Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 218| End-of-Year Fundraising: A Giving Season Roadmap for Nonprofits

Transcript

Ep 218| End-of-Year Fundraising: A Giving Season Roadmap for Nonprofits · The Nonprofit Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: When you think about giving season, it's easy to picture the fall scramble, rushing out asks and social media campaigns, chasing down donorless, fixing forms, and trying to pull everything together at the last minute.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: We've all been there, but the secret to a smooth, successful giving season actually starts right now in August.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: The groundwork you lay today is what builds donor trust, gets your systems moving, and turns those end-of-year donors into long-term supporters.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBox.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Jenna Lynch, Head of Community Engagement here at DonorBox.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Each week we bring you practical strategies, clear insights, and inspiration to help you raise more, reach further, and take your nonprofit to the next level.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Today, you guessed it, we are talking about giving season.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Already, I know, here on the show, we've always taught that the key to a successful campaign is getting an early start, but knowing you should start early and actually knowing what to focus on in August and September are definitely two different things.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: So today we are breaking down the groundwork that changes your results, covering everything from website tweaks to donor segmentation to how to turn giving season donors into lasting supporters.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I am so thrilled to be joined again by Darren Cook, founder of MyMogul Media, and one of our amazing donor box ambassadors and partners.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Darren works with nonprofits of all types to simplify their digital systems so teams can do more of the work that matters without getting overwhelmed, which is such important work.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, Darren, welcome back on the show.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Jenna.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: Always a pleasure to be here with you.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: And uh thank you for having me.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think that this is the perfect time to bring you on.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: You work with so many different types of organizations.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I imagine that moving into August and the, you know, Q3, Q4 time can be quite busy for you and your clients, right?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and and you see firsthand what happens when teams wait until the last minute versus getting ahead of things.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: There are systems to consider, there are processes to tweak, right?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: And and giving season can feel like this massive looming mountain.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love your perspective on starting right now, you know, especially as you're meeting with your clients and helping them work for through these plans themselves in your eyes.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Why are August and September actually the sweet spot to kick off giving season preparation?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, awesome question.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm gonna say something that's probably gonna make you laugh.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: And it's something I tell a lot of organizations and leaders.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: So the reason why it's best to start now, August, and I cannot believe we're already in August, is because you do not want to repair the runway, Jenna, while the plane is taking off.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: So that's the main thing.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: So a lot of organizations wait until November to really start preparing for Giving Tuesday.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: And at that point, you're in reactive mode.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of organizations and a lot of nonprofits have two types of work, right?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's the infrastructure work, which is fixing your forms, ensuring your data is clean, building your automations, testing mobile pages, and deciding who owns what.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: Also, you have campaign work, telling your story.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: Why should donors be involved?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: Why should they care?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: Inviting people to give and monitoring results and thinking donors.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: So when both things happen at the same time, the team goes into reactive mode instead of being proactive.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: So the timeline should be all of us should be inspecting everything.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: Take this moment to kind of pause, assess what's working and what needs to be repaired.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_02: September needs to be about building and testing everything.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: October should be okay, finalizing the experience and communication, tighten up everything, making sure everything is buttoned up.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, November and December should be activation mode, watching it, and caring for your donors.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: You are speaking my language, Jared.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, 100%.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I love what you said.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I love the way that you broke down this timeline from August all the way until December.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And this is such an easy framework to follow.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll backtrack a little bit.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Before an organization sends out that first big ask of giving season, which that activation time you say should start in November and into December.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Gotta make sure your house is in order.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um so when you say looking around and thinking about what needs to be fixed, yes.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, gosh, where do I even start?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Is it website, donation page, is it your tech stack in general?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: What are the things that you should look at to fix that build donor trust right out the gate?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's a great question.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm so glad you asked that.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: So in August, I would say it will be a good time to really audit what happened last year.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_02: Look at what worked and what did not work.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: Clean up your website.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of us are guilty, including myself.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_02: We're moving so fast.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: We're focused on the next thing that a lot of the copy, images, or any language needs to be cleaned up.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_02: It may be a little outdated.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: So you want it just to have the freshest information for your donors.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: Also, check your donor flow and donor data.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: Ensure that it's up to date.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: I know we'll talk a little bit more about um segmentation, but ensure that you're speaking to each person in your ecosystem correctly.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: So I would say August is a good time to audit what happened last year, as I said, and look at your donor series, look at your website, and I would segue after August to really use September when I would really focus on building and testing your landing pages, your segments and acknowledgements.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I just want to pause for a second to ensure that when you're building your landing pages, ensure that it is designed for mobile uh responsive first.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: Not just, okay, a page that may be viewed on a mobile device.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: Ensure that is intentionally designed for the end user.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: So they're not having to squint and pinch and figure out or the donation button is buried.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: We want it to be very easy and clean and seamless for someone to donate.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, mobile giving is growing.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: I do everything on my mobile.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's very rare that I open up my laptop to even pay a bill nowadays, right?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So um I think that's an excellent tip.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I also like how you've broken this down.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: So now we're auditing our systems and the functionality in August.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: We're also looking at how we're talking to our donors, everything from the donate button placement to donation form in flow to the first thank you note that they get, right?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because that's the starting line of donor retention.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: And how, like you said, makes me think about how we talk to donors throughout the season, right?
