1. Building a Successful Annual Fund Campaign

2. 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 ?

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

4. Create a calendar Set goals every step of the way Use the “Annual Fund Planning Template” Fund Development section of http://agencies.bbbsa.org http://agencies.bbbsa.org Planning is Essential

5. Create a calendar Set goals every step of the way Use the “Annual Fund Planning Template” Fund Development section of http://agencies.bbbsa.org http://agencies.bbbsa.org Planning is Essential

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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