Finding Buried Fundraising Opportunities

One of the tough jobs of a fundraiser is finding time to look objectively at the current activities to spot untapped opportunities. A robust fundraising program seems to never take time off, so probing and asking "what if?" questions is frequently a luxury that simply gets pushed aside. The tyranny of the urgent often means we don't have time to find ways to better engage those donors who don't have strong commitments to our organization.

Yet, constantly broadening our base of supporters matters. Major donors often begin as annual fund donors, and future bequest donors may be lurking in your direct response files. Plus, attrition means we must constantly cultivate donors who could be our staunchest supporters in the future.

Now that we are well into the fourth month of 2015, many fundraising programs are churning along in anticipation of a big finish at year-end. But how big that finish is depends in part on what you do over the next few months to find and take advantage of opportunities in the form of donors who are not presently engaging with you.

Opportunity 1: Occasional donors. Donors who give a few times a year may not even think about your organization most of the time, especially if you aren't faithful about sending them newsletters and appeals (both electronic and print). If you "go dark" for the summer, you'll likely have to do some catch-up in the fall to re-engage many of them at year-end.

Instead, invite them to consider a monthly pledge for the summer months rather than asking for a one-time gift. This can help engage them in your mission and get them in the habit of giving on a more consistent basis. Your request may be for a smaller amount than they usually give, but it can be significant when multiplied over three months. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to say "thank you" and report on results more often as you send them receipts.