Incident Reports and Donor Tracking: Equal Priorities

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigurdas/

Incident reports are one of your highest priorities. They are critical to meeting your legal requirements and ensuring that record of each call is always available.  Getting call experiences down on paper/in software quickly enhances the accuracy and clarity of your reports. Each call report should combine with the others for a strong record of the emergency response needs in your area. 

How does the current state of your donor records compare to the state of your call reports? 

Chances are most of your fundraising is handled by one or two volunteers. Those volunteers have developed excellent connections in the community. For example, one volunteer may know off the top of his or her head exactly what each of the 15 businesses who gave items for your community meal raffle gave in each of the last five years. Other donations may come in unsolicited from grateful service recipients throughout the year. These supporters may be known only to your treasurer. 

If the above paragraph sounds like reality for your department, consider how you can take steps to put donor tracking on an equal priority level with your incident reports. Examples of such steps may include:  

1. Create and update a spreadsheet kept at the department once a month with information on any cash or in-kind support your department receives. Record relevant known personal information like family members' names and birthdays. Ensure everything in the record is something you would be proud to show to your donor. Ask your treasurer to back fill as much historical information on this as you may have available.

2. Use this list for targeted outreach at least twice per year to thank these donors for their historical support. This could be in the form of a postcard, phone call or other outreach that you choose. It's must more efficient to renew a historical donor who has already shown you love than acquire a new donor.

3.  Appoint a fundraising officer and report on your results each month at your meeting. This will help keep fundraising more at the forefront of everyone's minds.

4. Create and execute on an annual fundraising plan for your department. Much like your SOPs and SOG's, this approach will give you a clearer strategy and a stronger fundraising program that matches your current needs.

What's working well at your department in terms of donor tracking? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

The Honor of the Fire Service: What's Your Story?

It was Saturday, August 11, 2011. Between the Iowa State Fair, the Goodyear Knoxville Nationals and the Iowa Straw Poll, Central Iowa was literally overflowing.

That day, I witnessed many wonderful volunteers at the Hall of Flame impact the youngest fairgoers with their passionate, energetic fire safety education. Kudos to everyone connected to the Iowa Firefighters Association who make this incredible outreach a reality!

At the end of a long Hall of Flame day, I headed to the home of kind and generous friends in the area who provided me a few hours sleep before a 2nd day of helping the best volunteers in the world, those connected to the Iowa Fire Service.

It was past 10 p.m. when I arrived at their house. I tried the softest possible knock at the locked door to avoid exciting or hopefully even waking their three amazing boys. No such luck. Almost five year old Sam led the stampede of excitement to the front door.

As Sam peered out the window onto the lit porch, he hollered at the top of his lungs, "Mom, did you order a firefighter?" It took me a moment to realize that all Sam could see in the darkness was the Hall of Flame volunteer t-shirt logo like the one pictured above.

In less that five years, little Sam has come to respect the honor of the fire service and recognized the connection through a logo in the dark. Every time someone of any age recognizes the uniforms you may wear to calls, you become a part of that same rich history tied to the honor of the Fire Service.

There's a sacred trust that comes with that honor.

When was the last time you were unexpectedly reminded of the sacred trust and honor of the Iowa Fire Service? Was it on a call? Was it during training? Was it in some donor support?

Share your story below.

Thank you for your role in the honor, the sacred trust of the Iowa Fire Service!