How to Be More Efficient in Your Year-End Planning

Jeff Schreifels 

Some fundraisers don’t think about year end until October or November. And by then, it’s too late to organize any kind of larger fundraising strategy. As one of our team members likes to say, if you get to peppermint mocha season, you’re way behind. That’s why we’re talking about year end now in August. In today’s episode, we’re sharing some of our favorite tips and ideas to help you create efficiencies in your year-end planning, so this time of year can stop being overwhelming, and start being fun, creative, and impactful.

Recorded 

Welcome to the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group featuring Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels. Twice a month, we bring you the latest and best thinking about major gift fundraising, so you can develop authentic relationships with your major donors. Here are your hosts, Richard and Jeff.

Jeff Schreifels 

Welcome to the podcast today. I’m Jeff Schreifels. And today, I’ve invited Veritus Group’s Lisa Robertson and Kara Ansotegui to join me. Now, you may not be quite ready to think about year end. But this time of year provides a valuable opportunity to use your time wisely and be more efficient in your year-end planning so that you can create a thoughtful strategy for your donors. But before we get too far into this, Lisa and Kara, why don’t you introduce yourselves?

Lisa Robertson 

Sure. Thanks, Jeff. We’re so excited to be here. I’m Lisa Robertson, Director of Client Services with Veritus Group. And I’ve been here for 10 years. And I love the changing of seasons. But you’re right, I don’t think I’m ready to think about year end and all that it brings, but happy to be here today and talk about how to make it easier for fundraisers.

Kara Ansotegui 

And I’m Kara Ansotegui. I’m the other Director of Client Services here at Veritus. I’ve been in the industry for a little over 20 years and came to know and love Veritus as a client of theirs many years ago. And in that process, I also learned the value and importance of really making sure you’re using efficiencies to plan for year end.

Jeff Schreifels 

Right. Awesome. So thanks for joining me. So Kara, let’s start with you. Why don’t you start by having you… I want you to share about why you recommend starting to find efficiencies in your year-end planning as early as possible, and, before you make those recommendations, why don’t you just define what we mean by efficiencies in the first place?

Kara Ansotegui 

Sure, Jeff, by efficiencies, we really mean, what are the things you can do today that are going to set you up for success when it comes to year end? So how can you use maybe the slower times… I’m never going to say slow because we’re in fundraising, and that’s just not the case, right? But the slower seasons, to prep for year end so you can serve every single one of your donors in a way that is really the most meaningful to them.

Kara Ansotegui 

So if it’s okay with you guys, I’d love to kind of jump into a few of those top points.

Kara Ansotegui 

Okay. So I’m going to start with mid-level. I really actually recommend that for mid-level, they write a lot of their thank-you notes for calendar year end in the summer, when they’re not quite as busy. They can start prepping those during the quieter times; maybe writing a few sentences about impact. And then when donors actually make their gifts, they can personalize them with names or more about maybe that donor’s gift. I find that with mid-level, you have so many donors that it really is hard to get to all of them at year end when a lot of them are making gifts. So this really sets them up for success.

Jeff Schreifels 

Okay.

Kara Ansotegui 

I would also say finding efficiencies really helps when you’re getting materials ready ahead of time, especially if you need to work with other departments. Right? We see this all the time, don’t we, Lisa?

Lisa Robertson 

Yep.

Kara Ansotegui 

If you’re in mid-level, you might be working with your direct response team. And we know there’s a big, you know, timeframe needed with direct response to figure out what’s going to be sent and then you can follow up on those solicitations at year end. So getting all of that primed. If you’re in major gifts, you might be working with your marketing team to ensure you have a thoughtful impact piece to send to your donors the month before you’re asking them or maybe a “YMAD,” what we refer to as “you make a difference,” that you can have ready for January or February to let your donors know the impact they made the year before. All of that takes time, and that really needs to be started over the summertime.

Kara Ansotegui 

And then I would just say my last point would be that finding these efficiencies allows you to thoughtfully focus and execute on the strategy that you’re building. So our goal is always to build a plan for every donor, right? And as we work towards calendar year end, we want, which is when most of the donors give, we want to make sure we have all the materials ready so that we can thoughtfully execute that plan.

Jeff Schreifels 

Great points. Now, Lisa, let me ask you, what gets in the way of fundraisers, or leaders, finding those efficiencies in their year plan?

Lisa Robertson 

Well, I think there’s this idea that it is sort of the slower time and there’s all of a sudden this rush at year end. And so we leave, you know, we have vacations, school starts, the season changes… In fact, I was just today, we always tell our fundraisers, Jeff, that once they see pumpkin spice, like year end is on. And today I saw something that says, someone’s going to start doing pumpkin spice on September 12th, and I was like, “What?!” That’s only a few weeks away! That’s, you know, I always think October/November, but that’s September. So it just comes faster than we think. And there’s so much going on this time of year.

