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The Last Five Days of December for Major Gift Fundraisers

Posted on: December 26th, 2012 by Leslie Allen

We know you don’t have much time right now, so we thoughts we’d jot down what we would do with the next few days if we were in your shoes:

December 27: Go through gifts from the last few days and see what 10 are missing. Make a plan to reach each donor or prospect over the next 4 days.

December 28: Call or send an e-mail to top prospects, asking what you can do to help with their year-end giving decisions.

December 29: Try using Facebook or other social media to connect those that you haven’t been able to reach by e-mail or phone.

December 30: Check website (again) to ensure that it’s working and see if there are any notes or gifts that you should know about.

December 31: Be by the phone. Make sure your donors can reach you.

And - January 1 - breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve made it through another (or maybe your first?) fundraising year-end. Congratulations! See you in 2013!

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If you liked this post, you might also like:

  1. What Your Major Donors Want in November and December
  2. The Lazy Days of Summer (The Fundraisers’ Version)
  3. Stress Busters for Fundraisers: Special Holiday Edition
  4. Fundraising in December Day-by-Day
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Category: Fundraising General
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About Leslie Allen
For 15 years I worked for Greenpeace – one of the most powerful brands in the world – and I’ve taken the years of learning at large organizations and translated it to work for mid-sized and smaller grassroots organizations here all over the world. Learn More About Leslie...
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  • Mike Stabler

    Hey Leslie,

    I’d like advice: I just sent out my first mass fundraising email; the theme is a 2012 look-back, plus asking for donations of course. I think I’d like to do another one on Dec 29 or 30 to follow-up on the first. More like a postcard. Something like, “Thanks to the 859 (or whatever the real number is) who responded to our year-end wrap-up! It’s not too late to make a 2012 contribution and lend your help to our work for the animals.”

    Comments?

    Mike Stabler, Executive Director
    Kindness Ranch

  • Leslie Allen

    Hi Mike, So glad you’ve sent your first fundraising e-mail! You should
    definitely follow it up with a reminder e-mail and I would suggest
    sending it December 31 in the late morning to catch people thinking
    about year-end giving. Short and sweet is good and I would focus on what
    you’re going to do with donor money rather than on how many donors
    gave. Good luck!