All the work you do in development from January through September is reflected in the response and activity from givers in October through December.
From a development standpoint, there are two pivot points in the year at which you are trying to ask people to make a giving decision.
In the first half of the year, January through March are for thanking and reporting, April is for asking, and May and June are for follow-up.
If we want people to give by the end of December, we must follow up with them about what we’ve asked them to do in November and December. If possible, we want to ask no later than October. This means we want to thank and report before August/September.
You move established and potential givers through these seasons by thanking, reporting, asking, and following up.
The more effective you are in moving people through these seasons, the more your giving will be impacted.
With only a few weeks remaining of the giving year, there’s only so much you can do. Hopefully, you’ve made the ask, people know what you’re asking them to do, and you’re now in follow-up mode.
Have You Asked?
At this point in the year, if you have not asked people to give, NOW is the time to do so. Whether face-to-face, in small group meetings, or your broader communication, there needs to be an obvious request to give.
Some people choose to send out an annual fund letter or year-end giving request to get the ask in front of them with a response envelope that clearly asks them to make an immediate gift, a year-end gift, or a generous gift.
This type of request needs to be made via letter. There’s nothing wrong with using email, but in today’s world, you still have to get a written request in the mail in front of them to be very effective. Email is best used as a follow-up tool.
For example, the email references the letter: ‘Hopefully, you’ve received our recent letter by now. We’re so grateful you would consider our request. I want to ensure you also had this via email.’ Then, you’re in follow-up mode.
Follow-Up Mode
Follow-up mode runs through the end of December when the results come.
This is where most people are not doing enough.
They think they will be overdoing it or that people will get tired of hearing from them. Still, we recommend sending some planned follow-up emails to your list around December 17.
These scheduled emails are primarily designed to be status updates, giving people a sense of progress, ‘We’re so thankful people are giving and responding to our requests. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a gift by the end of the year.’
Convince people to give and justify or explain why this is an important place to give.
Make it obvious you’ve already asked, you’re grateful they’re considering your request, encourage them to take action, and explain how they can do so. ‘Click here to give online,’ ‘You could simply send a gift to…,’ ‘If you want instructions on giving stock, contact…,’ or, ‘Here’s a link to our instructions.’
We also recommend a lot of personalized follow-up. The more follow-up you can do to individuals, the more effective all these things will be.
Phone calls, texts, or personal emails from you or someone involved can be a follow-up.
Take one of the email updates sent out and personally forward that to them just like you would email me and say, ‘Hey, I just wanted you to see this.’
Personally forward that to a potential giver and say, ‘We’ve been communicating a lot about giving. I just want to make sure that you’ve seen our recent email. I’m so grateful that you would consider including our ministry in your giving here at the end of the year.’
Phone calls are the best thing you can do because they draw attention to all your communication.
Follow-Up Finesse
I encourage people to try to put themselves in the shoes of a giver who receives communication from you occasionally. Most givers out there are not receiving communication from you and saying, ‘Absolutely not, I refuse to give to that organization. I am not sending them any money.’
This is a busy season for them, just like it is for you. They have a lot going on, a lot of communication, and a lot of requests coming their way.
You call people, personally forward emails, send a personal email, or send a text. You do that to guide them through a decision-making process rather than just letting them default.
Call to say, ‘Merry Christmas. I want to make sure you hear from me because, as you’ve noticed, we’re communicating a lot about giving this time of year. You’re probably getting a lot of communication from other organizations as well. I want to say thank you for taking the time to consider our request. We don’t take it for granted at all that you are interested in our work, and I am happy to answer any questions that you might have as well. I want to ensure you know how to reach me and I look forward to hearing from you, if needed. Again, thank you for all you’re doing for our ministry.’
If you get someone on the phone, you’ll often hear them say, ‘Oh, yes, we need to do that,’ or, ‘Yes, I’ve got the letter here someplace,’ or ‘Yes, we’re going to be doing something. We haven’t made a decision yet, but we appreciate you reaching out.’
These are almost always positive calls.
The rare one you get that’s negative is somebody who just says, ‘I don’t want to be hearing from you. I’ve been getting letters and emails, and I don’t actually want to get these.’
You need to know that.
You’re not helping yourself by sending stuff to people who don’t want it in the mail or email.
If you’re not hearing some of that at this time of year, that means you’re not communicating enough, and it means you’re not following up enough because there are always people who want to be off your list, and you need to get them off your list.
By continuing to communicate, you’re not helping yourself or, frankly, helping them. There’s no value in that to them or you.
For anyone you’ve been in the room with at some point, meaning you’ve met with them in the past, they’ve come to an event in the past, or you’ve interacted with them, the phone call or email is a little different.
You can say, ‘Hey, I want to reach out and ensure you hear from me. You’re probably getting a lot of requests from other organizations as well. I want to make sure you hear from me, to give you something specific to pray and think about before the end of December.’
The ‘something specific’ entirely depends upon you and the person you’re talking to. You could have a long list of different specific things.
You can just say, ‘I want to give you something specific to pray and think about before Christmas. Would you consider including us in your giving before the end of December?’
Or you can say, ‘Would you consider making your best or most extraordinary gift ever, whatever that means to you, to this place because we’re so excited about where we are and where we’re going?’
Perhaps you ask, “Would you consider making an ongoing pledge for the first time?’
A more direct and challenging approach would be to say, ‘Would you be one of 10 people that I’m asking to give at this level?’
The point is to list specific things you can put in front of people.
What’s so freeing about this for you and the giver is you’ve just asked them to think about it.
The more individuals you communicate with who truly understand individually what you’re asking them to do, the more impact that will have on their giving.
When we take the easier road of sending out these broad requests, all we do is create awareness that there is a place to give to and a general awareness overall.
Don’t let your efforts be a public service announcement. Guide your givers through the season, start to finish–thank and report, ask, and follow up.
I would love to encourage you along the way via text. Please click here to add yourself to my personal phone.