Lisa Robertson 

I think the thing that might happen is they might not have support from leadership to do that, right? Like, we have a lot of people who are really on their own. I have an MGO who has to personally track down programs staff in other countries, and then ask multiple times for those impacts, and that’s not the best use of her time… like figuring out time zones and, you know, really trying to go through so many hurdles. It’s like that really should be a leader’s job to say, “Hey, we really need this to help support your programs,” and get those kind of roadblocks out of her way.

Lisa Robertson 

Or I work for a MLO who has to personally create and address and stamp and send all the mailings to like 600 people. That just takes a lot of time and energy. So you know, where can leaders help provide support, or encouragement or volunteers or supplies? That’s really important. I think there’s also like a lot of things and demands that take their attention. A lot of times, it’s the books have closed. Like if you’re an October fiscal year start, your books are closed or closing, you’re thinking about budgeting for the next fiscal year. If you started in ’24 even, or January ’24, you’re thinking about that. And then we’re updating case loads, right? We’re working on cleaning up case loads, and we’re prepping for a new fiscal year. It’s just a lot. So those are my things that I think get in the way.

Jeff Schreifels 

Love it. Love those. Kara, what would be your top tips to help fundraisers find those efficiencies?

Kara Ansotegui 

Yeah. Honestly, it sounds so simple. But my top tip is to have your plan built. Right?

Jeff Schreifels 

Right.

Kara Ansotegui 

If you have your plan built, it’s so much easier to execute on and make sure that you’re following the donor’s passions and interests. Inclusive then of the time that they give, the time of year, I should say that they give. So…

Jeff Schreifels 

Have a plan!

Kara Ansotegui 

Have a plan so you can work the plan. My second tip would be, don’t reinvent the wheel. This is where partnership with your team is so valuable and making sure that you’re not just stewarding donors, but you’re stewarding internally as well and working collaboratively. Why build an impact report when your marketing team is already doing that? Why build a fancy proposal when your donors who tend to give through the mail are already getting one of those from direct mail? I have a client and their mid-level team has a lot of donors who give through the mail. And their direct response team builds a beautiful proposal every year. And so we go through that and determine which one of those should be sent to the mid-level officer so they can personalize it and send it out themselves. Let’s not reinvent the wheel.

Kara Ansotegui 

And then I would say the last tip would be if you’re using our DEP, and I know not everyone is, but if you are, be really well-versed in it. Learn how to sort your donors who gave last year at this time, so you can know when to make an ask of them. Be looking… and I do this with all my clients every meeting… look one to two months ahead of what month it currently is. So you can be prepped and ready to make those asks next month or the month after or send a letter, whatever it needs to be, right? And then look to see who’s down year over year. Prioritize those people. Make sure you’re using it to look at interests and passions so that you can be personalizing those types of pieces that go out. You get the picture. I won’t go on and on like I’m sure I have with my clients many times. Just use your DEP and be well-versed in it. It will set you up for success.

Lisa Robertson 

Yeah, I agree with all those Kara. In fact, I would go back to the first point you made of, you know, prepping those thank-you cards and being ready. When I was working in a non-profit, I would actually print that, you know, and say like, “Hey, we served over this many people this year,” because it’s not… the numbers don’t have to be precise. No one is checking your annual report. And so you already know kind of the impact you’ve had or you can guesstimate, and then you can just personalize it a little bit more. So there’s a lot of things you can do and I was kind of a hard-nose about that. Like we had to finish those thank-you notes before we went home on December 24th to make sure they arrived in-home quickly. That was me. Yeah, so I agree with that completely. And then another thing that I always say to people, and this sounds really silly, but I always encourage people to order the thank-you stamps now, because the post office runs out. Like, your local post office will run out. You can always mail them to your house online, but it might take longer. So get them now. They’re really cute. And they work, if you have too many, use them throughout the year. I love those.

Kara Ansotegui 

And Lisa, can I chime in? I think they also have birthday ones.

Lisa Robertson 

Oh, yeah, I have them right here in my drawer. I have birthday and Thanksgiving right here.

Kara Ansotegui 

So birthday is another great one.

Lisa Robertson 

Yeah, I love them. I live in Texas, and they have ones with hats on them. So I love those because people know that it’s from me.

Jeff Schreifels 

I don’t want that stamp.

Lisa Robertson 

I won’t send you that stamp. Okay, so then I encourage people also to prep their Thanksgiving email, right? That’s an easy touch… because what happens I think is we get into that week with you know, it’s super quiet. And all of a sudden, it’s like, it’s the week of and we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to say, how we’re going to email it, people are gone, you might be helpless with technology. So just get that done. Make sure it’s easy. Could be a video. So think ahead to Thanksgiving.

Lisa Robertson 

And then Kara mentioned this earlier, but think ahead to January because sometimes we say, or random people just think, “Oh, I’ve got to get out my solicitations and Thanksgiving and maybe a holiday card or make sure I’m doing thank yous.” And we forget about January. And that comes just as fast. And we are coming back on from vacations. We’ve got a lot of thank yous to do. And it’s like, ah, so just have that template ready to be like, what did you do in the previous year that you can send out as an impact statement in January?

