Spring Forward

This week we reset our clocks, meaning the dreaded loss of an hour that comes every March has arrived and has thrown us off our sleep schedules. However, the beginning of daylight savings time is a ray of sunshine for many winter-haters: Spring is upon us. The hours of sunlight each day get longer and May flowers are just around the corner. This is the time of year that the plants outside are powering up for the summer by storing sunlight and getting enough moisture to blossom for the next season. Spring is also a time to make sure your annual giving garden will be at full bloom this summer and fall.

How are you planting seeds this spring?

Here are some ideas to make sure that you are establishing the best conditions now for growth this spring and beyond:

Spring Showers = Fall Flowers

Your success this spring will help jumpstart the new fiscal year. Spring is all about renewal, and this should be top of your mind given donor loyalty rates these days. Renew gifts from loyal donors this spring before it’s too late. Statistically, June is the second strongest month for giving behind December for this reason. Perform an audit of the donors that haven’t renewed and make sure they are included in all your cross-channel spring solicitations through the end of the fiscal year.

Remember that every year is built on the last and the volume of donors you renew, reacquire and acquire this spring will optimize your ability to be successful in FY16.

Fertilize with Data Enrichment

Not being able to engage constituents via all channels can negatively impact your results. Take a look at who has been excluded from solicitations this fiscal year due to bad or missing contact information and determine the opportunity cost of not finding them. Data enrichment solutions can help you maximize both donors and dollars by finding some of your missing constituents and providing you the opportunity to solicit them this year and beyond.

Sunny Days Are Ahead

At colleges and universities, the end of the year can be stressful for students, but the sunshine also means that students are thawing out from the winter. The lawn will be filled with students outdoors studying for exams and playing Frisbee on the quad. These happy, warm faces are great features for end of year stewardship pieces for donors. For other organizations, you want to make sure you capture your spring events (especially outdoor ones) while you have the chance. Middlebury College won a CASE Excellence award last year with a thank you video for annual fund donors, featuring current and vintage campus springtime images. Make sure your marketing team is ready with their cameras and have a group of warm and happy people ready to feature on a spring appeal or stewardship video.

Now is also a great time to review your stewardship plan and ensure your FY15 donors understand the value of their gifts. If you don’t feel that your stewardship plan has accomplished this, then consider ramping up your spring stewardship using thank-a-thons or handwritten thank you notes.

Remember that your “planting” this spring will help you bloom all next year. This past week, we didn’t lose an hour, we just gained a new season of potential.