Time for Spring Maintenence
Posted by danosky | Posted in The Philanthropy Therapist | Posted on 11-04-2012
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Dear Friends,
It’s spring…at least I think it is! The weather is warm, and my yard is looking brown a
nd bleak. That’s usually a sign that I have to invest some time to make sure that things are growing and glowing so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Is it springtime in your development office? It’s time to invest the effort in doing development spring cleaning. So, I developed a little chart to help us think about some of the things we should be looking at as we all get ready for the next “planting” season.
Here are the top ten ways to tend your development landscape in the next month:
| 10. Clean out your gutters | Make sure your database and donor lists are up to date and that you’re not carrying a lot of outdated and inaccurate information. |
| 9. Till the gardens | Add the names of all the new friends you have made along the way. |
| 8. Pull out the weeds | Look at your fundraising efforts over the last year and eliminate those tactics that didn’t work so well. |
| 7. Aerate and rake the lawn | Review your basic strategies and make sure they are up to date and in place. |
| 6. Bring in some topsoil | Renew your efforts and include some fresh ideas. |
| 5. Fertilize the plants | Take a good look at your donors who lapsed and find ways to re-engage them. |
| 4. Put down the mulch | Make sure your fundraising plan is current and covering all the ground you can. |
| 3. Power Wash the deck | Get rid of the superfluous activity and let the core activities shine through. |
| 2. Fill the planters and keep watered | Cultivate those donors and thank them for all they’ve done. |
| 1. Sit back and reap the benefits | Spend some time with those special donors and volunteers and, dare I say, take time to smell the roses. |
OK – now let’s hope the rains will come and everything will turn green! Happy Spring.