Yes, you read that right. But indulge me for one minute while we work backwards from what the life of a fundraiser looks like by Sunday, December 31, 2023.
- Your final appeals and asks are made in December.
- Giving days and first-round appeals go out in November.
- October is gala/fundraiser season– even if your organization doesn’t do a fundraiser, donors are getting asked in many different ways by many different organizations.
If you’re following my calendaring, that means that by the time September rolls around, final edits to your fundraising story need to be made. Which brings us to now—August—as the time when drafting appeals and data pulls need to happen.
Between the narrative-building, data-pulling, and designing of an appeal letter, a strong year-end appeal has a number of components– all of which are essential components of a successful appeal. The future versions of ourselves in October, November and December will thank our current selves if we get a head start on these components now.
While data will shift and change a little bit between now and your first appeal, you can start to build your data lists, think through your donor segments, and clean up the typos that exist in your database.
The year-end period for fundraisers always feels like a high-stakes, higher-stress time than normal, but thinking ahead and getting a jump start on that work now will certainly make the giving season a bit of a smoother ride for everyone involved. Your team (and your frazzled November brain) will thank you!
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Clara Lind is GiveMN's director of coaching. Want to receive individualized fundraising coaching for your organization or to further your professional development? Learn about our RaiseMN offerings and schedule your coaching session! Learn more.