Jeff Schreifels
Welcome to the show. I'm really glad you're with us today. Okay, so it's late September, first week of October, and my guess is you're looking at your year-end number, then you're looking at your to-do list, and you're thinking, how the heck am I going to get all of this done? If that's you, this is the episode for you. You have roughly the next 75 days or so to wrap up your year with donors.

We're going to walk you through what you need to focus on over that time so that by the end of the year, you can be successful. To help us do that, I've invited Lauren Centrella, one of our amazing Veritus client experience leaders and someone who has walked in your shoes, to guide us today. So welcome, Lauren. Thanks for being here.

Lauren Centrella
Happy to be here.

Jeff Schreifels
Okay, so this is crunch time for all of our frontline fundraisers. This is that time of year, and we've got a lot of work to do. I think what would be great is if we walk through the next 75 days. Not day by day, but enough to give folks an idea of what they should be doing, when they should be doing it, and how they can follow up, so that when it's finally December 31st or January 1st, they can look back and say, "You know what, I did everything I could. I worked my plan, and I can feel good about whatever the outcome is because I've done all that I can."

Lauren Centrella
Absolutely.

Jeff Schreifels
So let's start with October 1 through 8, that first week in October. When you're auditing, prioritizing, and planning, what should a fundraiser actually be reviewing that week?

Lauren Centrella
Sure. If you're a major gift fundraiser, this is the time to set aside a couple of hours just to look at where you're at. Take the time, don't panic, don't rush into things, but actually be strategic. That will save you tons of time throughout the next 75 days.

You want to look at your caseload and then look at your individual donors, line by line. Where is each person relative to your individual goal for them? If you're on a calendar fiscal year, January to December, the bulk of your fundraising and the goals you've set are probably going to come in over the next three months. That can feel a little overwhelming. If you're on a July to June fiscal year, you may have some goals set out into the next calendar year. Either way, you want to look at where your donors are compared to the goal you set for them, and also where they are compared to what they gave last year, both in terms of when they gave and how much they gave. That will help you prioritize. You might realize, "Oh gosh, I didn't know Betty Smith was so far behind where I thought she'd be this year."

The other thing to look at is how they're giving. People who give cash can give all the way up until December 31st, as far as closing your books and their tax purposes. But if they're giving from a donor-advised fund, stock, a QCD, or other complex gifts, those take time, and there may be deadlines. There are your own internal organizational deadlines, and there's also the financial institution, which may say, "We don't promise anything will happen after this date." So if donors have given that way in the past, or have told you, "I'm really excited to give from my QCD this year because I've turned 70 and a half," those are people you want to get in touch with early, because their deadline is likely earlier than the end of the calendar year.

As you're auditing your donor list, look at your top-tier donors, your tier A donors who have strong year-end potential and who you've goaled to give at the end of the year because that's typically when they give. Look at donors who haven't given yet this year or who are behind their goal. And look at your lapsed donors, what you might hear called LYBUNTs, "last year but not this year." Those are also good ones to focus on.

If you're a mid-level officer, some of this is a little different. You may not have an individual goal for every donor, but you can get a big-picture snapshot of who gives in October, November, and December, who is behind from last year, and who has lapsed. Then prioritize those folks for your outreach over the next 75 days.

That's the big picture of what you need to do with your donors. But there's a lot of work that also has to happen internally, Jeff. You don't work in a silo as a gift officer. You have to find out from your finance and admin teams what your internal deadlines are. Do they close the office the week between Christmas and New Year's, so they're not processing gifts or stock transfers? Are you part of a university that closes early when students go home? All of that plays a role in what you're doing and the meetings you need to have.

You also want to look at what else is happening. Are there events you're not part of? Are there marketing pieces or solicitations going out? All of those should shape how and when you talk to donors, and you can use them as leverage to have conversations.

Jeff Schreifels
Awesome. What about looking at your real top, top donors? Is that a place to focus, and what would you do for those top five to ten donors?

Lauren Centrella
Again, it starts with those goals. If you have a goal set for those donors over the next few months, look back at your activities. Have you really set yourself up to make that ask? Is that donor ready for it?

