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May 18th, 2010A common mistake in annual giving is overemphasizing the word annual. While an annual campaign gives us a time frame around which we can set goals, monitor progress, and assess results (the same logic applied to larger capital campaigns), the name annual fund helps send a message to our donors that we rely on their support each year. This is a good thing, but too often we let it dominate our strategy. What’s more important, is communicating to donors that we rely on their consistent support.
When we focus on getting donors to give once in a fiscal year (which, remember, is our own internal construct – often of no concern to donors), we automatically make it about the gift transaction, thereby failing to recognize the underlying relationships or interests that motivated that gift. Equally problematic is that we often miss out on opportunities to secure additional support from our most invested donors.
As many of us enter the final months of our fiscal years, consider going back to your most loyal donors to solicit additional support – a second ask. Start by thanking them for their recent gift. Then tell them that they are among a select group who, because of their past generosity, are receiving a second appeal. Don’t be afraid to tell them exactly how many others are receiving a second ask. Let them know they are special.
Going forward, consider offering sustained giving programs to your donors where they can stagger their giving through automatic deductions from their credit/debit cards (e.g., monthly or quarterly). This is nothing more than a second ask in which the donor gets to be involved in the planning of the solicitation – something they’ll appreciate more often than not.
For those of you who are apprehensive about asking your donors to give more than once in a fiscal year, remember this: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
Dan, I couldn’t agree more. We launched a second ask mailing last year and it’s now one of our most productive appeals. When we mail to donors within six months of their last gift we see a 10% response rate. Not only are these donors responding, they are increasing their gifts.
Dan, I couldn’t agree more with your last statement. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
I recently received a phonathon call from my alma mater, asking me to make an additional gift this year. Times are tough, they need to give more in financial aid, …blah blah blah.
I didn’t mind being asked to give a little more — what I minded was this.
1. I give monthly through an automatic recurring gift (something they didn’t acknowlege…they just thanked me for my “last gift of $x).
2. My monthly gift is unrestricted — yet they came and asked me for a gift to financial aid because “only 8% of my unrestricted gift goes to support financial aid.”
I politely declined to give any more — but let the caller know that the school was more than welcome to put 100% of my gift towards financial aid, if that was the greatest need.
As a fundraising professional, I was appalled — not because they asked, but by the way they handled it. When I was in school I worked on our senior gift project and we spent an enormous amount of energy (then and for the years that followed) trying to educate donors about the importance of unrestricted giving. I hung up the phone feeling like my unrestricted support somehow was less important than a gift that was directed.
I understand what they were trying to do — but clearly they missed on the message.
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