Julie Ordoñez will outline a proven strategy, messaging and action steps you can implement right away to close major gifts faster, ethically.
Full Transcript:
Steven: All right, Julie, I got 3:00 Eastern, is it okay if I go ahead and get things kicked off officially?
Julie: Let’s do it.
Steven: All right, awesome. Well, good afternoon, everybody. Good morning, if you’re on the West Coast, I guess by two minutes, it’s still afternoon. But no matter when and where you are, I hope you’re having a good day.
We’re here to talk about 3 steps to closing over $10,000 gifts by December 31st. That’s right. We’re in the final stretches of year-end, and there’s still some cool things that you can do. And we’re going to give you those tips today. So I’m so glad you’re here. It’s awesome to see a full room when it’s such a busy time of year. So thanks for taking the time.
I’m Steven. I’m over here at Bloomerang, and I’ll be moderating today’s discussion as always. And just a couple of quick housekeeping items, just want to let you all know that we are recording this session, and will be sending out the recording as well as the slides later on today.
So if you have to leave early or maybe you get interrupted by a co-worker or a toddler, if you’re working at home or something, don’t worry, we will get all those good things in your hands later on today. You won’t miss anything I promise. But most importantly, I know a lot of you already have, but, please, use that chatbox on your webinar screen, on your Zoom screen there.
We’re going to try to save some time for Q&A at the end. So don’t be shy. We’d love to hear from you, introduce yourself if you haven’t already. There’s also a Q&A box, specifically. If you put your question in there, it might have a little bit more visibility. That’s just a insider tip for you. But no matter where you ask that question, we’ll see it, and we will try to get to it before the 4:00 Eastern hour here.
You can also tweet us those questions and comments, we’d love to hear from you there. I’ll keep an eye on it. But bottom line is, we’d love to hear from you. And if this is your first Bloomerang webinar, just want to say an extra special welcome to all you folks.
We do these webinars just about every Thursday throughout the year. I think this is Session Number 50 on the year. This is going to be an awesome way to close things out.
But in addition to these webinars, if you’ve never heard of Bloomerang, we are a provider of donor management software. That’s what Bloomerang is. And if you are interested in that, maybe you’re thinking about making a switch before the end of the year, check us out. Visit our website. There’s all kinds of videos you can watch. You can really get a good sense of what we’re all about.
And we got some specials running right now too for year-end. So jump on that if you want. But don’t do that right now. Wait at least an hour because, dang, I’m excited. This is going to be a really, really awesome way to end the webinar season, Session Number 50. Joining us from beautiful Los Angeles is my pal, Julie Ordonez. Julie, how are you doing? You’re doing okay?
Julie: I’m great. Hi, Steven. I’m so excited to be here.
Steven: You’re bringing the sunshine.
Julie: Woo-hoo.
Steven: Yeah, I’m so happy. We’ve been talking about this for a while, and it’s awesome that it’s finally here.
I’ve been getting to know Julie over the past few months and is just an awesome person. I think you’re really going to enjoy what she has to say. If you don’t know Julie, check her out. She’s an executive fundraising coach. She has been in your shoes. She’s got over a decade of experience.
In fact, she was one of the top performers at the United Way in LA. So she definitely knows what she’s talking about here. She’s got a lot of really cool things going on. She’s got one-on-one coaching. She’s got a really cool coaching accelerator called CourageLab she was telling me about before we got going here.
Definitely want to connect with her after that, and also has a new Major Gifts mastermind group kicking up as well. So lots of cool things going on. You’re going to have some opportunities to connect with her afterwards. I think you’re going to want to do that after you hear her presentation because she’s just a wealth of knowledge.
So, Julie, I’m going to pipe down. I’ve already taken up too much time away from you. They want to hear from you, not me. So I’ll let you pull up your beautiful slides.
Julie: Woo-hoo. Let’s do it . . .
Steven: The floor will be yours.
Julie: Thank you, Steven. I really appreciate you letting me be here and inviting me, and let’s do it. We’re going to have a great time. So let me share my slides with you all. Here we go. We good? Can you see that? Excellent.
Steven: Yeah.
Julie: Okay. So this is all about you. I’m here to support you. It is not too late to raise major gifts this year. Okay? Are you with me? So I want this to be interactive. I want to hear from you in the chat. I’m going to ask you questions. I want to hear your questions, your comments, your responses. Does that sound good?
