I hope your office isn't closed this week.
I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but someone from your development staff -- quite possibly you -- needs to be working.
It sucks, I know. I've been there.
For many years, I was the only person in the office when it felt like everyone else was out playing. But, now is not the time to take a break.
I am dismayed every year at how many nonprofits shut down between Christmas and New Year's. It's a nice idea in theory. But it doesn't make any sense practically.
Why?
Because now is the time when those people you've been calling, emailing and writing all year are actually making their donations.
And this is especially true for online giving...
- A third of giving online happens in December.
- 10-20% of all the giving for the entire year happens the last two days of the month -- that's tomorrow and Saturday.
So... ask at least once more, maybe twice, between today and Saturday.
And, set up that email to send first thing in the morning on December 31st.
Giving peaks midday and in the early afternoon. So hearing from you will keep you top of mind during this critical time.
And let's not forget about that supporter who is advised by her accountant at the last minute to donate another $20,000 before the end of the year.
She'll start calling the organizations she supports and the first group who answers the phone will be the one who gets the gift. That should only take one call. But since so many of us are closed, it's not quite that simple.
Trust me, because this actually happened. And the caller's first comment when I answered was how grateful she was that someone finally picked up the phone.
So don't miss that call.
You can go on vacation next month, knowing you did everything you could to capitalize on the end-of-year giving craze.
Now, I just hope you're in the office to receive this email...