Top 12 Nonprofit Fundraising Tips for the Summer
By: Mike Esposito, CFRE; Sarah Pita; Elizabeth Lucy; Brently Winstead; Brianne Gerzevske, MA, CFRE; Victoria Shadle Williams; Leah Burke; Laura Kaufmann; Toni Levi
In the world of fundraising, summertime stands apart from the rest of the year. It seems like the clock slows down, with our usual collaborators, partners, and supporters seemingly all vacationing any time between now and the start of the school year. [And if you regularly work with people in Europe, this effect is… particularly pronounced!] If you try to keep working at the same tempo as during the rest of the year, you’re just setting yourself up for frustration.
And that’s an amazing opportunity! As the pace of our regular tasks slows down, we get a chance to pause, reflect, and prepare for the months ahead. In addition to resting and rejuvenating (which we all need to do), it’s a great time for planning and strategizing.
I asked a select group of fundraising professionals with many decades of experience between them for their best tips on how to make the most of summer– both for personal well being and to set themselves up for success when things speed up again in the fall.
Here are twelve of my favorite tips:
1
Clean Up Your Donor Data
"I've found summer is a great time to tackle system updates in your CRM and work across departments on collaborative projects. At my organization, we're currently building infrastructure to solicit and track gifts from volunteers. We're also working closely with the program team to integrate light fundraising asks into their regular communications with volunteers."
- Victoria Shadle Williams, Director of Development at Start Small, Think Big
2
Prep for the Big Finish
"Use this down time to sketch out your year-end game plan. Dream big, get ahead, and make fall frantic free."
- Elizabeth Lucy, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Consumer Reports
3
Review Your Donor Portfolio
"Use downtime to review donor activity over the last year. You may have to re-prioritize your portfolio based on your findings, because context is key. Personally, I'd rather prioritize a highly-engaged donor who has been giving reliably at the $100,000 level for the last 10 years, or whose annual giving has increased year over year—not a $1,000,000 donor who gave one time, six years ago."
- Brianne Gerzevske, MA, CFRE, Director of Managed Contributor Care at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
4
Reflect on Your Accomplishments
"Reflect on your accomplishments so far this year. It's been a challenging year in fundraising, and the summer is a great time to stop and celebrate your wins. Vocalize them to your team and document them so you can look back at all the progress you've made."
- Laura Kaufmann, Director of Institutional Giving at Echoing Green
5
Re-engage with Lapsed Donors
"Look through your donor list and see who hasn’t been touched recently. Many donors may be more available or open to connection during the summer, when schedules slow down in some cities and regions. A quick coffee or check-in call can go a long way."
- Leah Burke, Director of Development at American Technion Society, NY Metro & Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute
6
Focus on LYBUNT and SYBUNT Lists
"Summer is the perfect time to identify last year’s donors who haven’t yet given. Starting outreach now gives you time to reconnect meaningfully before the rush of fall campaigns and year-end giving."
- Leah Burke, Director of Development at American Technion Society, NY Metro & Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute
7
Test New Ideas
"Work with a small group to pilot new appeals or key targeted campaigns. Do a survey to get important feedback from your board or top donors."
- Brently Winstead, Senior Director of Corporate Engagement at Streetwise Partners
8
Staging Communications for Unforeseen Circumstances
"While you can't plan for every crisis, you can prepare a communications plan for the types of crises that are most likely to affect your organization—natural disasters, severe weather, political activity, and funding cuts, among others. Summer downtime might provide the space and time you need to prepare a proactive response strategy."
- Brianne Gerzevske, MA, CFRE, Director of Managed Contributor Care at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
9
Clean Your Desk
"Whatever your spring chaos looked like, time to purge all those old to-do lists and post-it notes and file away all the things you don’t need anymore. Note that this can be your digital space (email inbox, etc.) as well as your physical space. Bonus: make it nicer—a welcoming space to come back to."
- Sarah Pita, Director of Development at Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York
10
Refine Your Stewardship Plan
"Stewardship plans are a year-round task and the summer is a great time to evaluate messaging that is resonating, learn from the successes of last year, and map out a schedule for the year ahead."
- Toni Levi, Director of Development at ICSC Foundation
11
Implement Light, Informal Donor Touchpoints
"Summer is a time of rest, socializing, and enjoying warmer weather. Think about fun engagement with your donors, whether it's a great impact story, a curated playlist of your organization's media assets, or an in-person happy hour with no expectations besides enjoying each other's company."
- Laura Kaufmann, Director of Institutional Giving at Echoing Green
12
Take a Break
"Make sure to do some things that have nothing to do with your fundraising work. The work will still be there. And you’ll be so much better at it if you let yourself rest. Think of it as bread that needs to rise. It actually does better if you leave it alone."
- Sarah Pita, Director of Development at Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York