By Joyce Penland, CFRE
When setting a proper dinner table, one could argue that the meal is not complete without the basics: the bread and butter. Growing up in the Midwest, that was certainly the case in our household. The bread and butter were the foundation of the meal and that is true of the Annual Fund within your fundraising program. The Annual Fund is the foundation on which your entire Development program is built.
- It’s the money raised for your organization’s operating expenses;
- It helps meet your crucial and immediate needs;
- It is essential to the day-to-day support of your operation.
The Annual Fund establishes a pattern of giving for your constituents. While not the largest gifts, the Annual Fund provides a pathway for donors of involvement in your mission and purpose, that, over time, leads to larger gifts. The axiom remains: The best prospects for major gifts are those who give to the Annual Fund.
That’s why we coach development staff members and nonprofit boards to focus first on building a strong Annual Fund so that it can provide the essential building block for future major gifts. We have seen several nonprofits sacrifice their annual giving programs in order to “go after the big bucks” but rarely do major gifts arrive without having been solicited and stewarded first through good, basic Annual Fund work.
At Bacon Lee & Associates, we encourage nonprofits to use all of the “tools in their toolkits” by implementing the proven elements of annual giving work:
- personal solicitation of top-level leadership gifts;
- telephone solicitation of current and lapsed donors;
- direct mail for acquisition and renewals;
- emails to the growing numbers of your prospects who like this means of communication; and
- special events to build visibility for your organization and a rallying point for many volunteers.
Later this month, we’ll focus on best practices within the Annual Fund at the San Antonio AFP Conference February 24-25. I’ll be moderating a panel of local fundraising executives who’ll share their expertise with concrete examples of successful (and not-so-successful) annual giving experiences. Come learn more about building a strong foundation for your organization through the Annual Fund.