So this is step by step how you can close 10k plus gifts by December 31st. It is not too late. Everybody cares about Giving Tuesday, right? Giving Tuesday is an amazing day of giving. And yet the most charitable giving that happens in all of the calendar year is December 31st. It actually knocks Giving Tuesday out of the park. So I want you to keep that in mind that it’s not too late.
So here’s what we’re going to cover. We are going to talk about and assess, what are the biggest barriers that you’re facing to closing these 10k gifts from individuals? And I’m going to help you figure out what to do about it. And then we’ll do some Q&A and some hot seat coaching if you’re into it.
Ask your questions, put them in the Q&A, in the chat, and I can actually answer them as we go as well. So here we go. Are you ready? Put it in the chat, I’m ready. I want to hear from you. Again, this is interactive. And I don’t want this to just be a one-way conversation.
Woo-hoo. Everybody’s ready. Great.
So who am I? I’m Julie Ordonez, like Steven said, and I have been a major gifts officer. I’ve been a development director, and I’ve had over 12 years of experience being a fundraiser. I’m based in Los Angeles. I’m originally from Houston. So you might hear a little bit of a twang because that’s how I do it. This is me talking.
And when I started my development career, I honestly just needed a job. Okay, anybody like that? You’re like, yeah, I didn’t know fundraising was a full-time thing. And I was totally lost, clueless, didn’t know what I was doing. And I got some training. I’m so grateful that I got that training, but I had really very little mentorship and guidance. How many of you can relate to that? You get a lot of training, but not a lot of mentorship and guidance.
If that sounds like you, put “me” in the chat. Me. I want to hear it. Yep, that’s me. I get training, my employer pays for me to go to these conferences, webinars, but I prioritize that, but I really could use a mentor. Right, that was me.
So I ended up at United Way. And at United Way, I had this most amazing boss. Oh, I just wish that everybody could have the boss that I had. And she really guided me and mentored me. So I not only got kick-ass training, but I got mentorship.
And that made the biggest difference for me in going from struggling and feeling insecure, honestly, right, and fearful of talking to major donors to raising a million a year from individuals to up to 2.5 million a year. And now my clients who I work with regularly raise 10k, six figures and seven-figure gifts unrestricted from individuals.
And the biggest piece for me was mentorship and that guidance, right? So some of you need to prioritize that. And it’s so great that you’re here today. Hopefully, you can connect with other people who are in the chat and get a mentor.
And, look, the biggest thing that I see in terms of people regularly raising major gifts is not that we aren’t willing to work hard. There’s no lack of work ethic in our sector, right? And it’s not that we don’t even have major donors, honestly. Right? It’s that we lack the courage to talk to people who have financial wealth about giving above and beyond and giving their very best gifts to our organization.
So that’s what I’m going to help you with today. The biggest piece is the thing that you have the most control over. Do you hear what I’m saying? Courage, you have direct control over your personal level of courage, and there is no greater factor that will affect your results than that. There may not be anybody else telling you this, but it’s true.
So we’re going to talk about scripts, and strategy, and tactics, yes, but we’re also going to step into greater courage. So I want you to put in the chat, “I’m ready to step into greater courage.” Put “courage” in the chat if you’re ready to do that. If you’re ready to have uncomfortable conversations that are momentary.
Momentary discomfort is worth the life change that, that gift will create, isn’t it? That’s right, courage. Look at all of you. You’re beautiful. And you already are courageous. It just has to do with your actions, the choices you make, and the way that you see yourself. It’s already there.
Nancy says, “I wish I can give courage to our ED.” Well, it ain’t too late for them to join. So if they want to get on the webinar, they can get the recording. You can send it to them. I got plenty of videos on my YouTube that they can watch about how to build more courage. It starts with you.
So I want you to tell me which one of these sounds most like you, related to getting 10k gifts. Number 1, if this sounds like you, put a 1 in the chat. I have a mental list of people that I hope will give a major gift, but I haven’t asked them for a specific amount. If that sounds like you, put it in the chat. One, if you’re really honest, that’s me.
There are some people, I have, it’s a mental list, and I’m hoping that they will read my mind, and I’m hoping that they will give a lot of money, right? No judgment. There’s no judgment here. If you’re not a one, you probably been a one in the past, right? It’s all good.
