In this comprehensive overview of annual giving programs, you’ll gain an introduction to the basic terminology and concepts of annual giving as well as the various solicitation channels and donor types. Learn how to write a direct mail appeal, craft an impactful email appeal, and develop a script for phone solicitation. You’ll learn how to build a leadership annual giving portfolio and maximize the impact of memberships and events in annual campaigns. You’ll complete the course with the knowledge and skills to build and implement a multi-channel solicitation strategy that achieves the goals of an annual campaign.
Securing a Donor Visit
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Из курса от партнера University of California, Davis
Annual Campaigns: Building a Case for Support
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Leadership Annual Giving
In this module, you will be able to develop a portfolio of annual giving donors. You'll be able to discuss ideas and best practices for securing a face-to-face donor visit. You will be able to demonstrate how to successfully qualify and solicit a high-value annual donor. You will be able to apply strategies to build relationships with donors to help them achieve their philanthropic goals.
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Michelle PoesySenior Director
Annual and Special Gifts
So, we've covered who to approach and how important it is to have
the right attitude to match
your donor's vision with the appropriate opportunity or organization.
Really digging into your mission as a frontline fundraiser.
Now, let's get into the details of how to secure a visit.
Variety is the spice of life,
and it is critical where initial outreach is concerned.
I've said it before,
you never want to assume anything about
your perspective donors. That's important here, too.
Each of you has a communication channel that you prefer: email, phone calls,
cell phone versus office phone,
but never assume your donor shares your preference or bias towards one or the other.
Be strategic and mix it up.
Develop a consistent strategy.
Mine is an opening email to both the personal and the business email address.
If I don't have those,
a handwritten note goes out first.
From there, a series of emails or touches will
follow over time interspersed with phone calls,
LinkedIn request, and personal event invitations.
You want to personalize everything.
I have a systematic approach and you should develop one, too.
This way, you will always know where you are in the process.
And your third touch email,
it's going to feel and look similar for everyone in your outreach stream.
The phone is your best friend.
Mix up times there.
Call in the morning, call in the afternoon,
early evening, block time for phone in your schedule.
Do not be afraid to call prospects at work.
You weren't making a social call.
You want to conduct business,
so calling during business hours at their place of business is appropriate.
Again, don't assume this is inconvenient.
That's your bias, not the bias of the person you're calling.
Mix up the timing or the time between outreach and proposed dates to visit.
Some prospects like a lot of planning time for their calendar,
others will respond to an email the day before.
Appeal to both by offering options and variety.
My favorite email appeal,
appeals to their kindness by claiming I've lost an appointment tomorrow at 2:00 pm.
Notice I said claiming, I lost it.
"I was hoping you might be able to help me out since I'm in town.
Can we meet over a quick cup of coffee?
It's my treat." Let me tell you,
this one works every time.
What's important is pleasant,
purposeful, and persistent approaching.
Who, when, and where to visit? Be strategic.
Always remember you want to score the visit.
So, be flexible and allow the donor or the prospect to tell you when, where, and who.
That said, you can guide the conversation with suggestions.
Say, "Visits are typically brief.
I would be happy to meet with you where ever would be convenient for you that day.
Say, like the local Starbucks or the Pete's."
It's a subtle suggestion,
but you really made your first ask.
Similarly, you can leave time wide open or you can say,
"2:00 pm to 3:00 pm,
which would be best for you?"
For the question of, who should be there?
Well, less is always more,
especially because in your business,
you're going to try to be as brief as you can
be and get the all important ask out during that first meeting.
That said, you want when possible others at the table if that's necessary.
Marital partner should be at least invited.
"I would love to set a time up for both or either of
you for coffee on Tuesday if that's convenient for you guys."
Giving them the option that one or the other can come lest you end
up inviting both and they neither come because they can't agree on a time.
So, be strategic. How long is a visit?
Well, it depends.
You want to always intend to be and promise to be brief.
Know that your brief may not be the same as your donor's expectation.
Again, never assume.
Sometimes and in some conversations,
30 minutes can be very long.
In others, two hours of conversation can be super exciting and not nearly enough.
If you've established a timeline,
what's important is that you check in with the prospect to make
sure that they are okay if you guys go a bit longer.
Ask permission and avoid the ever awful subtle look at the watch.
Even without a timeline agreed upon,
if the conversation is approaching an hour with no signs of slowing,
take the time to ask for permission to continue.
The prospect will very much appreciate your respect of their time.
Almost always, they will want to continue,
but it's important to know it's okay and not just to assume.
No matter the channel, transparency,
and consistency are imperative to your success.
Remember, you're creating a communication strategy.
If one of your pieces suddenly reveals a new and inconsistent purpose to the others,
the trust will be broken and you will not get a visit or a reply.
Transparency also serves you in that it is
assured a prospect knows your purpose and goals in meeting.
Your title alone may accomplish this.
But by stating purpose and being direct,
you are sure to have set the right expectation of
the meeting and improved your chances of a gift.
In fact, your ask is already underway.
The ever important elevator speech.
