact information in one central location.
3. Set a realistic yet challenging goal. Could you visit four of these people in one month? Maybe ten? If you have full time availability, could you visit an average of one person per day.
4. Visit the people on your list in accordance with the contact goal you've set for yourself. Start out by saying thank you for their time and past support Ask open ended questions that may be taken from the list below.
- Tell me more about how you first became involved in our organization.
- What adjectives would you use when describing our organization to someone else?
- What one thing do you like best about our work?
- What one thing would you most like to see improved?
- Do you know of others who feel connected to us who we should have this conversation with?
5. Ask for nothing in this first meeting other than your connection's time and input. Follow up with a thank you for their time via note, phone or email. After that meeting, make note of the feedback in a central location. Once your meetings are done, share the results with your board for planning and improvement.
6. For each individual contact, determine whether you think the interest is strong enough to maintain that name on your active fundraising list. Then create your Development Plan and start the process!
Photo credit above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/
Today's update links you to a number of resources from Simone Joyaux, ACFRE, (pronounced See-mun ZhaWHY-oh) of Joyaux Associates and Tom Ahern of Ahern Donor Communications. Together, these two make a compelling team of communications to help you place and keep your focus on your donors, where it should be.
Simone is one of approximately 100 people worldwide who have successfully completed a rigorous process of career productivity, major projects, exams, continuing education and service to achieve her Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) credential.
Online resources include:
1. The Joyaux Associates Free Download Library on topics like Board Development, Fund Development and more.
2. Simone Uncensored is a weekly blog on important donor topics on her home page available here. While therel, you can sign up your email to receiver her "newsy letters"
3. Ahearn Donor Communications also shares a wonderful regular email newsletter with thought provoking examples of putting -- and not putting donors first in written communication. You may sign up here.
For a more in-depth study, consider their available books on the topic:
1. Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships by Tom and Simone.
2. Seeing Through a Donor's Eyes: How to Make a Persuasive Case for Everything from Your Annual Drive to your Planned Giving Program to your Capital Campaign by Tom. The link in the previous sentence also includes details on additional books of Tom's that may be a fit for your current fundraising efforts.
3. Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships that Last, now in its third edition by Simone.
Your donors are the starting point and continual enablers of the good work that you do. What action are you going to take today to stay in touch with them and make sure they know that>
Photo credit above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersg/
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