Number 2. If this sounds like you, “I ask for specific amounts, but I have no clue when they’re going to give.” They could give on December 31st. They could give tomorrow. They could give in February when they get their corporate bonus check. I just honestly don’t know. I wish I knew. If that’s you, put a two in the chat? Don’t see too many twos. Steven, do you see a lot of twos? I see some ones.
All right. Okay. Got a few twos. Number 3, there’s 4 total. So hang in there if they haven’t called your number yet. “I have donors who said they will give, but they haven’t yet.” I’m pretty sure that they could give this quarter, but I’m just waiting for them to do it. Right? If that’s you, great.
Number 4 is not too different from Number 3, but it’s slightly different. I have donors who have given last year, or they’ve given previously, but lately they are ghosting me.
And you can be a combo deal, friend. So if you’re a one, two, three, four, put it all in there. No judgment here. I know Steven ain’t judging you. I’m certainly not.
Tell me in the chat, which one are you? Scott says he’s a combo. I hear you, Scott.
Yes, I see it.
Do you have a zero? Oh, Lisa. Lisa, you’re not a zero.
Okay. All of the above. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. Great. Now, it’s good to know where you’re at. Right? And this assessment is important. You need to get honest with yourself because we’re going to solve the problem here.
“What if you just started and there are no previous notes?”
Ew, Lauren, I am so sorry. Well, you get to set the example and use Bloomerang to capture all those meeting notes with all the people you’re going to call. Just start building relationships.
Just start contacting people, say, “Hey, I know you’re not new to the organization, but I’m new, and I’d love to get to know you better. I’d love to understand why you give for so many years. You’ve been a loyal donor.” Right? Try to build relationships and just connect with people. Do that. Start there.
Start with the people you’ve got. Start with the volunteers, start with the donors, no matter what amount they give. Build relationships and get to know each other. Yeah? I hope that’s helpful.
So here’s what we’re going to do, if you said Number 1, put in the chat, “That’s me.” I want you to be paying attention. This is your solution. Me, I’m Number 1. You’ve a mental list, but you don’t ask for a specific amount.
Yep, Sam, I see you.
The more direct and clear you are, the more direct and clear your donors are going to be with you. You teach people how to relate to you. So if you’re vague, if you say things like, “Let me know what you decide,” that doesn’t sound vague, but it is. It’s not a question. It’s not time-bound. You’re not asking for any information. You’re just saying, “Let me know,” right?
How many people tell you let me know something, and then you forget to let them know? Versus, “If you plan to give this year, will you reply to this email by the end of this week to give me a sense of when that will be? Do you plan to give this week? Do you plan to give the last week of the year? Does the calendar year matter to you? And if I don’t hear from you, expect to get a follow-up from me next week.” Right?
So you see how clear that is? It’s like, ask the question that you’re asking in your head. Just be direct and ask that. Executives are clear. You are an executive. And clear is kind. I want you to say that to yourself anytime that you feel like you might, this is too direct. “Ew, it’s too much. I can’t be this direct,” right? Yes, you can and you must. Your mission calls for that.
Rachel says #ilovebrenebrowntoo.
Yes. She says this. She says, “Clear is kind,” and it is kind, right? Isn’t it so annoying when somebody is beating around the bush, or they’re trying to get something from you, and you’re just like, “Oh, what do you need? What do you want? Just cut to the chase. I don’t have time for these games.” Your donors are thinking the same thing.
So, Steven, I think people are raising their hands. Should I be paying attention to that? I want to be helpful.
Okay. So if you said Number 1, that’s your solution. I want you to be direct. I want you to ask for what you need. If that’s you, I want you to put in the chat, “Yes, I’m going to do that. I’m going to do it. I’m a one and I’m going to be direct because executives are clear. I’m an executive and clear is kind.” Let me know in the chat.
Number 2 . . .
Yes, good. “I will be direct. I will be kind.” Amazing. Amazing. I love it. “Clear is oh, so kind. I’m a one, and I’m going to do it.” Fabulous.
Number 2, if you said Number 2, this is for you. “I ask for a specific amount but I don’t know when they’re going to give.” Great. I love that you ask for a specific amount. So good. Beautiful. Great job. Pat on the back. Tell yourself, “Self, you did great.” “You did great, Julie.” Do it. Tell yourself. I don’t care if it feels weird. Do it.
