DONNA ANN HARRIS HERITAGE CONSULTING INC. Why aren’t you asking for year end gifts? ©2013 Donna Ann Harris 1
D O N N A A N N H A R R I S
H E R I T A G E C O N S U L T I N G I N C .
Why aren’t you asking for year end gifts?
©2013 Donna Ann Harris
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Agenda
Why do it?
10 step process
3 different types Multi-channel appeal
2 letters, 10 emails
Online only appeal 10 emails
Last week of the year appeal 5 emails
Calendar: when to send letters, emails, thank you’s ©2013 Donna Ann Harris
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Ten Fund Raising Facts for Year -end Giving See handout
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So are you convinced yet?
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3 Types of Year End Appeals
Multi-Channel
Online Only
Last Week
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10 Step Multi Channel Appeal
1. Set a goal, create a campaign theme, think multi-channel giving
2. Clean up your mailing lists
3. Take online gifts. Where is your website’s Donate Now button?
4. Test your donation page now
5. Revise your giving levels, ask for recurring gifts, simple forms
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10 Step Multi Channel Appeal
6. Create compelling stories, photos and letters and the weekly countdown
7. Thank you, thank you, thank you
8. Automate thanks and tweet about gifts
9. Reinforce your campaign with traditional PR, Matching Gifts and Donor lists, and
10. Don’t take Christmas week off!
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1. Set a goal, create a simple campaign theme & think multi-
channel giving
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1A. Set a realistic goal
Stretch goal for this year-end campaign
Over and above regular donations
Spirit of the season
Gifts at holidays
Specific monetary goal
Specific number of people goal
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1B. Ten compelling stories & photos
Stories about your impact downtown
Need 10 of these
2-3 paragraphs
1 story per message
BRAG
Use stats
Creating memories
People you HELP
Highlight a few merchants
Tell about a family at an event
MAKE IT ABOUT PEOPLE
HAPPY PEOPLE HAVING HAPPY TIMES
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1C. Think multi-channel
E-mail, direct mail, phone calls, Facebook and Twitter, b
Multi channel = more money than one channel alone.
Coordinate with an online campaign
Reinforce message with PR
Mention website donation page everywhere
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2. Clean up your mailing lists
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2A. Size up your mailing lists
Email and regular mailing lists
Which one is larger, fresher or more complete.
Use both for your year-end campaign
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2B. Segment your mailing list
Identify lapsed members
Create 2013 End Of Year Mailing.
Eliminate pledges
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2C. Take DONORS off your lists
WHO ARE YOUR DONORS?
Remove them from mailing list
Make a new DONOR list.
Solicited in person ONLY!
Never solicit DONORS through direct mail or email.
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2D. Personalize & Clean up
How many first and last names to personalize any solicitation.
Add more names if you know
How many names?
No name? Dear Friend
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2f. Clean up your email list & add new names, addresses
Purge the hard bounces
Look at soft bounces eliminate any that bounce that twice.
Add any new emails NOW
Find new names form raffle tickets, signup sheets from events, and other sources.
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3. Take online gifts, your website’s Donate Now button &
review your home page
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3A. Take online gifts on web site
Use Donate Now
Network for Good
PayPal or other service.
Make it easy to give.
Talk to your webmaster and add this functionality today.
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3b. Donate Now button on your home page
OBVIOUS?
Click to donate
HOME PAGE IS BEST
Make it easy to see.
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3C. Make the Donate Now
button BIG
Donate Now button is easy to spot
MUST BE ON HOME PAGE
DO NOT have link to a place further into your web page.
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Donate NOW
4. Test your donation page today
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4A. Test Your Donation Landing Page
TEST IT –a lot!
Get real feedback
Easy to find?
Collecting the right info?
Glitches? Frustrations?
Get a thank you ASAP?
FIX NOW
If it is not easy, your supporters may decide to give elsewhere.
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4B. Make it easy to give
80% of all donations are still checks
Have organization’s
address on all correspondence
Direct mail needs an envelope
Green envelope?
Business reply mail (BRM) indicia
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5. Revise your giving levels, ask for recurring gifts, create simple
forms
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5A. Simple Donation Form
Keep it simple
Don’t ask for more info
Is form easy?
Easy to set up a recurring payment ?
Able to send a message? someone else’s honor?
Photo/caption to reinforce good you do
Caption: a specific reason to donate
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5B. Link to the Donate Now button page only
Direct mail links to DONATE NOW ONLY
Call to action
Donate!
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6. 10 Compelling stories, photos & letters and the weekly countdown
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6A. Write your first appeal letter today
Identify 10 messages (multi channel)
Write the first today
Include one story
A compelling quote
Amazing statistics from this year.
Long letters—two to four pages-- work better
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6B. Addressing party for direct mail
Personalize letters if you can
Hand sign, with a note
Mary Jones volunteer
Create a connection with donor
LONG LETTERS WORK BETTER
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6C. Write Compelling letters
See outline
Tell about specific but general programs that meet the Mission,
Seek unrestricted gifts NOT PROJECT GIFTS
Tell about tax deductibility deadline is near
Ask again for the gift in the last paragraph.
Create urgency—Dec. 31 deadline
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6D. Make impact VERY clear
Use colorful charts and graphs
Show your impact on downtown
Direct mail and e-newsletters.
Use your reinvestment stats to impress.
HAPPY PEOPLE IN PHOTOS
Not just empty streets and buildings.
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6E. Create a handsome letter
Does not have to be a traditional letter
Use a photo or two
Personalize the letter with the person’s name with mail merge
Personalize email newsletter program.
Make it seasonal, and celebrate holidays.
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7. Thank you, thank you, thank you
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7A. Write a thank you letter NOW
Everyone gets thanked—a lot!