This is probably a really good time to schedule a check-in call with those folks. Thank them for their support. Share how their gifts have made a difference in the past and help them feel really good about what they've done. Then start to learn: has anything changed? Have they had any health issues? Are they getting married or divorced? Have they retired? Anything like that might change your goals and plans.

From there, make sure you still understand what they really care about in your work, what they're helping make possible, and what you might present to them. What's an offer you can share that would be a good fit at the end of the year? So first you're looking at the past and sharing how they've made a difference. Then you share what they can do in the future: what the need is, what you want to have happen, and the role they can play in the solution. And then you make an ask. Past, future, ask.

And give yourself time to do that. Everybody's busy. You probably won't reach them on the first call, and you probably won't get a meeting within two weeks. If you can, that's great. But give yourself ample time to do this for all five of those top donors, and then for everyone else on your list. Know what time you have, and build in plenty of room to get these things done.

Jeff Schreifels
So if that first week in October is for planning and really figuring it out, then October 9 through 31 is what you just described. You're setting up a solicitation, warming that donor up, making that connection, and setting up meetings. We always say you want to set up meetings by the 15th, because after that it's too late, right?

Lauren Centrella
Yes. It's late for the donor and it's late for you. You don't have a lot of time, and organizations have their own meetings and other things going on. Ideally, you've been doing this all year. But if you haven't, be realistic about what you can do, and then put your head down and get it done. From October 15 through 30, you've got to be kicking into gear with messaging and communicating. Don't schedule a doctor's appointment. Don't take vacation. This is the time to get all of that work done to prep you for the big push that's coming.

Jeff Schreifels
Here's a quirky thing I've noticed over all my years of doing this work and talking with major gift fundraisers. When they're setting up meetings, they often prioritize the donors who are easiest to contact.

Lauren Centrella
Yes, absolutely.

Jeff Schreifels
This is really the time to have a plan around those high-value donors, the ones who are hard to reach and who you're probably a little nervous about contacting because you may not know them as well.

Lauren Centrella
You may not know them as well. They may be very wealthy, and that can be intimidating. You may have to go through an assistant, so there are additional barriers. It's very easy to pick up the phone and get that coffee meeting you know you can get every month. But for your own work, for your organization's sake, and for your donors' sake, you have to prioritize the donors who have the capacity and inclination to really make a difference by supporting the work they're passionate about.

When I'm working with clients, I like to look at their DEP by tier and literally hide everything else. Let's just look at your tier A donors and not be distracted by the noise of everyone else who is lovely to talk to but isn't going to give very much.

But the inverse happens too, Jeff. Some gift officers only focus on their tier A donors and forget about tier C. So I'll do the opposite and look only at tier C. We'll ask, "Have you talked to these people? When was the last time you had an actual conversation with them? Not sent them something, but actually talked." Inevitably, someone says, "Oh, I forgot I need to send her that report," or "I saw this really great article for him." Segmenting and looking at your caseload in chunks can really jog your memory and make it clearer where you need to focus.

Jeff Schreifels
Okay, so now we go to November 1 through December 15. That's when you're in asking, follow-up, and confirmation mode. Give us some helpful reminders for this stretch.

Lauren Centrella
This is when you use what you know about the donor, their passions and interests and how they want to make a difference, and you use permission-based asking. You're giving them an opportunity to make a difference in your organization's mission through their gift. Be really clear so they know you're coming in with an ask and they anticipate a solicitation. Ask for a specific amount, or for an increase, but tie it to what they're interested in and what their gift will accomplish. It's very rare that a donor gives more just because you want them to. They need to understand the difference an increased gift or a specific, targeted ask can make.

The key part of permission-based asking is being really clear, making the ask, and then shutting your mouth.

Jeff Schreifels
Yes.

Lauren Centrella
It's so natural for us to want to fill silence. If there's not an immediate reaction, you start to explain. You start panicking.

Jeff Schreifels
You start panicking. Yeah.

Lauren Centrella
Do they like this? Are they mad at me? Are they interested? Is it too much money? What if we broke it down? You really need to be quiet so the donor has time to think and respond. They might have questions. They might be thinking, "How am I going to make this gift? I can't wait to do this, but do I need to sell stock? Do I need to move money around? Do I need to talk to my partner?" You need to give them time for all of that. Anytime I've asked a question, I breathe and count to 10 in my head to make sure there's enough space.

