​Over this last year since I started Real Deal Fundraising, readers have sent me questions. I’m a believer that if one person asks a question, there are many others out there that are wondering the same thing but haven’t asked it out loud yet. So, in that spirit, I scoured my email and social media messages for some of the best questions I’ve been asked and compiled my response for all of you.
 
If you have a question you would like me to answer on my next installment, comment on this blog post or contact me here.
 
Question: What is your opinion on making a second ask in a thank you letter to donors?
 
In a letter, I'm not a fan. In a dedicated thank you call, I'm not a huge fan. In a thank you email, you can include a link and/or a PS with a passive pitch.

However, you can do some dedicated 2nd ask calls that are distinct from Thank You calls. You thank them for their past support and then pitch something different from their previous gifts. For instance, if you ask for general fund gifts in the fall, do a 2nd ask campaign for the colleges or academic departments.

Get very clear about the purpose of each communication piece you do. Stewardship should be 90-100% stewardship. Asks should be 80% asking but always with gratitude for past giving rolled in.
 
Question: What do you think about adding all students to our donor database upon enrollment instead of waiting to add them when they graduate?
 
If you have the capacity to keep that data up, it's not a bad idea. You'll have to load new students, remove those who don't stay from semester to semester and regularly update demographic info. That requires a strong advancement services staff along with a tight schedule and partnership with student data staff.
That said, if you can do it there are lots of advantages. You can:

1. Mark which students receive scholarships and link them to the funds and donors for more efficient stewardship.
2. More efficiently manage a thank you note campaign from scholarship recipients to the donors.
3. More easily query to find certain types of students so you can reach out to them and develop profiles for marketing materials.
4. Be equipped for student outreach if you want to do any student philanthropy initiatives or a senior class gift campaign
5. Also load their parents, which means you can research those parents, particularly out of state parents, who are fantastic major gift prospects. I would recommend loading parents as well and developing a parent annual fund and major gift plan.

 
Question: Do you send receipts to all donors?
 
Yes, all donors should get a receipt. In the case of online gifts, I use an auto-generated receipt sent via email after the gift is processed electronically. Those that make a monthly gift receive an acknowledgement the first time the recurring gift/pledge is set up and then a statement each January that covers the total amount of their giving for the previous calendar/tax year.
 
Question: I’m talking to our deans about fundraising for the first time ever. Do you have any advice for what topics I should cover?
 
When talking with the deans, you need to convey two things:

1. How you can help them, and
2. How they can help you.

 
You should make sure to emphasize the importance of viewing this as a partnership. So for instance, you can tell them how you can help them raise more money (phonathon, direct mail, taking them on major donor visits, etc.) but also tell them practical ways they can support you in that work (doing an alumni newsletter, encouraging grads to update demographic information, regularly sending you good news about their programs and students, responding to emails, getting their student scholarship recipients to write thank you notes, etc.)
 
I would use this opportunity to tell them you will be happy to train them to do things like write thank you notes and talk to major donors but they must also trust you when you tell them that something isn't a good idea and they need to know the limitations of your staff.
 
If you have the ability to be a bit frank with them, gently convey the sense that trust is important and that this is a give and take partnership. If you can do this, you will be further along that most shops in terms of relationship with academic leadership.
 
Question: How can I improve our percentage of phonathon gifts given via credit card?
 
Improving credit cards is a simple (but not easy) thing to do. You must prime the mindset of the callers so that they genuine expect the prospect to give via a credit or debit card. You must emphasize that credit cards are THE default payment option for everything in our world today, right down to a sweet tea for $1 from McDonald's.

After addressing mindset, callers must do TWO credit card asks, according to this formula: assumptive ask then what I call the “reasons plus reconsider” ask.

The assumptive ask goes like this: "Which credit or debit card would you like to use?" If they give the credit card on this ask, of course, no need to keep asking.

If they balk on the first ask, you simply tell them why you are asking for a credit card and ask them to reconsider. Here’s an example: "The reasons we ask donors to make their gift via credit card is that it puts your gift to work right after for the institution. It's very safe and only takes a few seconds. Would you reconsider using your credit or debit card tonight?" This rebuttal ask can be customized to the most common reasons why donors might hesitate to give on their credit card.

Callers must follow this formula without fail. It's hard to get volunteer callers to do that and hold them accountable. But, you'll make significant strides by following the formula above. You'll notice it's very natural and not pushy. Just a question and then an explanation. I’ll do a more in-depth blog post on this topic soon, particularly covering the ways that you can modify the “reasons plus reconsider ask” to make it specific to the prospect’s objection.

