https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars/ Victoria Dietz will give attendees a better understanding of how to manage their time, set realistic goals and focus on building meaningful donor relationships.

1. Building Fundraising Capacity
Bloomerang Webinar
July 2019

2. The Curtis Group
 Celebrating 30 years of fundraising success
 We offer fundraising and capacity-building services
 We’ve raised hundreds of millions for nearly 200
nonprofits
 Member of the Giving Institute

3. Session Goals
 Data analysis
 Activity tracking and reporting
 Appointment setting
 Donor communication
 Provide practical suggestions!

4. Giving reached $427 billion
amid a complex year
$298.5
$332.52
$357.6
$424.74

5. 2018 Giving by Source
 Individuals  1.1%
 Foundations  7.3%
 Bequest = 0%
 Corporations  5.4%

6. Individual Donors
Focusing on
fewer
nonprofits
Giving as
investment
Need
individual
cultivation &
relationships
Must see
impact

7. Five I’s of Fundraising
IDENTIFY INFORM INTEREST INVOLVE INVITE

8. Where Does the Time Go?
Cultivation/
Stewardship
Donor Solicitation
Desk Work!

9. Where it Should Go!
Donor Cultivation and Stewardship
Donor Solicitation
Desk
Work

10. Know How You Spend
Your Time

11. Knowing Your Data
GATHER ANALYZE PLAN EVALUATE

12. Using Data to Set Goals
 Not just looking at last year’s totals!
 Be strategic: not just filling a hole in the budget
 Key measurement points
Donor retention rate
Number of gifts in each donor category
Individual/corporate/foundation totals
Constituency groups
 Importance of setting attainable goals

13. Sample Gift Chart
Range
# Gifts to
Reach Goal
Range Total
Increase
from Last
FY
Prospects
Identified
$50,000 2 $100,000 0 4
$25,000 5 $125,000 1 8
$10,000 12 $120,000 1 8
$5,000 25 $125,000 1 35
$1,000 30 $30,000 3 15
$500 40 $20,000 10 25
$100 100 $10,000 10 200
$50 150 $7,500 20 500
Under $50 Many $12,500 0 250
TOTAL 364+ $550,000 46

14. Additional Reports
 Number of in person meetings
 You should also be looking at
LYBUNT/SYBUNT
Top 100 donors from last 5 years
Wealth screening data
Longevity donors
 Set these reports up in Bloomerang and run frequently!

15. Appointment Setting
 Train support staff to assist
 Alternate phone/email
 Be unapologetic and persistent
 Two touches per week
 10-20 minutes per day: Treat it like an appointment!

16. Sample Language
“Good morning, Mrs. Smith. This is Mary from the
Foodbank. I would love an opportunity to get together to
update you on your investment in our summer meals
program. I know how busy you are, so I will also follow up
with an email with date options.”

17. Appointment Setting
Phone
Call
Email
Phone
Call

18. Successful Development Plan
 Focuses on donor retention
 Timeline style (not narrative!)
 Clear benchmarks
 Regular review
 Clear assignments
 Accountability

19. Sample Goal Chart:
Individual Donors
Last FY Next FY Goal Responsible Party
Total
Number
364 Increase by 10% DOD/BOD/CEO
Total $ $500,000
Increase 10% per year
over next 3 years
DOD/BOD/CEO
In-Person
Visits
20
One each per week for
DOD and CEO
DOD/CEO
Board Asks 10 20 BOD
Number of
Gifts >$1k
75 Increase by 15% DOD/BOD/CEO

20. Sample Calendar
Cultivate Solicit Steward
January
3 Tours
10 Meetings
2-4 in-person asks
Board and Staff
Thank You Calls to
Year End Donors
February
10 Meetings
In-Home Event
2-4 in-person asks
Program Specific
Appeal
Thank You Calls
Prep for Annual
Report
March
3 Tours
10 Meetings
2-4 in-person asks
E-Blast Appeal
Post Annual
Report
Print/Mail Annual
Report
Program Staff
Thank You Calls

21. Donor Communication
 Simple but effective!
 Impact reports every other month
One story, one side of a sheet of paper
 Eliminate bulky/time consuming annual reports
 Board and programmatic staff calls

22. Donor Communication
 Look for “excuses”
Success to report
Benchmarks hit
New staff
Sector issues/thought leadership
Get their advice
 Segment how you communicate

23. Stewardship Matters
 Big gifts rarely come from new donors
 Donor acquisition is expensive
 Relationships take time to build
 Donors must see impact
“I haven’t heard from them since their last major campaign.”
“I only hear from them when they are asking for money.”

24. Capacity Building Pitfalls
 Not understanding how your time is spent
 Bad data/research
 No concrete goals
 Unrealistic expectations
 Trying to do too much at one time
 Not willing to ask for help
 No real accountability

25. What Donors Want
 Be updated on last gift before being asked again
 Feel appreciated—receive thank you calls and one-on-one
communication
 Have a relationship with organization
 Know what you intend to do with their gift
 Know their gift makes a difference

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