Do More 24 2017 Capacity Building and Strategy Training Series: Session 3

Do More 24Capacity Building and

Strategy Training Series

Session #3: Donor strategy and outreach

January 12, 2017

• Welcome • Questions• Reviewing segments• Donor strategy and outreach• Q&A, wrap-up

• WHAT = the SMART goal (session #1)

• WHO = the UNIVERSE (session #2)

• HOW = how you’re going to engage them (sessions #2-3)

• WHY = their motivation for funding the goal (session #3)

Donor strategy and outreach

• WHO = the UNIVERSE• Segments:

1. Board of Directors Current and former

2. Top donorsHigh gift of $10,000 and up

3. Mid-level donorsHigh gift of $1,000 to $9,999


• Segments: (continued)4. Annual fund level

High gift is less than $1,0005. Prospects/Non-donors

Volunteers, vendors, people served, and staff who have never made a contribution

6. Institutional partnersCurrent or past funders – foundations,

corporations, churches, local governments, other nonprofits


• HOW = getting to your goal:

• Part 1 (last session) = tie strategy into your goals

• Part 2 (today) = review technical details and outreach


Strategy for Board and Top Donor segments• Leverage with leadership funds and matching funds:

• It may require a top-down coalition• Start with organizational leadership and Board Chair• Is there support for a leadership gift from the Board? Can you get

on the Board agenda to discuss your goal and how the Board can play a role?• If so, make the pitch to the entire Board – but make sure the

Chair and a few others will voice their support and their pledges so others will join the fun


Strategy for Board and Top Donor segments• Technical details:

• Aim for 100% Board giving• As with gift chart examples, leadership funds are used as your kick-off

and as leverage to encourage giving by others. It shows the investment of leadership and that you are well on your way to achieving your victory (people rarely want to be the first donor)

• Work with leadership to gather the commitments from Board members, they can pay on Do More 24 or give you a credit card to handle it for them


Strategy for Board and Top Donor segments• Step down to top-donors for matching funds offers

• Could be matching funds or leadership funds, whichever works better.• Schedule those F2F meetings• Donor’s wishes…• When leveraging – once pledged you can share it with mid-level

donors for them to use as leverage and you can share in all outreach to annual fund and non-donors


Broader Strategy for All Segments• The Give and Get

• You want every donor for Do More 24 to do this.• Every ask is a “give and get”• With Board, top donor, mid-level you need to make this the standard ask• With annual fund and non-donors, make it a part of most outreach and use it

as follow up to their gifts on Do More 24. • Use it frequently in social media posts.• Difference between give and get and being an ambassador?

• AMB is a more formal program where people are recruiter and asked to reach out to more people while G&G is on the go for annual fund and non-donors – you want to catch them while they are excited about giving you money.


Broader Strategy for All Segments• Ambassador Program - Overview

• Formal program for recruiting, stewarding, tracking, and soliciting your most committed constituents.

• Endless ways to structure it and to track it. • Your reward…more donors and donations, but usually with small gifts.• Their reward…consider prizes and make it fun for top Ambassadors.


Broader Strategy for All Segments• Ambassador Program – Technical Details

• The ask:• Determine a logical number of Ambassadors you can recruit – do you

have volunteers and/or annual fund donors from where you can recruit?• Ask them all to give and recruit X peers to give too. Ask them to focus on

their networks outside of your organization’s radius (you’ll handle this).• Equip them well – with email and ask language, sample social media posts. • Give them unique and special updates they can share.• Steward them well – reward them and thank them, they are doing a lot of

work on your behalf and sharing their love of your mission.• Start recruiting about two months out and communicate with them often


General Outreach Calendar• “People will give me money because it’s Do More 24.” • “Sending one letter or email leads to victory.”• One month out:

• Send a “save the date” via letter, postcard, email, social media• Segment data based on address and email address

• Keep having the conversations that you need to have• Two weeks out:

• The first ask for give and get• Send via letter, phone, email, social media• What can you send that “sticks”?• Leverage those leadership funds and matching funds


General Outreach Calendar (con’t)• One week out:

• Last chance for a postcard or letter if you want to send it• The second ask for give and get• Send via email, social media, calls, and mail if you have the

budget• Share the excitement, again with leadership and matching funds.

What’s the outcome of achieving your goal going to be?


General Outreach Calendar (con’t)• Two days before:

• Reminder that Do More 24 is almost here and that you would be honored to have them make a contribution and share the opportunity to invest with their friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues

• Keep it fun and straightforward, highlight any matching funds• One day before:

• Send one email and share with everyone a rough draft of your email schedule and a note to be patient as we try to achieve our goal (reiterate it) and that things will return to normal the day after.


General Outreach Calendar (con’t)• The Big Day – June 8, 2017

• Midnight email announcing that giving has commenced along with your goal, leadership funds, and matching funds.

• Early morning emails (6-9 am to catch people arriving at work)• Mid-morning update (10:30am)• Lunch time update (noonish to catch people on lunch break)• Mid-afternoon update (3:30)• Drive-time update (5:30)• Evening update (8:00 to catch people winding down)• Final push (11:00-midnight for the final rounds)


General Outreach Calendar (con’t)• Follow up to Do More 24

• Remember: Do More 24 does not end on June 8th – you need to properly thank and steward your donors immediately after the event

• Thank everyone – an email to everyone on your list announcing your victory and, if needed, a thank you for enduring the flood

• Start merging and printing a thank you letter to sign and mail to each donor

• Personal outreach (phone call, email, etc.) to Board members and top donors who participated

• In your thank you email, give people the immediate option to opt out of your list


• Questions and clarifications

Q&A

• Donor Strategy• It’s a donor engagement day, not a social media day• Use segmentation to better manage your donors and data.• Define your segments according to what makes sense for your

organization and your universe of donors• Consider the “Ladder of Communications” when planning

outreach and engagement for each segment• Next class: Thursday, February 9, 2017 – Social Media, Part 1

Summary and next steps

Government & Nonprofit

Do More 24 2017 Capacity Building and Strategy Training Series: Session 3