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think nonprofits get stuck in ask mode and forget that this is, I mean, it's always the time to talk to donors as humans, but especially now, uh, you want to make their journey good by auditing all your systems and then you want to make your experience good by talking to them, nurturing them, and making sure that you're kind of warming them up because there is going to be a big ask in a few months.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: I think that also takes a bit of pressure off.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: So August is the investigation.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: September is the rolling up your sleeves and doing something about it.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: When this episode is published, mid-August, you have a couple weeks to go through this.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's plenty of time.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Set aside a couple hours a week and then move into fixing mode in September.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: So something else.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: We haven't really interrogated this on the show before.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to dig in.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you talked about campaign communication and how you're talking to people.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's the relationship communication.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so let's dig in a bit more as people are thinking, okay, well, how do we actually talk to our donors?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: What does it mean?
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, what is one specific, I guess, relationship message a nonprofit could send in September that has zero ask in it?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: Before I answer that question, I want to just rewind just a bit.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: Because I always try to make technology and systems relatable so that someone who may not consider themselves tech savvy can understand the reason it's important to really speak to different people in your ecosystem, whether that's a donor, a recurring donor, uh, or even a volunteer, it's because if we take the nonprofit focus out and just talking to friends, Jenna, how you talk to your best friend is how you'll talk, it's different to how you'll talk to someone you just met.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's the same thing too.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_02: So to answer your question, I would want to just check in with a donor before I ask for the big amount closer to the end of the year.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: I would say something like, How's it going?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, have your interests uh changed?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: Are you still interested in saving the whales or do you want to focus on the penguins now?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, has anything in your life changed?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: So just really cultivate those relationships.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's important to know that people connect with people.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: People do not connect with corporate entities and systems.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_02: So it really needs to be a warm, just check in.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: How are you doing, Jenna?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: How's it going?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, if you did give$500 or$50 or$5 in the past, let me show you where your contribution made things happen for us.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_02: So when I do come back and ask you for something else, you'll be more aligned to say, oh yeah, the money I did contribute to their organization did go to a good use.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So checking in and engaging interest and engagement and conveying impact.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Those are two things that would make me feel very good.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, like you say, hey, we have this new program.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Would you be interested in learning more about this?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Or this is how you contributed, and these were the results.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: You made it a great point.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: The way that I talked to my best friend is not the way that I'm gonna talk to someone I'd met for the first time.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: That is a huge distinction.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: And it completely changes how someone feels when they open your email.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: And frankly, I think that donors can tell when they're just getting a copy-pasted campaign blast that goes out to everybody.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but to actually send those relationship-building messages, you have to know who you're talking to, like your new donors, like your recurring donors, like your lapsed folks, like your event volunteers, your major donors, your mid-level donors, and a lot of, I'd like to say a lot of small organizations, but I'd say really any organization can hear the word segmentation and immediately panic.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: It sounds like it's a lot of work.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so how can organizations start grouping these donors, both if they do have our CRM or if they're just working out of a spreadsheet?
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have any good tips there?
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes, yes.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: And in segmentation does not have to be scary.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: Anyone who's listening, I'm gonna hold your hand in spirit when I say this.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: But I would start with let's start with six, Jenna.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: And you can modify these, but this is a good framework that I think any organization, regardless of size, can focus on.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: I would start with new donors for the first one.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: I would also start with uh existing or returning donors.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: I would start with recurring donors, people who give every month.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: I would start with also laps donors, people who may have given one time six months ago, and we call them like the win-back audience, the dormant.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: I would also include a list of volunteers, people who give their time, just as valuable, if not more valuable, than actually money, because I'm giving my hard-earned time.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_02: And the last uh group I would say is possibly event attendees, people who may not be so invested in your day-to-day mission, but they've probably gone to one of your events and you want to move them a little deeper into your ecosystem.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I would start with six new donors, existing or returning donors, the recurring donors, whether that's monthly or quarterly, uh labs donors, people who've may have given one time and you may need to just reach out to them and say, hey, no pressure.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: I know you gave X amount of dollars six months ago, but let me show you if you would want to come back in our ecosystem, this is how your dollars can help us.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: Volunteers, and last but not least, those who attended any of your events, whether that's in-person or virtual.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think that's great.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's very doable even for a one-person shop, right?
