If you work in a nonprofit, you might think of the seasons like this:
• Spring is a great time for special events and these are good ways to gain a few new donors and cultivate the ones you have. You can successfully mail an appeal in the Spring, although your results won't be quite as good as in the Fall.
• Summer is a good time for planning your Fall activities. Don't mail appeals during the summer - odds are good that they just won't perform. Keep in touch with your best donors and get to know them. Summer is a good time to mail planned giving information, because it gives donors time to make something happen before the end of the year.
• Fall is prime fundraising season!! October is the #1 month for direct mail, so be prepared to mail early in the month. If you have a good story to pitch to the media, now's the time. Get Holiday cards ready to go in the mail after Thanksgiving, but no later than the first week in December. Don't bother to mail anything later than that - it will get lost in the Holiday rush.
• Winter can be a great time for planting early seeds. Put together a Gift Summary for your donors in January so they can use it for their taxes. And ask your donors to start the new year off right by joining your Monthly Giving Club.
Sprinkle in good newsletters and volunteer opportunities along the way, and you're well on your way to a year of fundraising success!
(c) Sandy Rees, CFRE
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Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach and
speaker who shows small nonprofit organizations how to
raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen
their Boards.
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