That's all for today! What questions do you have for me? Post a comment with your question(s).

If you are interested in working with me directly as a trainer or consultant, contact me here and let’s chat.

Comments and questions are, as always, welcomed and encouraged!

Cheers,

Jessica Cloud, CFRE

PS - If you liked this post, you might also like these:

• What makes for great rapport building? Plus, a list of rapport building questions
• The Top 3 Reasons Why Recruitment should be the #1 Priority of a Phonathon Manager
• How to Staff Your Phonathon Super-Fast: Seven Secrets to Fill the Seats
• 31 Ways to Hit the Refresh Button on Your Direct Mail
• The Main Thing . . . My Fundraising Mantra

​PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! You'll get my guide to Call Center Games for Free!

Greetings!

You might be asking yourself, where in the world has Jessica been?! Real Deal Fundraising hasn’t had anything new since early May!

Well, I’ve been doing two important things:

1. I’ve been raising a LOT of money.

​Our year ended with three big fundraising events in New Orleans. Those events were breakaway successes for our organization. For the entire fiscal year, we tripled overall fundraising, bringing 301% more dollars than FY16. We’ve implemented a new fundraising model this year and I plan to share the details about it with you on this blog soon. (Here's me and my hubby at our Gala celebrating the success of this year.)

2. I’ve been recharging my own batteries.

​I revamped, redecorated, and organized my office. I went to a three day yoga retreat. I spent quality time with my husband and kids. I re-dedicated myself to my health. I worked on some work planning and worked on my thesis a bit. (I’m graduating with my M.A. in English Literature in December.) But those things were NOT my focus.  (Below you'll see me after completing my very first 1 hour long run and then me and my favorite girl at yoga in the park.)

And here’s the amazing thing: things have been happening and coming to me.

I got an inspired idea for our fall direct mail and email campaign. My thesis revisions went much more smoothly than I expected. And I have ton of ideas for this blog and for the community I want to build around it in the future.

To that end, I have a few announcements:

• First, I’ll be doing only monthly blog posts this year. I want to focus on consistency and quality rather than volume and then burning out and going dark for months. My posts will be long form and filled with useful info you can apply to your fundraising plan. This will also give me more time to publish more instructional e-books and engage more deeply with those of you who contact me with questions.
• Now is the PERFECT time of year to turn your attention to phonathon staffing strategy. To that end, I’m putting my e-book, How to Staff Your Phonathon Super-Fast on sale for 25%-OFF. That's only $37.50 for this essential guide. The coupon code is AUG2017 and it is good through the end of August. You need access to these innovative strategies now to get staff with incredible young fundraisers as quickly as possible for maximum dollars raised! This 57-page guide is absolutely crammed with actionable information, templates, formulas, and samples ready for any phonathon manager to implement immediately. Here's the best part, this guide not only teaches you how to staff up fast but how to KEEP the great callers you hire for as long as possible so that you move into an upward spiral of positive results and get off the hamster wheel of perpetual caller turnover.
• Lastly, I have a (very) limited number of spots open this year for consulting jobs.

If you feel your department could use a tune-up or needs some specific help, please contact me and let’s talk about it. I absolutely love teaching fundraising and it appeals to a different side of me than my “day job” work.
​
Here are some of the things that I can help you with as a consultant:

• Conducting bench-marking studies and development audits
• Facilitating the strategic planning process and drafting tactical plans
• Analysis of you institution’s culture of philanthropy
• Copywriting assistance for direct mail, planned giving materials, and major gift proposals
• Development of annual giving, social media, and day of giving plans
• Training for new development staff
• Policy creation and procedural documentation

I can look at one aspect of your program (phonathon, major gifts, etc.) or at your entire shop. I could do the analysis via distance (looking at reports and interviewing your staff via phone or video chat) or I could come to you in person. I do have a full-time position though and need to schedule early and work everything together seamlessly.

I’m excited about this new opportunity to continue teaching and helping institutions reach their fundraising potential.

Contact me here and let’s chat.

Cheers,

Jessica Cloud, CFRE

PS - If you liked this post, you might also like these: 

• Goals versus projections
• What should a strategic plan contain?
• Planning for the Unexpected
• Conducting a Benchmarking Study
• My Exhaustive Event Planning Checklist

PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! You'll get my  guide to Call Center Games for Free!​​​