Start The New Year Off Right: Reconnect With Your Star Donors

If you are a Development professional, an Executive Director, or even a Board member of a nonprofit, set some time aside in January of each year to have planning conversations with your star volunteers and donors. January is the perfect time to bring lead stakeholders (volunteers, event committee members, lead donors, board members)  into your planning process.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Start by identifying a list of 20 or so people you’d like to have conversations with – to reconnect, engage, and get fired up about the year ahead – again, this list can include board members, lead volunteers, gala committee members, and top donors.
2. Work to schedule a combination of lunches and phone calls with the people on your list —you can prioritize- lunch with particularly invested donors and board members (or ones with the potential to be more invested) and phone conversations with everyone else.
3. During these lunches or phone conversations, plan to share your ambitious program initiatives and goals. Make the conversations more informal – as if you are informing a friend or colleague about what’s going on. It should be more like a meeting between partners. During the meetings, let your donors/volunteers/board members know what they are supporting this coming year – get them excited about their involvement and commitments.
4. Also during these conversations, ask your stakeholders about their thoughts for involvement: do they want to be involved in the gala this year? Did they plan on hosting the fundraiser they hosted in 2012 again? Do they have any new ideas or thoughts they wanted share with you? Offer any opportunities or ideas you have in mind for them. Listen to their feelings and thoughts about their investment in the year ahead – and make sure you follow through with any agreed upon actions and next steps.

This New Year cultivation effort will actually help you plan your 2013 fundraising activities. Conversations with 20 or so of your organization’s lead stakeholders should give you a good idea of what you should focus on for the next 12 months. The effort will also go a long way in strengthening your relationships with the people who are giving the most time and money to your work. I promise it will give you a head start in the New Year!