Make Your List and Check It Twice

Thanksgiving is here, and it's that time of year. Time to make a list and check it twice. Time to find out who among your major donors is lapsed — and to reach out to them in a personal way!

So, if you haven't already, figure out who needs to be contacted. What is the giving threshold to warrant an end-of-year — holiday — personal approach? It would be great if it were every donor last year (or, even better, over the last three years).

Determine at what levels you need to reach out with a visit, a call, a note, an e-mail inviting them to renew their support. Whether the gift level is $5,000, $1,000, $500 or $250, make a plan to reach out. Also, discern who can join you in this effort — staff and volunteers.

Make it easy for your team by preparing talking points and correspondence. Have a compelling reason for lapsed donors to renew their support, and be able to tell them in 30 seconds (or a few lines) the life-changing impact that their gifts will make and show the urgency of why their help is needed now.

Before we know it, we will be welcoming 2014. You only have a few days, so get started! Make your list and check it twice. Reach out to your lapsed donors, show them you care and show them the difference that they can again make.