Kara Ansotegui 

Okay, for any leaders listening, how can they begin to better support their fundraisers or help them in this process? Kara? Why don’t you go first?

Kara Ansotegui 

Okay. Again, it sounds simple, but it doesn’t happen a lot of times. And that’s ensure your team has administrative support. That administrative support team is so valuable, right? They can help with the laborious process of getting letters prepped. That can take a lot of time… a major gift fundraiser’s time, or mid-level officers. They can help with printing, stamping, right? All of these things are going to allow your fundraisers more time to focus on those top donors, their Teir A really, where they should be making more direct asks and they need to be out of the office for that.

Kara Ansotegui 

You know, we talk internally a lot. And we brainstorm on other ways that this could work. And one of the things I’ve seen that’s been very successful is enlisting the help of volunteers, right? Volunteers want to help. Let them help you address those envelopes. Let them help you stamp those envelopes. Or do you have a front office staff member maybe that isn’t being utilized as much and it’s a slower time of season for them and they want to support and create that culture of philanthropy for you? Use those underutilized support staff around the building, too, if you have them.

Lisa Robertson 

I’m going to just add one caveat to that. It’s always good to check their writing, right? So like, if I’m sending stuff out, and it’s like my dad’s, you know, if it’s backwards or someone puts a little heart on their “i”, and I wouldn’t do that. Just check their writing.

Jeff Schreifels 

Good point.

Kara Ansotegui 

And then the other one I’d mentioned is just, and this is probably more complex, and maybe Lisa, you can amplify it a little bit more. But breaking down silos. When you have a true culture of philanthropy in your organization, your teams are going to work in harmony rather than against one another. And I really think that it just helps you be more efficient, and it helps your fundraisers in so many ways, when there is a harmonious team collaborating on their year-end work.

Lisa Robertson 

Yeah, I totally agree. And on that silo comment, I think what I’d say is, you know, it’s the leader who has to be able and has to help ensure that there’s good cohesion for all we just talked about, right? Like the messaging, the graphics, the direct mail, the MLO has to chase down stories, or the partnership with direct response and mid-level. It’s a leadership job to really jump in and set stage for that, and for the fundraisers then to execute it. So you know, they can help bring it together, the schedule, right? And look at year end. Like it requires a lot of coordination. And to do that as early as possible. That’s where leaders can really help.

Lisa Robertson 

And then the other thing I’d add, and I think I’m learning this more and more as we talk to people, is have some empathy for the work that fundraisers do. Like we were talking to a new client, and they said, they said it really well. They said, “Our fundraisers make the work look easy. And so our leaders think that fundraising is easy.” And so I think sometimes leaders forget that it’s really hard work. We’re working with people, right, and donors and managing a lot of people. So just be reasonable, you know, offer support, encourage your fundraisers to take their time off, you know, make sure it all adds up to help your fundraisers replenish and feel renewed in the midst of this really busy year end.

Jeff Schreifels 

Really good stuff there.

Kara Ansotegui 

Yeah, and if I can just chime in Lisa, that first bullet you had about the leaders in silos and bringing everyone together? I have seen and I have worked with a really large client. And I’ve seen the opposite of that, where mid-level was going straight to marketing and asking for materials. And there’s all these conflicting priorities and mid-level never gets what they need. Right? And so I do think that just underscoring the value that leadership can play in a top-down approach of what is available for donors in that support system is mission critical in being able to do this work.

Lisa Robertson 

Yeah, no, I’ve had the same thing happen. In fact, I’ve had mid-level go to marketing without leadership support, and then what comes back is marketing material. Like it’s not an impact statement. And that’s not the MLOs job to say, “Hmm, that’s not what I needed.” It was the leader’s job to explain to marketing, “What we need is x. Can you help deliver on that and talk back to them?” Because that’s not really the role of an MLO. So yeah, I’ve seen the opposite, too. It’s important.

Jeff Schreifels 

Good stuff you two. This was fun! I think we gave some really concrete strategies, tactics, ideas for year end. So if you’re listening to this, you have no excuse now to blow it on year end, right? Anyway, thank you…

Lisa Robertson 

Get your pumpkin-flavored lattes!

Jeff Schreifels 

Thank you both for joining us today for this episode. And we hope this has given you some creative ideas and inspiration to find new efficiencies in your work as you prepare for year end. If you’d like to learn more about how to think strategically about plans you create for your donors, head to the show notes because there you’ll see a link to our free white paper, “Creating Strategic Plans and Goals for Every Major Donor.” Thank you, and we’ll see you next time.

Recorded 

Thank you for joining us for the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group. Richard and Jeff also write an ongoing blog that you can subscribe to for free at veritusgroup.net. Please join us again next time.