Sometimes you won't be able to ask in person. Donors are busy, you're busy, and they may not want to meet. So you'll have to adjust. You might ask over the phone, and that's okay. It's harder because you can't see how people are reacting, and the silence feels a lot longer. You may be asking by mail or email, however the donor is available and willing to receive it.

I really recommend blocking time on your calendar for all of this. I'm a huge fan of time blocking, and I'm also really conservative with it, because things always take longer than we think they will. Give yourself plenty of time. And build in time to follow up. People don't act exactly when we ask them to. If you've promised to follow up, make sure you have time to do it, or build it in: "In two weeks, I'll reach out to see if you have any questions."

Jeff Schreifels
One of the things that happens during this time is that, as a major gift officer, you get a pretty good idea of what's going to come in. It's not going to be a surprise, necessarily. You've got your budget and your goals, and some of those might not come in. This is a good time, as early as you can, to talk to your manager proactively about that. You never want your manager to be completely blindsided at the end of the year, thinking everything's fine, and then you're really short of your goals or what you projected.

Lauren Centrella
Right. And I think this is a really important piece of relationship fundraising. Your donors are people. They're not an ATM. They're not going to give just because you asked. They have lives. I have clients who come to me and say, "I know I'm going to miss this goal because the donor's husband is sick and in the hospital and they just can't focus." And I say, that's amazing that they trust you enough to share that with you. They could have gone radio silent and you'd have had no idea. So yes, we're missing a goal, and we're also going to count it as a win that you have that kind of relationship with that donor.

Share it with your manager so you can plan. If it's really going to affect a program, maybe there's someone else in your caseload you can go back to with a larger ask: "Hey, we have a gap we thought would be filled. Are you able to step in right now with a special gift to help?" Some good things can come out of that, because you can challenge yourself and some of your donors to make a bigger commitment than they might have if everyone gave exactly what you expected.

Jeff Schreifels
And this is nothing to hide. It's not your fault. If you're working your plan as a major gift officer, you're doing everything you can control. There are things about your portfolio you can't control, like you just mentioned, and that's not your fault. But you still need to communicate all of it to your management and leadership, because that's what we're required to do and it's very important for them. At the end of the day, you may not have made your goal, but you did all you could, and that's really all anyone can ask of you.

Lauren Centrella
Absolutely. And someone may come in and surprise you. I just had a client who, in one meeting, had a donor stepping back because they're ill, and then had a phone call with another donor who said, "I'm not going to tell you how much I'm giving because I need to talk to my financial advisor, but you're going to be happy because it's more than last year." Sure enough, it was much more than the prior year, and it covered the gap left by the donor who couldn't give.

Jeff Schreifels
So by December 15, all the planned relationship building leading to the solicitation, and the solicitation itself, really should be complete. That doesn't mean there won't be a few donors after December 15. It's up to them. If they want to meet with you, of course you'll meet with them. But for planning purposes, try to get everything done by then, because after the 15th everything is crazy with holiday preparations, travel, and everything else going on. There's a lot of noise, so let's avoid getting caught in it.

So between December 16 and 31, how does a fundraiser finish strong?

Lauren Centrella
You have to be on top of your incoming gifts and gift reports as much as you can. Sometimes gifts are processed off-site and it takes a while, but stay as current as possible so you can track against goals and send prompt thank-yous and acknowledgments. And this isn't, "Hey, thanks so much for giving, have a great holiday, bye." Have something specific to say to each donor when you thank them.

You also have to work hand in hand with your finance office. DAF gifts, stock gifts, and foundation gifts will come in anonymously or under a different name, or as surprises, and you have to start matching them. Say you talked to Mary Jones, and Mary said she's giving a $2,000 gift. Nothing's coming in, nothing's coming in, but you get a DAF gift from the Jones Foundation. That's a great opportunity to go back to Mary and say, "Hi Mary, we received a gift from this fund. Is there a chance you're using a donor-advised fund to give this year?" First, it helps clean up your system. Second, if she hasn't given yet, it might be the reminder she needs: "Right, I told you I'd do that." You're assuming good intent, and that pays off either with her confirming the gift or with a nudge to make it.

