Really, we should divide the major gifts fundraising year into two sections: November/December and “The Rest of the Year”.
During “The Rest of the Year” you have the luxury of time to build relationships at a natural pace. In November and December – all bets are off. Your major donors have different needs as the end of the tax year rolls around. And you may not be able to reach them to figure out what those needs are!
So, what do donors want in November and December?
Major donors want you to:
- Send something in writing with your ask: Even if you are in conversation with your donors, you want to give them something to respond to this time of year when they think about their giving.
- Call to check in: You may not get them on the phone, but most major donors will be happy to hear from you. You will remind them to take action or you will stimulate some question they have been meaning to ask you.
- Make sure they have a way to get in touch with you: A lot of offices are closed during the holidays, but this is just the time when your major donors need to talk to you. If your office isn’t open, be sure that you have a message on your voice mail and a way to forward and check your e-mail so that your donors can reach you.
- Send stock instructions: Your major donors may not think to ask for these until the very last moment and you don’t want that to hold up any giving. It might also plant a seed…
- Check your website and social media: Donors may be trying to get in touch with you through channels that they never used before. Make sure you and the rest of your staff are monitoring the traffic, particularly the very last days of the year.
Major Donors DON’T want you to:
- Ask them to give to a totally new initiative: This is not the time of year to introduce new initiatives. Unless time requires it, stick with what you’ve been talking about.
- Introduce new calls to action: Be careful inviting people to events, asking them to serve on committees, and just generally diverting their attention from your ask.
- Expect to visit them in person: This could happen. It may be worth a try, but the vast majority of people will put your off during this busy time.
- Use only one channel of communication to reach them: Hopefully, you know your major donors well enough to know what channels of communication work best for them. But what if you can’t reach them on the phone when they always answered your call before? Try a different communication channel. Use e-mail and social media to try to ask your major donors this question: “Is there any information I can provide you with this year to help you to make your year end giving decisions?”
photo by tonystl