No matter how the $ came
Online people get a paper thank you
You are collecting email addresses right?
Letter not a receipt
Out in a week
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7B. Three times, three ways
Thank your donor at least three times –
1. when they complete a donation (online)
2. when they get your email receipt (online, or paper)
3. Paper thank-you in the mail within a week.
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7c. Send thank yous letter fast
Volunteer to do nothing but send thank you
Send batches once a week
Every week during 6 weeks appeal
More help needed LAST WEEK OF YEAR
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8. Automate and Tweet about it
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8A. Automate thank you emails
Automate thank you for on line gifts
Send receipts out once a week
Send thank you letters once a week
Permit donor to return to home page after donation to learn more
Tell them about next event coming up
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8b. Tweet about it
Install social media links on donation page
Easy Tweet /FB on donation page
Test links on the Thank You page and website
Helps spread your message through the donor’s social network.
Might bring more donations from their friends.
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8c. Send hand written cards to 2013 DONORS
Send thank you cards out during Thanks-giving week.
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8D. Make Appointments with donors
Divide up the personal contacts between Board members and key committee chairs.
Peer asking is best
Start making calls for appointments the Monday after Thanksgiving
Ask to talk about the year-end campaign
No direct mail letter or e-blasts.
Contact in person only
YOU KNOW ALL OF THESE PEOPLE!
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9. Reinforce your campaign with traditional PR, matching gifts and
donor lists
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9A. Use PR tools to reinforce your relevance
What you accomplished this year
Use other PR tools
Speak to civic groups.
Hang a banner across the street
Write a press release, especially to local papers.
Send an e-alert or special mini-newsletter about your campaign to your mailing lists.
Nice photos help
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9b. Challenge gifts are highly appealing
Consider Board member challenge gifts just for the year-end appeal
Match any new or increased donations
Double (or triple) gifts
Last minute, over goal
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9c. Show campaign progress
Keep your web site up to date on your campaign progress and your gifts to date.
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9d. List your donors
Show list of all donors on web site
Dealing with Anonymous
Sort by size of gift—include amount
Largest ones on top
“List in formation”
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10. Don’t take Christmas week off
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10A. Office has to be open
The crush of gifts
Automate thank yous for online gifts
Need to deposit any checks before by 12/31
Email gifts will come in at the very last minute, so automating thank you letters helps.
IRS rules about postmarked by December 31
Talk to accountant about gifts postmarked by 12/31
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10B. Email reminders last week of Dec
December 31, BIGGEST DAY is a Tuesday this year.
Some may take a long holiday
Send emails on Tues 12/24, Fri 12/27, Mon 12/29 and on Tues 12/31
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10C. Peaking Giving times on 12/31
The Network for Good says the peak giving time on that day is 12 noon to 7 p.m. in your time zone.
Office should be open, be at the computer, answering the phone, or opening the mail (and making bank deposits), or you will miss out!
Email gifts will come in at the very last minute, so automating thank you letters helps.
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10D. Celebrate! and then take a vacation!
Take a rest on 1/1 and the week after
Publicize your successful campaign
Tell everyone how you did
More checks after 1/1
Confirm thank you notes go out to ALL
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10E. Publish success!
Show your goal
How are you doing?
Publish year-end donors list
Use next newsletter eblast, other PR
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Pick the campaign that works for you
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Calendar and Types of Campaigns
Multi-Channel Appeal
Online Only Appeal
Last Week Appeal
You pick which appeal works for you based on timing, your access to volunteers
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Multi channel Appeal—mechanics
Clean online and mailing lists essential
Costs for postage, letters, envelopes, mail house 2 direct mail letters
One direct mail letter on or before November 18
Another direct mail letter on December 16
10 emails over 6 weeks 5 emails in the last week of the year
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Mailing list mechanics
Got a gift? Remove from mailing list (and email list)
Send thank you immediately
If no response, second direct mail letter Dec. 16
Get a gift from second letter, remove from email list
Include a reply envelope (or biz reply envelope) in both
Make it easy to give
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Online Appeal Only--mechanics
Starts right after Thanksgiving
No letters, postage etc.
Clean email lists are essential
10 emails total
5 emails the last week of the year
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Online Only Appeal mechanics
Weekly eblast to mailing list
New story each mailing
Send early in the day (between 9AM and 11AM)
Send on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
Get a gift? Remove from email mail list
Automate thank you emails
Send thank you note that week
Five emails the last week of the year
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Last Week Appeal mechanics
Last two days of the year generated more than one third of all online gifts in December
Excessive?
More emails=more donations
Remove gift givers from email list.
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Last week appeal
For the true procrastinator.
Send at least three , better yet 5 emails the last week.
Do a count down 12/24, 12/26, 12/27, 12/30 and 12/31
Talk about your goal and how close you are
Rush to the end
12/30 and 12/31 are last chance reminders
Over Goal? What else we can do!
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Show your progress
Keep a record of daily progress toward goal on home page
Traditional thermometer or other graphic device
Ask people to get you over the top
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Publish your Donor list
In January, publish all the names in a newsletter, on an eblast or in your paper newsltter
Organize by giving level—not alphabetically
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How to use the calendar
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Tell us how you did!
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What we covered
Why you should ask last 6 weeks of the year
10 step process
3 different types of appeals
Multi-channel appeal
Online only appeal
Last week of the year appeal
Calendar for when to send letters, emails, thank you’s
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Q and A
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See the blog post with all the links
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http://www.heritageconsultinginc.com/index.php?/main/downtown-revitalization-project-detail/year-end-fundraising-plan-three-blog-posts
Thank you!
Donna Ann Harris
Heritage Consulting Inc.
422 South Camac Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215 546 1988
www.heritageconsutlinginc.com
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