The same goes for follow-up in general. If someone has committed and you're not seeing the gift, check in. Do they need help? Have they made the gift? Do you need to track something down through their bank or trace a check? Some donors are really committed in the meeting but are forgetful or get busy. It's appropriate to make that second or third ask to help them follow through on the commitment they told you about.

And a lot of people take time off, and that's okay as a fundraiser. I want to be one of the first to say it: if you've done your job and everything is set, there isn't much more you can do at the very end of the year. It's okay to step back. Donors are stepping back too. Take some time off, but be really clear about how donors can reach you or someone who can help.

I love using an out-of-office message. I always put something like, "Thanks so much. I'm not checking email regularly, but you can text or call me. If you're looking to make a gift, here's our EIN, here's where to mail donor-advised fund checks or IRA gifts, here's how to make a stock gift, and here's the link to donate." If that's what they're looking for, they get it in the bounce-back and you don't have to do that work. Make it really easy for people to do what they want to do.

Jeff Schreifels
Good advice. Now, what happens after the 31st?

Lauren Centrella
Hopefully your gift processing team is on it, working through everything, and you're getting regular updates. If a lot of gifts came in, processing might take longer than you'd like, but stay on top of it. Thank your donors. Call a couple of times before you send a handwritten note. I'd say email is your last resort for a donor thank-you. You can be really personal: call, leave a message, call again, then send a handwritten note. And start reporting back.

If a donor left a note with a check or an online donation, record it. You can include it in your thank-you, and also in your next YMAD or six-month impact report. If you're using the DEP, put it in one of your planned touches and reference it so you don't forget. There's a lot going on, so help yourself as much as you can. Update your DEP and your CRM so everything stays on track and you're helping yourself and your colleagues.

If you're still qualifying donors, or you're a mid-level officer who hasn't had a two-way connection with someone yet, thank-you calls are the best time to reach people. They feel warm, generous, and grateful that you're calling. I'd say don't leave a message the first time if they don't pick up. Call again, then leave a message saying you'll call back because you really want to reach them. From there, hopefully you can build a strong two-way engagement with those donors.

Then it's time to take stock. When your gift processing and finance teams close the month, go back and look, just like you did that first week of October. Did everyone give? Who's missing? Should you follow up with the person whose DAF gift didn't come in? If they normally give through Fidelity and you have an anonymous Fidelity gift around the amount you expected, check on that. Do some digging and figure it out.

Then adjust your plans if you need to. Do you need to move goals? Make another ask? And share all of that with your leader. Like you said earlier, this isn't a secret. If things have changed, if you've missed your goal or someone isn't going to give, talk about it with leadership now, so if plans need to change or programs need to shift, it's not a last-minute scramble for them.

Jeff Schreifels
Okay, last question. If we had to leave our listeners with an immediate action plan, a few things they can do right after they finish listening to this podcast, what would they be?

Lauren Centrella
Find your top five donors. These are what I call your A-plus donors. Identify an impact story to share with each of them, something they want and need to hear about how their gift has made a difference. It has to be personalized, because these are your priority donors.

Then think about what you need to do internally. What meeting do you need to schedule? Is it with finance to figure out your deadlines? With your program team to get those impact stories? With marketing to learn their solicitation cadence?

From there, look at your calendar and identify one donor touch, one piece of outreach, you can do this week. Put it on your calendar and block the time. If you're writing an email, block time to draft it, walk away, come back and reread it, and then send it.

And then think big picture. You're here. Is this where you want to be? Is this the feeling you want to have at the beginning of October heading into the end of the calendar year? If it's not, what can you do to improve? And even if you're feeling good, there's probably still something you can improve. Think big. What can you do next quarter or next year that puts you in a better place a year from now? Then go do that, and you will be successful. If you take a deep breath, sit down, get strategic, and do the work, you will be successful.

Jeff Schreifels
Thank you so much. That's so helpful, and there's so much wisdom in what you've laid out for us.

For those listening, we'll include a link in the show notes to our year-end plan. It covers everything Lauren talked about, so you can download it and use it for your planning over the 75 days you have left to finish strong.

Lauren, thanks for joining us and for sharing all the wisdom you've gained over the years to help folks be successful. It's really appreciated. And to our listeners, thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time for some real talk.