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The super-simple timeline:
- Monday before Thanksgiving: Relationally reconnect
- Right after Thanksgiving: Snail mail a letter with your appeal. Add a note that you'll call in a few days.
- A few days later: Call and invite them to give. "I was just calling to see if you got my letter..." *Plan to recap the letter. Most will not have read it.
- Is tomorrow too soon? Follow up.
- After Christmas: Email a copy of the letter as a soft reminder.
- Every 3 days: follow up until you get a yes or no.
The detailed timeline:
| September | Determine the need/ amount. Through prayer, ask the Lord to determine your need and the amount for which you will ask. $10K or more. |
| September | Compile a Top 20 list. Review your giving data from the past 3-5 years. Begin praying over these people by name. See Who to Ask for how to run those reports and who to look for. |
| October | Relationally Reconnect Know thy donor. Some love a personal call, some love texts, some FaceTime, some snail mail. Pick the flavor that works best for them and you. The goal is to reconnect and remind them how valuable they are to you. Personal Favorite: |
Some begin working on it in October so they're not rushed at the end of the year. It's preferred to send a "Thankful for you" card or letter before Thanksgiving, but a "Thankful for you" text can work if you're behind the schedule outlined below:
| September -October | Determine your need and what you will ask for. Usually appeals for one-time gifts (vs monthly support, gifts in kind or service projects) are most effective this time of year. (Sample asks are displayed below.) Begin praying over the EOYA! | ||
| Late October-Early November | Review your data from the past 3 years. Look for:
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| Early-Mid November | ID The Top 20. Through prayer, ask the Lord to help you make a list of the top 20 people you should contact one-on-one with your ask (either face to face or voice to voice). Typically, it's best if this group is made up of different people than those you usually contact with special asks; your regular end of year givers being the exception. *However, if anyone falls into all 4 categories above, they should probably be on your Top 20 list. | ||
| Mid-November | Send a paper Thanksgiving card to your Top 20* along with a short, handwritten note about why you’re thankful for them. This should be a meaningful message of gratitude. The goal is to remind donors how valuable they are to you and the impact they are helping to make in the Kingdom.Bonus points for including your picture on or in this card! Please consider. Consider hand-addressing the envelope. A simple way to mail a card to your Top 20 is to pick upThe simple version of this: grab a pack of Thanksgiving cards at the store and, print 20 photos (of you or you + the people you minister to) at the photo center. Keep it simple so you're more likely to do it. If you have the time, you can send to more than just your Top 20, but make sure your first priority is reaching your Top 20., include the pic in the card, write a note and pop them in the mail. | ||
| November | Snail-mail a letter with your appeal. Encourage your contact | First week of December | Follow up the Thanksgiving card with an email containing your end of year need info. Encourage your donor to pray about how the Lord may have them respond to this need. Then letLet them know you'll be calling in a few days to see how the Lord is leading them. Consider batching the emailsletters in groups so you're not trying to make 20 follow-up calls to 20 peopleall on the same day. Manageability is key. |
A few days later (November) | Call and invite them to give. "I was just calling to see if you got my letter..." *Plan to recap the letter. Most will not have read it. Follow up your email with a phone call to make the ask. Remember, your most effective asks are going to be face-to-face (even over a video call). If that can't happen, then second best is voice-to-voice. An ask in a mass email that's not followed up with a one-on-one ask is the least effective. | ||
The next day (November) | Follow up. Is tomorrow too soon? | ||
3 days later (December) | Follow up Text, call, FaceTime, DM, email, etc. Pick one. | ||
3 days later (December) | Follow up Text, call, FaceTime, DM, email, etc. Pick one. | ||
| After Christmas | Follow up with an email copy of your appeal letter. This acts as a soft reminder. | ||
| Last week of December | Follow up. Last chance to give in (year)! | ||
| First week of January | Thank your year-end givers for being the amazing people they are! The general standard is a hand-written thank-you card and a phone call. | ||
| Beyond | Plan to cultivate your special-gift donors throughout the year by thanking, sharing the impact of their giving, personally connecting, then presenting them with another giving opportunity. *You can do this every 6 months. More here: Annual Stewardship Plan & Timeline. |
Behind schedule this year? Talk to your MTD coach about how to best approach your Top 20.
Is this schedule not your flavor? Want to do something different? Go for it! Just be sure you're including best practices into your ask.
Additional Resources
Fundamentals for Large Donor Asks
Game Plan for End of Year Giving