Things that you can include in this and again an elevator speech is going to be a tight,
quick blurb about what,
who you are and what it is you'd like to accomplish.
Ideas you can include: help your alumni friends and supporters to get connected,
gather your ideas and advice about top organizational priorities,
you want to represent the organization within the area,
like "I'm now regional major gifts officer so I'm trying to
coordinate and build a robust network of alumni in Oregon."
You want to generate support for the organization.
Storytelling, where does your donor fit into the story?
Tell me about what it was like the last time you were at the museum.
And always, a great angle is to say,
"I'm coming out to say thank you to you in person."
But I would caution you to add to that
that you're also looking for their advice or something,
because if you tell them that your intent is to only say thank you,
you best only say thank you.
If you go there and ask for a gift,
you violated trust so be cautious with that one.
Smiles and dials, one of my favorite phrases.
I would bet you can hear the smile on my face right now.
The key with making calls to secure meetings is to be brief.
Take your time and speak slowly.
Stand up to call.
It positively affects your delivery and your attitude.
It also helps you with your confidence and it clearly
changes your tone of voice and make your voice a little bit brighter.
If you're leaving a message,
be sure you leave your phone number slowly and mention your name twice.
"Hi, this message is for Jane,
my name is Gary Fisher.
I'm following up on my email from last week at UC Davis.
Was hoping to connect with you over coffee to talk about all things UCD next Friday,
between 10 and one.
If you could call me or email me to let
me know you're available that day or would appreciate it.
My number is 5305551212 and
my email is gvfisher@ucdavis.com.
I look forward to hear from me soon."
It's really that simple.
Gatekeepers, their spouses, children, assistants,
colleagues, anyone who really is out there to
keep you from direct contact with your prospect.
You want to do is make them your friend and enlist their help.
You build rapport quickly with them,
be honest and forthright,
ask for their help in scheduling,
but ask them leading or assumptive questions.
People will answer the questions they are asked,
so steer the conversation when you can.
For example, "I'm sure he's busy.
I don't want to bother him or you.
What time of the day is best for me to reach him?"
That assistant is gonna give you the answer
the question you ask and say 2:00 or 3:00 o'clock.
Another example, "Is this the best way
for me to reach her or would she really prefer email?
Or when should I call back?"
You're asking two questions and you may get
an email that you don't already have and you'll get a time.
If you're evasive or vague, though,
you will trigger the gatekeeper to do their job and they're going to block you.
When you go for the visit,
this is a nice touch.
Always introduce yourself to that gatekeeper if they're there.
Thank him or her and bring them a token of
appreciation or send them a nice handwritten note.
It will make them your ally the next time you'd like to see the prospect.
They've said yes to a visit.
Now what do we do? Well, you want to set the details and get off the phone.
You do not want to have the meeting with them, right then and there.
So, secure preferred email,
tell the prospect you will send a confirmation or a calendar request,
send follow up to confirm those details,
make sure to include your cell phone or
other relevant contact information if you're traveling.
Do not, again, have the meeting on the phone right then and there.
Be prepared with an exit strategy to avoid this.
The last thing you want to do is have a series of questions that allow
the prospect to decide whether or not they actually want to see you before they do.
If they're donors, my preferred fallback is always,
"To have the chance to thank you in person and explain the impact of your support.
I look forward to meeting you and answering your questions on Wednesday.
Thanks so much," and hang up.
There is definitely such a thing as being over-prepared for the first meeting,
and I avoid it at all costs.
What you don't want to do is slip and mention that you
saw they have a home in Aspen when,
in your database, you only know that they have a home
in Portland right around the corner from your office.
If you mention that in your first meeting,
congratulations. You're no longer a fundraiser.
You just became a stalker and it's creepy.
This should feel organic and it should be natural.
Too deep a dive in research can also cause you to assume things about your donor.
It's only human nature to build a mental picture and
to write a story for the donor if you research them.
Always remember, if the donor did not tell you that in person, it's not true.
Go visit them and find out how good your instincts are,
but never make the decision they are not interested for them,
because of something that you've assumed.
Remember my example, the mom at the university with all the kids from before?
Also, this is a first meeting and it's all about getting to know one another.
You weren't looking to build a major gift strategy on this first date,
so you don't need to know too much.
Truly, the first real research happens during your face-to-face visit.
Know the basics of the donor backwards and forwards,
what they do for a living, first gift to date,
amount and designation of that first gift,
any activities or history they have as a volunteer,
spouse if it's available,
kids if it's available.
And that's it. Go learn the rest from them.
Practice makes perfect and never forget that your first impression matters.
You want to make sure before you go in that you've practiced
the call and know that you're clear about your objectives,
and that you can justify the ask you're about to make.
You want to definitely plan to arrive early,
but not too early.
Dress appropriately.
You want to finish on time.
You definitely want to honor any requests that
the donor and you negotiated when you were setting up the visit.
If the donor said, "I don't want to talk about making a
gift," you better not bring it up during the visit.
Prepare all of the written materials that you'd like to bring along and leave behind,
and have that all ready to go.
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