4 Things Your Organization Must Do in 2015.

Wow, so hard to believe it is 2015. It seems like yesterday when we stressed about Y2K.

Where does the time go?

At the beginning of the New Year, many of us take time to reflect on the past year and resolve to make changes and try new things.

Others may unconsciously hit the “replay” button, because last year was “just fine”.

This year can be an important year for you and your organization. Waiting out there are a lot of surprises and joys. And some difficulties and disappointments also. It is up to you how successful and fulfilling 2015 can be for your organization.

Richard and Jeff in their Passionate Giving Blog share 4 things your organization must do to have a good 2015.

• Remember what your work is all about. It is about healing the hurts, bringing light and understanding to a situation, creating awareness, and calling all of us back to this fact: there are people out there who need our help. Come back to that reality and get grounded in it.
• Remember fundraising is mostly about donors. The donors want to make a difference this year. Your job is to help them do it. You should be primarily focused on helping the donor make a difference, not on getting their money. Keep this focus and balance in all the work you will do throughout this year.
• Celebrate the difference that has been made. Work extra hard this year to tell your donors that their giving has made a difference. This is the Achilles heel of fundraising –that results in thousands of good donors simply going away and taking their millions of dollars to other organizations. Make a specific commitment to constantly tell each donor what their giving has done. It will bring them a lot of joy, and it will keep them as donors.
• At least once a week, let your heart be broken by the brokenness of others and the state of our planet. On a regular basis, specifically seek stories and situations that will remind you of reality and call you back to the important values we are committed to. Stay in touch with the reality of your work. $100 is a lot of money and that $100 can do so very much in the life of another person.

So ask yourself, does your plan for 2015 include pushing the “replay” button for more of the same? If you are satisfied with your 20% retention rate and the high cost of acquiring new donors, then keep doing that same-old, same old.

Or will you take what you have learned and experienced last year and remember what your work is all about? Will you try new things? Take risks? Learn from your mistakes? Pick yourself up and try again?

The results will amaze you!

Let the team at J. Milito & Associates be part of your 2015 plan. Let us help you remind your donors that their giving does indeed make a difference!

Happy 2015!

“Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.” - William Butler Yeats

Welcome back to school!

This new school year represents new opportunities to “light the fire”.

“Light the fire” . . .

in your students – inspire emotional and spiritual growth.
in your staff and faculty – encourage mentoring and sharing of their wisdom and knowledge.
in your school community – highlight the positive impact on your students.
in your friends and donors – compel their hearts and souls to give.

Your families, friends and donors want you to ask them for a gift of support.

They need to give. They want to give.

You just have to ask them. You have to “light the fire” within them.

So, how can YOU “light the fire”?

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” – Maya Angelou

You ask your donors for money to pay for “X” – the new addition, a soccer field, technology, the “gap” between what it costs to educate and the tuition you collect.

Your donors give you money to pay for “X”. But to them, it is NOT about money. It is about helping, about changing the world, about making a difference.

“Your donors, like all people need to give. It’s about something outside of ourselves, and not about money.” Donors know it is good to give. They give with joy. Giving blesses the giver. When donors give, they confirm their deepest and truest feelings; their hearts guide their behavior. Giving transforms the donors’ lives and the lives of others. (R Perry & J. Schreifels)

To your donors, it is about educating students. It’s about creating future leaders. It’s about creating good Christian leaders and citizens.

As you plan your next fundraising appeal, ask the following questions:

• • What sets your school/project/need apart from all the others?
  • What important benefits do the students receive?
  • What important benefit will the donor receive?
  • What will happen if the donor takes action? What will happen if they don’t take action?
  • What compelling stories can you share that will “light the fire” in your donors?

“The best fundraising is simple and focused. It tells a fast, vivid, real-life story. It promises results and offers proof that those results will happen. It gives donors a ton of credit for making the results possible. It is a pleasurable, empowering, spirit-renewing experience for the donor.” (T. Ahern)

Let your fundraising tell your school’s story . . . where you have been; where you are; where you are going.

If you can “light the fire” in your donors; if you can elicit that emotional response, your friends and donors will give your school a gift of support.

Then you can say to your donor . . . . “Because of your gifts, we can teach tomorrow’s leaders. Because of you, great things happen. Thank you.”

Let J. Milito & Associates help you “light the fire” and transform the lives of your donors thereby blessing the lives of the children we serve.

Contact us today.

November 4^th is an important date. It is Mid-Term Election Day across this great country of ours. It is the time when we can exercise our Constitutional right to vote.

The two months leading up to November 4^th are even more important. During this time the campaigns will be in full swing with mailboxes and phones inundated with requests to support candidates and ballot proposals.

During this same time many of you will be kicking off or cleaning up your "Friends of Scouting" campaigns.

While these candidates and proposals may not be in direct competition with you for your donors, they will directly affect your ability to connect with your donors -- whether they open your mail, attend your events, or answer your calls.

This year, it is important that your fundraising “asks” occur before October 15th. October is the busiest fundraising month of the election cycle. Additionally, many United Ways have their black-out time during this period as well. You can begin fundraising again after the elections.

To be successful in your Fall 2014 fundraising efforts, there are a few things to keep you from getting lost in the election season shuffle:

• Get ready to fundraise now! Do you have a plan for Acquisition, Retention and Upgrading your donors (acquiring new donors, retaining the donors that already support your BSA Council, and upgrading giving amounts of your donors)
• Stay focused on your mission. Your work is important, so make sure you shout this loud and clear. 
• Spend your fundraising time wisely. With more groups raising money for election-related work, use your plan to identify the donor segments to reach out to. This is a good time to reach out to lapsed donors and major donors. 
• Reach out to your donors anyway. Don’t assume they won’t give or they will give less. US donors give on average to 6-10 groups and won’t typically move their donations from one organization to another, unless, the organization is no longer meeting their needs. Some of your donors may give you less. Some may give you more. This is a perfect time to upgrade your other donors.

By starting your Friends of Scouting campaigns in August and early September you can beat the crowds and keep your Council from getting lost in the election cycle shuffle.

J. Milito & Associates can help you reach out to your current and lapsed donors now! Our successful telephone fundraising services are being used by Boy Scout Councils from coast to coast.

“The positive results that we received from our campaign with J. Milito and Associates has helped us expand our efforts to help our organization with its mission.” – Dan Busby, Boy Scouts of America, Michigan Crossroads Council, Southern Shores Field Service Council

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. now. You’ll be glad you did. The Scouts will be glad too!