AMiable Solution #108: Summer Assignment #3

It feels like we just kicked off summer with Memorial Day, and suddenly the July 4^th celebrations have already been accounted for.  In a blink, the new school year will start, and we’ll be facing down the end of the year.

Are you ready?  Here are three ways to prepare:

1.      Review your rates.  We never plan for promotions to underperform, but sometimes they do.  And sometimes we make long-term plans based on the assumption of those promotions’ success. If response doesn’t come in as expected, we set ourselves up for additional disappointments and consequences.  Bad history doesn’t have to repeat itself.  Before you get caught-up in the last days of summer, check your year-to-date campaigns and their response rates.  Make sure, based on current data, that your existing fall/winter plans still make sense.  If not, adjust accordingly.

2.      Change your tone.  If you’re a non-profit, you probably notice a marked difference in donations between the beginning of the year and the end of the year, when thoughts turn to tax-deductible donations.  In their Network for Good June 29, 2010, article, “Get Ready for Year-End Fundraising,” Rebecca Higman and Julie Stofer suggest communicating regularly with donors, not just when you’re asking for money.  According to Higman and Stofer, non-profits who give supporters “content of value as it happens, rather than just at the end of the year,” help development relationships with donors, increasing their feeling of investment, which results in higher gifts.

3.      Create a calendar.  You have a marketing schedule—a list of all upcoming promotions with due dates—but do you have an actual marketing calendar?  Keeping an actual calendar marked with your due dates not only helps you plan, but it also helps prevent dates from sneaking up on you.  Use it, too, to remind yourself of regular projects or maintenance items, including website updates, that are too easily overlooked or procrastinated.

Enjoy the summer while you can, but make sure you see the year’s end on the other side of this season’s sun.