I want you to ask them questions, “Hey, so does the calendar year matter to you in your charitable giving?” “Does the calendar year matter to you in your charitable giving?” If they are a major donor, the answer is 99.9999% yes. Okay? Because of the tax deduction. Now, that’s not the only motivation for them giving, but yes, that is a factor. And they will care about that.
So just ask them, make sure, “Hey, if that’s the case, amazing, then I’ll expect your gift before December 31st. And just as a courtesy to you, I’m happy to send some friendly reminders in order to remind you to make your gift, you can do that here online.” Make it easy for them.
“Last year, you know, I saw that you gave through a credit card, a MasterCard. Do you want to do that again?” Yes, I know not all of you are in the U.S. It’s true. And some people the calendar year isn’t going to matter but, right, the session of, that we’re doing today is all about how to get 10k gifts before December 31st.
And for a lot of people, that is the case. And some people may want to do it before the end of the year. So these tactics can be used, whether or not you’re in the U.S. You can ask people these questions, “Do you plan to make your charitable giving before the end of the calendar year? Does that matter to you?”
Even asking those questions, right, and just understanding what matters to the donor is going to be really helpful for you. So let me know in the chat, “That’s me. I’m going to ask.” Put that in the chat if that’s you. If you said Number 3, they haven’t given yet, great.
This is a chance for you to inspire your donor to make the donation now. The moment that they get your communication, whether that’s over email, if it’s a phone call, if it’s a text message, if it’s a voice memo, if it’s a personalized video, whatever it is, this is a chance for you. Your job is to constantly inspire your donors. It’s to inspire them to give and to take action, to create an emotional moment where they are moved to give.
And as clearly and concisely as you can do that, do it. And in order for you to do that effectively, you need to stay inspired. Right? So what are the ways in which you can prioritize you being inspired by your work? I need you to do that, so that you can continually inspire your donors.
So when you’re following up, make sure that you’re prioritizing talking about the impact above even your fundraising goals. It’s great if you’re 60%, 70% to goal, like a lot of my clients are. But what matters more is you want to inspire people to make a difference, right, to make life change possible. That’s why they’re giving, not to necessarily help you with your fundraising goal.
So if your follow-ups for your asks are all about your goal, “We’re 70% to goal. Help us get there.” Eh, not necessarily the most inspiring message, right?
Instead, you can say, “Hey, you are helping us to change the lives of kids like Sam, and I know that that’s why you give because you want to see more students have mentorship and change the trajectory of their life. That’s what you do when you give, and we’re so grateful. Here’s the link for you to give.”
You see, that’s a totally different message than, “We’re 70% to goal, help us get there.” So put in the chat, “make sense.” If that’s you, this is making sense to you, let me know. Makes sense. Impact is more important than fundraising goals.
Your fundraising goals are great, and you should let your board members know, “Hey, this is the wins that we’re getting. This is how we’re getting closer and closer to our goal,” so that they can see all of the progress and the momentum. That’s really great for them to see and build credibility and trust with you and your fundraising team. But everybody else, the reason that they’re giving is because they want to change the world. Yeah?
So Number 4, this is for those of you who have been ghosted, are you ready? They’re ghosting me. Listen, hun, your emails are too long. Okay? I know you love long emails, but you got to stop that. You got to stop it. Your emails are too long. If you know that’s you, say in the chat, “I know, my emails are too long. I know they’re too long.”
You write 16 paragraph emails, and somewhere in there, there’s a question or a let me know. “Let me know, when you get a chance when it’s convenient for you, Bob.”
Lexie says, “Not me.” Good for you.
Oh, yeah, you know, yours are too long. Here’s the key to why they are. You want to know why they’re too long? Because, you might not like this, but we’re friends now. Okay.
What’s really going on is its a scarcity mentality. You believe that this is the only time that you’re going to get these people’s attention. You don’t actually believe that you’ll be able to get a meeting with them, or they’re going to read another email. So you better get it all in now, baby, because this is the one-shot you’ve got. And that is not true.
Get to the point, cut it in half, and then cut it in half again. Just say, “Okay, what is the purpose of this email here? Is it because I really need the answer to this one question?” One question. And the question is, “Are you planning to give before the end of the calendar year?” That is literally the question.
So they might be ghosting you because they open up your damn email, and it is just 17 pages long, and they’re like, “Oh, my word. I don’t have time for this.” Do you have time for an email as long as the emails that you send? No, you don’t. I don’t.
