Building Your Annual Giving Program. Introductions. Some Types of Fundraising Programs

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1 Building Your Annual Giving Program Annual Fund Advisory Committee Training November 5, 2010 Lincoln, NE Introductions Your Name Your Affiliated Fund Why you care about your affiliated fund (no more than 10 words!) Some Types of Fundraising Programs Annual Giving Ongoing, multi-faceted Capital Campaigns Time-focused, specific dollar amount Project Fundraising Varied time, specific cause Planned Giving Long-term outlook 1

2 Learning Objectives To understand Different components an annual giving program can involve The importance of annual giving The heart of your case statement for annual giving Lessons from other affiliated funds Possible Components Direct mail Special events Donor visitations Telethons/Thank-a-thons Corporate appeals Internet fundraising Commemorative gifts Public support campaigns Why an Annual Giving Program is Important Enables you to set goals Cultivates donors to increase giving level Solicits new donors to broaden support base Identifies new leaders and volunteers Identifies major gift prospects Gets people in the habit of giving 2

3 Why an Annual Giving is Important Builds public ownership Strengthens relationships Teaches rural development philanthropy Helps you get to the heart of your case Allows you to say thank you #1 Reason for One-Time Donors The way they are treated after making the gift. Not thanked in an appropriate way Hit by a barrage of additional appeals Thank Donors 3 to 7 Times Personalized handwritten notes / Phone calls Lists in newspaper, programs, reports Invitations and recognition at events Survey them for opinions Say thank you in person when you meet Handmade cards from children Just generic receipt letter of thanks from NCF (NO!!!) 3

4 Presenting your Case and Honing your Messages Get to the Heart of Your Case Use visual vocabulary to describe what your fund means to your community. Get to the Heart of Your Case Use your Right Brain! 4

5 What s in your Frame? Shickley Community Richard Walter, 2nd Vice Chair Shickley Community Shickley Serves town and school district in southeast Nebraska Town 370 population School district 700 (includes town) 5

6 Shickley Community 1991: Original Foundation established 2001: Affiliated with Nebraska Community Foundation Website: Shickley Community Why the fund was formed: Earnings from fund will help with future needs Transfer of Wealth: Needed to capitalize on the opportunity Result of Challenge Grant: Raised $278,000 for unrestricted endowment SCFF Annual Giving Strategy Ongoing Small Givers: 1. Younger Families: Longhorn Club $25 a month / $300 a year Four agreed; wrote letters to others; followup calls Now 27 families renew annually; in our fourth year 6

7 SCFF Annual Giving Strategy Ongoing Small Givers: 2. Annual High School All-Alumni Reunion Brochure with reunion invitations PowerPoint presentation at event each Many small checks annually Two Memorials ($15,000 and $18,000) SCFF Annual Giving Strategy Ongoing Small Givers: 3. Current Donors: Holiday Letter Year-end thank you and holiday letter Includes soft-sell on tax benefits and planning It s Been Good! SCFF Annual Giving Strategy Medium to Large Givers: 4. Grain Bank Farmers deliver grain to elevator and turn over ownership to NCF Elevator sells grain and NCF deposits proceeds in SCFF 8 Gifts of grain (6 are multi-year pledges) 7

8 SCFF Annual Giving Strategy Cumulative Results after Challenge Grant Half of our families are donors / 165 families Over $400,000 in unrestricted endowment $1.8 M in known expectancies (estate gifts) And in the Community $17,000 + given back in grants each year $100,000 in cumulative community grants Shickley Community Sage Advice for Colleagues Credit Contributors Equally: List contributors alphabetically; not the amount of the contribution Use Thank You stickers as community events: I contributed to the Shickley Community Foundation Endowment Fund If possible, get your high school alumni mailing list! Encourage monthly EFT contributions through NCF McCook Community Mark Graff and Youth Change Reaction 8

9 McCook McCook Community Located in southwest Nebraska City population is 7,500 McCook Community Founded as an affiliated fund in 2001 To serve the whole community-not just a single organization Saw positive examples in Phelps County and Holdrege Launched Founders Campaign ($1,000 or more) McCook Community Annual Giving Program Need for marketing and operational support Hired the first Executive Director Established membership categories: Sustaining $100/per year Founder $1,000 Builder $2,000 Pacesetter $5,000 Leader $10,000 9

10 McCook Community Initial Founders drive exceeded expectations Successful planned gifts and designated gifts to various accounts Annual drives less successful McCook Community Previous Annual Giving Tactics Direct mail campaign in December Request $100 annually Personalized with FAC signatures Results Confusion with current Founders Conflicts with other annual giving campaigns New Tactics McCook Community Late summer timeline / Avoid other drives such as United Way FAC making personal contacts Phone Personal visits Personalized mailings New promotional brochure to support campaign 10

11 McCook Community Sage Advice for Colleagues Revise online giving: Simplify decision bullet by adding the title Annual Membership Consider lowering annual giving level: Create two levels starting at $25/year Increase value added for membership renewal: Discount on annual banquet fee Regular newsletter Recognition in annual report of all donors not just Founders The WealthSpring Fund Reggi Carlson, Secretary The WealthSpring Fund Established in late 2006 upon the retirement of Maxine Moul, NCF Founder Statewide fund / Rural focus Website: nebcommfound.org/fund/wealthspring 11

12 The WealthSpring Fund Launched through Founders donations of $1,000 Most Founders joined in 2007 Grants from Cooper Foundation and Lincoln Benefit Life provided start-up money for marketing and grantmaking Currently 41 Founders ~ 110 donors The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving First letter campaign November 2007 Massive list of 600+ Handwritten note cards inserted to people we knew Response: 36 gifts and pledges; $15,000; $10,000 from 2 donors The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving Subsequent Letter Tactics Reduce list to 350 / Target more Continue note cards Response: 43 gifts and pledges; $13,000 Continue to add names 12

13 The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving Pre-Mothers Day Cards Handwritten and sent to all donors Soft-sell on honoring mother with a contribution The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving October Thanks Handwritten thank you notes to all donors Include a report with pictures of grantee stories and list of new grants just made The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving November Letter Drops before Thanksgiving Has emotional, visual language of need and solution for one woman One page only / Brochure maybe 13

14 The WealthSpring Fund Annual Giving Year-round Develop and maintain database FAC requests personal honor gifts given to WealthSpring for birthdays and holidays The WealthSpring Fund Sage Advice for Colleagues Handwritten thanks immediately Emotional, visual appeals Include that we are volunteers Personalize letters with inside address; include reference to past gift Include a response envelope Questions? Richard Walter Shickley Mark Graff McCook Reggi Carlson WealthSpring 14