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Spring Cleaning for Your Development Shop:
Organize. Plan. Implement!
Jeffrey D. Byrne, President & CEO
It’s that time of year when we take our winter clothes out of our closets and replace them with our summer clothes. Why not do the same with your Development program? Here are a few spring cleaning tips to enhance your fundraising program.
First, over the winter months, we normally let papers accumulate on our desks and don’t pay attention to filing. Take a day. Close your door. Don’t answer your telephone. Start to organize that winter “mess” that’s piled up on your desk, on the filing cabinet and on the floor. Take the time to get your desk in order and to organize your files. Un-clutter your mind by getting your physical space organized.
Second, reconnect with your board members. You’ve been busy during the winter, so call them and schedule a time to meet. Go to their office. Have them over for breakfast. Talk about what you want to accomplish during the spring and summer. Ask who they can contact, and set-up “friend-raising” meetings. Ask how you can assist them in connecting with prospects and donors.
Third, make a list of your top 50 donors. Now, prioritize that list. Determine how you are going to connect with them during the spring and summer. How can you engage these donors with your organization and its activities? Keep in mind Penelope Burke’s strategies about donor-centered fundraising. How can you engage your donors in your mission and your programs before asking for another gift?
Finally, go the Association of Fundraising Professionals website, www.afpnet.org, and look for good reading materials that will advance your knowledge about the fundraising profession. Consider Penelope Burke’s new book on donor-centered fundraising, Thanks!... A Guide to Donor-Centred Fundraising. It’s a great read, and her tips about friend-raising are key in creating effective fundraising programs. Or try Tom Wilson’s book, Winning Gifts, Make Your Donors Feel Like Winners. Tom’s book walks nonprofits through the steps of securing winning gifts.
Whatever lies ahead of you during these upcoming days of spring, take a little time for yourself. Think strategically. Make a plan. Plan an approach. Know what you want to accomplish for your organization. Organize it. Implement it.
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