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: These are just small basic tags.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is not like a ton of data analysis.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if you're using a spreadsheet, that's easy to see.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but certainly if you're using a CRM, especially like donor box CRM, these are reports that you can very easily pull within your parameters and just add a tag to it, right?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then whatever email system you're using, make sure that you're sending different communications for each of those tabs, right?
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: The messages don't have to be a complete rework of your newsletter, but just catering that language a little bit to make sure that they feel like they're being seen, like you know who they are, um, really makes a big difference.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like you said earlier, um, the way that you're talking to major donors is not the same way you're talking to your brand new donors.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I would highly suggest if you're using a spreadsheet, which we're not going to frown upon, I believe that there's a better solution.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_02: So I would definitely highly encourage you to check out DonorBox because segmentation is not about being fancy, Jenna.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's about being respectful.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: That is the quote of the day.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: Segmentation is not about being fancy, it's about being respectful.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, speaking to of keeping things manageable, whatever system you're using, um I think automation comes up a lot during giving season.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I think this is your bread and butter, Darren.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about this a lot about keeping um a human in the driver's seat for quality control.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think again, people can stray away from automation because either they just don't know how it works or they feel like they want to make sure that things are happening when they need to happen, how they need to happen.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, what can nonprofits actually automate during giving season without sounding cold or robotic or letting silly mistakes slip through with their systems?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: What I'm really hearing the concerns from leaders is how can organizations gain efficiency without making donors feel like they're talking to a machine, right?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I would say the clearest principle would be to automate the process around the relationship and not the relationship itself.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: So, what machines are really good at?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: Machines are good at sending immediate receipts.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, I just contributed X amount of dollars and I get an immediate receipt.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: It does not need to be a human.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: Applying tags.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're using a system like donor box, the system can help you automatically apply tags.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: Routing information, if I have Mary, Susie, Bob, and Darren uh in my back office, depending on if this person emails, it can be routed to that person.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: That can be done with a system.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: Creating tasks, alerting a staff member.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Someone gave$500 or more dollars.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: I may need to alert it to Jenna to pick up the phone and call them.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_02: Identifying missing information, updating dashboards, preparing a first draft just to give you a framework, and reminding someone to follow up.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_02: However, on the flip side, what people must continue to own, that would be, of course, using proper judgment.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: That would put your eyes on anything that is being sent out.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: That is focusing on gratitude, picking up the phone, having a warm person to say, hey, Darren, you gave X amount of dollars.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a real person and I'm calling to just thank you.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: That goes a long way, just like a handwritten note does.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, any sensitive communication, um, handling major donor relationships.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: I would not outsource a major donor relationship to just an email.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_02: Actually, have the in-person time with uh that person in deciding whether someone needs a personal phone call or a note or not.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think automation should help you be more human, not less.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we actually uh publish an episode on exactly this how you should always have your hands on the wheel, right?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: But so a quick question for you thinking about setting up these automations, would September be the right month for that?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: I would use August to really assess what automations that you may have now, what automations you've used in the past that you may want to double down on, you may want to kind of tweak.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: So, really allow this month of August to really get your housekeeping in order.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I would use September to start building the correct automations that will really give your time back.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: Think about how you can use it to be able to actually pick up the phone, right?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: If a single automation helps you make two extra phone calls that week, I would call that a link.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now, uh, we're actually planning a full episode on staff culture and well-being.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, giving season can really run folks ragged.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I don't think that we can talk about giving season without touching on that very human side.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it can be famous for burnout.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: What is one quick warning or boundary you'd give a team to help them protect their sanity during this year-end rush?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: I would say have very clear lanes for your team.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: When things are a little unclear and chaotic, that is where the mistrust happens on your team side and on the end-user side when it's time for someone to donate.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: So uh people can handle a tense period, but it has to be very clear what we're doing, why does it matter?
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what what is it that this person on the team owns?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Very clear guidelines.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_02: When is it due?
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: Everything can be a tiger that's trying to eat us alive.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: We have to have clear priorities.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: When can something wait?
