I've waited 213 days for tonight. At 8:20 pm ET the NFL kicks off the 2018 season. 4 months of strategy, strength, endurance, and skill.
Like the 32 NFL teams, Fundraisers enter their 'Season' [of giving]. Over the next 17 weeks, organizations will fight hard to achieve their goals. Effective blocking, tackling, and a few Hail Marys pave the way to retention and revenue success.
We're opening the Fundraiser's Playbook and focusing on the most important offensive play you can make to increase revenue: Upgrade Donor Value.
Increasing donor value is just like football – moving the donor/players down the fundraising field to hopefully cross the mid-level or major gift goal line.
Often referred to as Moves Management - we call it Fundraising Football - is a series of actions taken to identify, target, and upgrade donor value. The Fundraising Football Field [see below] is an effective visual to align the direct response team and major gift officers.
Step 1: Identify donors likely to upgrade [get this done today - don't miss the opportunity to target upgrades in your Oct, Nov, Dec appeals]
Step 2: Build a strategy for each donor cluster
Step 3: Track / monitor upgrade progress quarterly [monthly if you're a larger organization]
Let's kick-off the 2018 Giving Season by using smart offensive strategies aimed at driving long-term donor value.
If you need a place to start - we'll help build your upgrade plan here.
Looking for ask amounts / ask string - check out this tool.
Moves Management resources:
- The Missing Middle Part Two [Sea Change Strategies]
- Focus On: Upgrading Donors: Be Persistent, Not Pushy [authored by one of my favorite people on this planet, Jerry Huntsinger. Written in 2004 - the advice is timeless]
- How to Use Moves Management to Raise Major Gifts [Gail Perry]
- 10 ways to upgrade major donors [Bloomerang]
See you on the field.
Caity
PS: Go Skins! [and Panthers - added my 11 year old]