Oh, don’t you appreciate it when somebody’s like, “Hey, following up here, haven’t heard from you. Hope you’re okay. What’s the answer to my question?” And they’ll be like, “Oh, sorry. Jessica, you’re right. I apologize, it’s taking me so long. The answer’s yes, we’re going to give.” Wouldn’t you love to know that? Then just ask the question.
What are the fewest words possible that you can use to inspire action, someone to take action right then? Be clear, get to the point. Okay? How do you make sure the tone is okay when using brevity?
Now, Jessica, tone in an email, right, we’re more likely to interpret tone when there’s a relationship there. When you don’t know people and you’re emailing them, you don’t have any control over how they interpret your tone in an email. So let’s control the controllables here that is out of your control.
You could have the most clear intentions to be the kindest and warmest you possibly can, and somebody may still interpret that as you being too harsh, too direct, too this, too that. That’s why this takes courage. And we have to make a decision, right?
What’s more important? Someone believing that I’m warm and kind at the end of the day if I have to choose or finding out if they’re going to give $10,000? I’ll take the 10k every day because, I mean, I can’t control what people think of me anyways. There might be people who believe that you’re already not kind.
Okay. I crack myself up. Right? It’s just what freaks us out about it is when we discover what they believe about us. They might already believe that about you right now. You got to move forward and build your mission anyways. So be as kind, and as respectful, and clear as you can. Remember, clear is kind.
Okay. So moving on. I want to know so far what . . . Put in the chat, what is your biggest takeaway from what we have assessed so far about barriers to closing gifts? What’s your biggest takeaway? Put it in the chat now.
Be concise. Just do the damn follow-ups. Courage to give donors the opportunity to give. Yes, it is an opportunity. You are changing the world. You’re absolutely right. And it is a blessing for them to give to you.
Brevity, clear questions. Yes. Be specific, be concise, all fear-based. Don’t judge yourself for being afraid and being clear. It’s okay. It’s okay to be afraid. The difference between people who are full of fear and they allow it to stop them, and the difference between people who are full of fear and they’re courageous is the actions that they take. That’s it.
Courageous people are also afraid. They just do not allow it to stop them. They just don’t.
Mary says, “Get to the point.” Can’t control people thinking.
You know, you sure can’t. It’s an illusion. It is a waste of time and energy. You will have the best intentions. You will do your very, very, very best. And some people will still misunderstand or misinterpret and that ain’t your job.
Ask if the donor is planning to give by 12/31. Yes, just straight up. That’s all the email needs to say. Please do not put, “I hope this finds you well.” Don’t do it. Resist. Resist the temptation. Nobody’s like, man, I hope this finds you . . . I hope you’re doing really crappy. Is anybody sending an email like that? Right? No, you’re like, “Of course, I hope this finds you well.” I mean, help the donor make the donation?
Yes. You’re your own barrier. Don’t do it, Carol. You got this, Carol. YWCA Hartford, you got this. I know what you’re doing really matters. Ask the real questions and use less words. Yes. Cut it in half and then cut it in half again.
Write up your next email and then be like, “Okay, so how can I say this even quicker, even shorter, even more effectively, even more concisely, even more powerfully?
Yes, build relationships. Get to know people, Chad. And you know how you get to know people, you ask them questions and you’re genuinely curious. Yes, email. Send all kinds of channels. If you know that your donor follows you on Instagram or they like you on Facebook, then message them on there. Why not? Clear is kind.
I love all of these takeaways. That’s good. Y’all are LOL-ing. That’s great.
Anna says, “Are these individual emails or bulk through a giving platform?”
As long as they’re personalized, I don’t think it matters. So what I would choose for you to do is focus on your top 20 or your top 25 donors who are your major donors who are likely to give this year or who have given in December in the past, in the past three years, let’s say. Those are the people you need to focus on and following up with, constantly.
“What’s a good subject line?”
Stephanie, we’re going to crowdsource this. So, in the chat, I want you to answer Stephanie’s question. She says, “What’s a good subject line for the question, do you plan to give by December 31st?” I like, “Following up on your year-end gift.” I like, “Your giving this year.”
You could have it say their first name and then thank you. You could have it say their first name and then you’re changing lives. “It’s not too late to give.” Yeah, Melissa, not too late to give. That’s great. