July is hot. Whether you’re in a muggy humid climate or a desert dry one, hot is still hot.
For some of us in the fundraising world, July is a slow month. There are no events or campaigns. People take time off from work, even donors.
July is the time to:
- take stock
- evaluate where we are against our goals for the year
- analyze what’s worked and what has not
- try something new or stay on track
- start planning for the next fiscal year
Tactics and methods are what we use to get things done, but they don’t always go hand-in-hand. Tactics = Actions Methods = Process
Tactics is a subset of strategy. Assuming your annual fundraising plan is anchored in your organization’s strategic plan, both methods (processes) and tactics (actions) will be part of your plan.
Here are some examples of both to consider during the lazy days of July and possibly implement during the second half of your calendar year.
Planned Giving: Most planned or estate gifts come from bequests in people’s wills. You can simply add a statement on your donate page, “remember XYZ organization in your will.”
Stocks and Other Securities: Ask your banker or other financial specialist to help you establish a brokerage account.
Giving Circles: Identify a champion on your board or another volunteer who will help organize the first giving circle. It can be as simple as a few people pooling their donations annually and donating it to your organization.
In-Kind: Add a “wish list” to your donation page of items needed.
Vehicle Donations: A 3rd-party vendor can handle this for a reasonable fee.
Venue Rental: A business plan can help you fully explore this opportunity.
Peer-to-Peer: This is similar to giving circles and is a way to engage your board.
Gift Acceptance Policy: If you don’t have one, now is a good time to start writing it.
About Fundraising is on vacation during the month of July. We’ll be back Thursday, August 4th. See you then!
DMGroupConsulting, is your frontline fundraising consultant. Contact us at https://dmgroupconsulting.com/contact/.