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_02: If I'm focusing on A, B, and C, D, E, and F may need to wait until Giving Tuesday or after that.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: And who makes the final decision?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: So when everything feels urgent and unclear, that is where burnout happens.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_02: And when everyone's responsible, no one is truly accountable, to be honest.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think that is such a good reminder.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And you cannot serve your mission well if your team is running on empty and if there is no ownership, right?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: To close this out, we've covered several months of planning.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: This may be a question on people's minds.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: Once giving season wraps up, January hits.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: I can't believe we're already talking about January.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but most people just kind of want to take a beat, not think about fundraising for a while.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: But I think the question is what specific data or lessons should teams actually assess while it's fresh before they go into January shutdown mode, right?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Where should this info live so it doesn't just die in your Google Drive?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: And when do you think would be the best time to pull it out to set next year's strategy?
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: I would use January as a period of reflection and assessing what worked, what did not work, and use it as a lesson learned, a debriefing with your team, really slow down.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_02: So January should convert activity into institutional knowledge, right?
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, an organization just survives December, takes a breath, and then is repeating that same cycle.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: So you asked me what should organizations review in January?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I think this should be in five categories.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: The first one would be the money.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: What was raised?
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: What was the average gift?
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_02: How many new recurring and returning donors gave your experience?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, where did donors encounter friction?
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: Were there any mobile problems, any failed payments, or common questions that came up?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe we can update our FAQs for next time.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_02: What about the messages?
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: Which emails, stories, and audiences performed best?
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_02: Which ones did not perform best?
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: Let's move on to relationships.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_02: Who still needs a personal thank you?
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_02: A phone call, or just a general follow-up message?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: And last but not least, I would focus on operations.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: What caused the most stress?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: What was confusing?
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_02: Or what was this is a small thing, but it's a silent killer for a lot of teams.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_02: Duplicated work.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: Jenna's working on the same thing as Darren, the same thing as Susie.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: So really identify those things.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: Also, all of this information should definitely not live in someone's head.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: It cannot be buried in a bunch of emails.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think it should leave in a one-page Google Doc for retrospect at least, a dashboard or a spreadsheet for performance.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: I like project management software too, such as like Asana, Mundy.com.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: So a project board for improvements, because this is something that's ongoing year after year.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: So you do not want to recreate the wheel.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, a CRM like donor box for donor specific notes.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_02: So The timeline when things should be used, I would say January should be to thank people to have clean data and document lessons, the lessons learned with your team.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: March or April to really repair the systems and implement improvements.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: And then we'll start it again in August to reopen the lessons for planning the next given season.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, you gave us a full year timeline there.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: So certainly we're gonna have to have you back for check-ins as we plug through these months, documenting it while pain points are fresh, the winds are fresh.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's just such a game changer for your next year of planning.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: Now, okay, before I let you go, Darren, um you do so much heavy lifting, um, helping nonprofits untangle all of their tech and really just build high converting systems that help them focus more on that human side.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: So, where can our listeners connect with you, learn more about your work, or reach out if they need help getting their tech ready for giving season?
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Jenna.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_02: So our website is m is in Mary the number three.media.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: So just m3.media, not.com at the end.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you can contact me on LinkedIn, of course, it's Darren Cook.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but if you go to our website, m3.media, which will lead to mymogamedia.com, if you look at the far right hand corner, you should see a button that says book a call.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's a complimentary call with me.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: We can take a deep dive at your systems and let's just do an audit, no pressure, just to see if there's a good fit.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, love helping nonprofit leaders who are doing amazing work.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: And it's important to remember, even with January, January is not the end of giving season.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: It's the beginning of next year's strategy.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: And even right now in in August, there's not a lot of time, but there's enough time if we start early to really get you in the best shape so that you can have the impact you want.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the biggest takeaway, right?
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: Is that giving season is not just a single sprint at the end, right?
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's about creating clean touch points, sending thoughtful messages, and just putting those simple systems in place that can help your donors feel seen and help your team stay sane.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And by the way, if you want a practical roadmap to help you plan and execute your campaign step by step, starting right now, Donor Box actually has a complete guide on our blog titled Giving Season Maximize Donations with a three-step roadmap.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it breaks down everything that we just talked about from setting your goals in late summer to writing appeals, choosing campaign tools, and that follow-up in January.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll make sure that we drop a link in the show notes so that you can check it out.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Darren, thank you so much for this.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for always having me, Jenna.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: You got it.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: We'll definitely have to have you back this giving season to make sure that you're holding us accountable.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: A thoughtful and practical conversation.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for being a part of the nonprofit podcast community.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Your work matters, and we are honored to support it.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: So if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a colleague, leave us a review, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, take that first step and stay inspired.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: That warm feeling when you help someone, it's not just happiness, it's fulfillment.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: And we believe it should be available to everyone.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: From frontline heroes to first time fundraisers.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Our tools empower you to help others.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is our mission.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is Donorbox helping you help others.