Our unusual summer: A time to reset

This summer is unlike any other—in a year unlike any other. 

Our usual annual planning process will not be enough. We need to fully ‘reset’ our fundraising programs to prepare for an uncertain year ahead. 

It’s a daunting prospect, but also an opportunity to step back and reimagine our fundraising potential. With new clarity and vision, we can engage donors in new ways, inspire lifelong loyalty—and achieve much higher returns on our investments. 

The ‘secret sauce’ will be relationships. 

No matter what your fundraising approach has been in the past, you’re a relationship-based fundraiser now. Your organization’s future depends on you getting to know the people in your database and moving relationships forward—on a much larger scale and faster pace than ever before. 

If you take the time now to get focused and organized, you’ll find real opportunities to inspire support and secure funds for your mission. 

This week, we’re launching a series of conversations about ‘resetting’ fundraising this summer. We’ll go beyond what do to and dig into how to do it.  

Join our conversations on June 17, June 24, and July 1 by signing up at aperiophilanthropy.com/events. 

Here’s what we will be covering. 

Step 1: Build your new case for support

These days, when we say ‘crisis,’ we no longer mean the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. We mean a whole chain of consequences that have unfolded, affecting every aspect of our lives from the very public to the very personal.

These consequences will be with us for the foreseeable future, as our country grapples with large-scale challenges such as police brutality, 13% unemployment, health inequities, and political crisis—and as our communities grapple with personal pressures such as trauma, income uncertainty, continued isolation, and disruption to school and family life.

As a nonprofit, your ‘reset’ this summer starts by recognizing: Your response to this crisis is no longer a special addition to your mission, it is your mission.

Just as this crisis can no longer be viewed as a brief interruption to normal life, your crisis response can no longer be viewed as a temporary addition to your core programs. It’s time to view every aspect of work—your core programs, your recent innovations, your emergency response efforts—through the lens of your organization’s role in responding to the crisis we are facing.

Practically speaking, that means starting with a blank slate in building your case for support.

Tinkering with your existing language and proof points will not do. Clear your mind and your paper and start from the beginning.

On Wednesday, June 17, we’ll walk through the case-building process step-by-step and share common mistakes to avoid.

Step 2: Organize your lists

All fundraising starts with a list of prospects and donors. When your list is organized, it becomes simple to provide your donors with the best possible experience throughout the year—and inspire them to stay engaged and giving.

Summer is always the perfect time to refresh your lists, but this year it is essential. We know that recessions come at the cost of the number of donors to nonprofits. Organizations that survive—even thrive—through these difficult times intentionally invest in enhancing the donor experience, which drives donor loyalty.

If your lists aren’t strategically analyzed or thoughtfully segmented, a great donor experience is difficult to achieve. Donors fall through the cracks or receive an inconsistent experience, depending on how vocal they are, who they know at the organization, or how recently they’ve given.

On Wednesday, June 24, we’ll walk through your options and a step-by-step guide to creating segments that you can put to use immediately to create a great experience for your donors—and inspire their loyalty.

Step 3: Make your engagement plan

You’ve crafted your new case for support. You’ve organized your list. Now it’s time to bring them together into an engagement plan for the coming months.

An engagement plan is simply a description of how you will bring your case for support to life for different groups of donors.

An engagement plan combines stewardship and cultivation. It’s built on the premise that every gift is the start of a new phase in the relationship—and as such, should be treated as a conversation and go well beyond gift acknowledgements. Done well, your plan will result in growing, lifelong relationships with donors.

On Wednesday, July 1, we’ll walk through the mechanics of getting organized so you can take your donor experience to a whole new level.