In the summer time when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the sky
When the weather’s right You got women, you got women on your mind
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find
Sun, fun and vacations.
For those of us in in the nonprofit sector though, it’s no time to slow down. We’ve passed the midpoint of the year which means it’s no time to be slacking off on your fundraising efforts.
Last week’s #smNPchat on Twitter focused on what development staff will be doing over the summer months to ensure that donations continue to stream in. These savvy tweeps weighed in:
@NickSava: A1. Scouring donor/prospect list to ensure nobody has fallen thru cracks communication-wise so far this year. #smNPchat
@BTalisman: #smnpchat – Summer = data clean, collecting stories/video, annual rep/mtg prep, finish corporate partner pkg 2013 Thxing donors phone/person
@merritto: Implement SM strategy, hope to grow engagement with younger audience & spread the word abt what they’re doing.
What are five things you should be doing this summer?
- Make it a point to reanimate your story-gathering. One way? If your organization’s site is on WordPress, creating a ‘Share Your Story’ form like Safe Kids couldn’t be easier. Just download the free plugin at delicious:days, install and viola’, create your form! And, as @claybow tweeted “Everyone with a smartphone has a memo recorder. I use it all the time to capture stuff.”
- Are you researching prospective foundation/corporate support? Schedule an appointment with one of the Foundation Center’s Cooperating Collections Libraries and aim to spend half a day to a day researching prospective funders (while you stay cool!)
- Got a monthly giving program? Breath new life into it by spending time with your current monthly donors to find out why they give, and incorporating their responses into a dedicated mailing to grow your monthly giving program. No monthly giving program? Start one! Check out Simple Development Systems to learn the basics for creating your organization’s monthly giving program.
- Pick the brains of 12 noted fundraising professionals who share their “outside-the-box” strategies for bringing in new donors by picking up a copy of the 100 Donors in 90 Days program.
- Develop your organization’s social media game plan and mobilize your volunteers, staff and supporters. Two good books: Social Media Road Map: A Social Media Optimization Guide and 101 Social Media Tactics for Nonprofits: A Field Guide.
What will you be doing to ramp up your summer fundraising?
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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