Happy New Year!

28 Dec Happy New Year!

Posted at 06:30h in Year-End Fundraising by

 

28 December 2021

 

Looking for something to do this week? Try picking up the phone.

 

I get teased every year by somebody who tells me they are NOT taking this week off, because “someone” advised them to make themselves available to donors who might need to talk to someone about making last minute gifts. I wonder where they got that idea? (See Annual End-of-Year Reminders – 2021.)

If you are in the same position and thinking you don’t have enough to do to justify being available, just waiting for the phone to ring, take some time out of each day this week to make a few phone calls yourself. Try calling people you wouldn’t ordinarily call. Such as:

  • Board members,
  • Former board members,
  • Field trip leaders or other volunteers who help you work effectively with donors,
  • Donors or donor prospects whom you have not “touched” in some time,
  • A mentor, a teacher, someone whose presence made a difference for you this year,
  • Someone you need to thank.

 

Say Happy New Year! Say thank you. Tell them that you were thinking of them. Share.

 

Right now, I’m thinking of you.

And I’m writing this to say Thank You.

Thank you for working in your community to protect places that people love and will love for generations to come. Thank you for connecting people who want to help and projects that need them. Thank you for teaching new generations of conservationists who will care for this land long after we’re gone.

Thank you for being smart, loyal, committed, passionate, strategic, and persuasive. Thank you for keeping your chin up. Thank you for your good humor. Thank you for doing work that matters.

 

And thank you for being available this week.

 

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for a terrific 2022.

 

Cheers,

 

-da

Photo by Alem Coksa courtesy of Pixabay.

 

PS: Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

 

Share this!
2 Comments
  • Jim Perry
    Posted at 06:41h, 28 December

    David, for many large gifts the window of opportunity has now passed for 2021, vis-a-vis IRA rollovers. Within our conservation organization two families went together and created a 4:1 match, targeting donors in two defined categories in an effort to get them to increase their year-end gifts, but it started in late October, early November. Those two families used rollovers to create the match. And it worked. Now we will wait to see if the level of giving by those targeted donors is sustained next year by those donors, in the absence of a match.

    • David Allen
      Posted at 07:06h, 28 December

      What an awesome idea. See? You won’t have any problems finding people to call this week!

      Thank you so much for the comment!

      -da