Year-end Hustle
If you're like us, you're wondering today how to spend the last 5 weeks until year-end! Use this time to do a lot of outreach and communicate extremely intentionally to your prospects and donors -- after all, nothing is worse than getting an email from them about meeting before you could send that email yourself.
Your #philanthropyphilosophy today: send an email to a prospect letting him or her know that you understand how crazy busy this time of the year is, and that you have an idea you hope they'll discuss with you and consider, so whether the meeting happens in December or not until after the new year, you'll be very grateful for a half hour to connect! If they're thinking about year-end support, this is the perfect invitation, and if they're not, you've planted the seed for an ask in 2019. I always like to approach an ask with a well-thought out idea that will excite the prospective donor -- something that shows that I've been listening, I understand their interests, and I want to align those with my organization's needs.
Remember, too, that it's a wonderful use of your time to steward the relationships close to you with a "Happy Holidays" note that has nothing to do with support or meetings. Simple emails and handwritten notes are key to building relationships that are genuine.
It can feel stressful in the development office during this last month of the year. If you're a gift officer or the relationship-builder, don't let the weight of year-end take you away from leading with intentional, grateful messaging that promotes longterm relationships and always considers the big picture. Getting meetings with those who want to be asked before December 31st is wonderful; starting the discussion for meetings in the early part of next year is wonderful, too! Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint!
