Building a Successful Annual Fund Campaign

80% of all giving comes from individuals Annual Campaigns are far more cost- effective than events Building relationships sustains your organization Why An Annual Campaign ?

Contact Report Ask Thank You Gift It’s the Relationship….

Create a calendar Set goals every step of the way Use the “Annual Fund Planning Template” Fund Development section of Planning is Essential

Create a calendar Set goals every step of the way Use the “Annual Fund Planning Template” Fund Development section of Planning is Essential

Regular donors are the best donors Plan on getting 80% of last year’s donors to renew Set a goal of 10 % increase in $$’s from renewals Analyze last year’s donors for upgrades and Leadership Giving Renewals – Your Most Important Constituency

Last Year But Not This/Some Years But Not This Your appeal should emphasize; “We really missed your support last year…” Plan on getting approximately 35% of your LYBUNTs back on board Plan on getting 10% of your SYBUNTs back on board LYBUNTs & SYBUNTs

Consider all your options: BFKS Bowlers and Sponsors Event Attendees Individuals from Partnerships (schools, service clubs, Alphas) Bigs and Parents Set a New Donor goal of 10% more donors than the total # of donors last year New Donors

Every piece of mail you send should be purposeful: What does the donor want to know?  What do you want the donor to know?  What do you want the donor to feel?  What do you want the donor to do? Solicit with Care

The BFKS sponsor wants to know:  What happened with my gift?  What’s happening with kids in our community?  How does BBBS address their needs? A BFKS Example

You want the sponsor to know:  Our agency is the premier mentoring organization  We serve ---#’s of kids  BUT, there are ---#’s of kids waiting  Our program gets results – statistics

You want the sponsor to feel:  Confident in BBBS’ ability to make an impact with the gift  Tension about the need You want the sponsor to:  Write a check

The Content: Create the Tension between the incredible need and the profound results that are possible Thank prior-year donors and ask for an increase Personalize the letter – imagine it was a gift to YOU Brief success stories – real examples of a Little Brother and a Little Sister DON’T ASK FOR ANYTHING BUT A GIFT A Successful Solicitation Letter

The Format: Keep it to ONE page Use a real signature Use bullet points Include a reply envelope Include a response card with specific donor levels A Successful Solicitation Letter

Donors don’t save for non-profit solicitation campaigns If you don’t ask, they will give to someone else Use your newsletter to enhance your solicitation calendar – strategically Ask OFTEN

Annual Campaign “Sweeps” Back to school solicitation End-of-the-year appeal - November “We’ve almost made our GOAL!! Help put us over the TOP!! – January Remember to thank any donor for the most recent gift Ask OFTEN

Include Donor Clubs on the Response Card: Create an “ask ladder” to migrate donors upward annually Set a minimum club threshold of $25.00 Personalize the donor club for your community Print the donor’s name and address and last year’s gift level on the card Strategies that Work

Include a Two-Part Receipt with your Thank You: Create a receipt with the donor’s name and address and gift amount for tax records as the top half Make the bottom half a “return” card also pre-printed but with the $ amount left blank “Please use this portion for your next gift” Strategies that Work

Short-term Pledge/Splash Campaign:  “Back-to-School Campaign”  We have 35 kids waiting for a SBM  Ask for a small $ amount per month for 3 months  Tell them the difference it will make: 200 x $25/mo x 3 months = $15,000 = 35 new SB matches  Offer credit card monthly withholding Strategies that Work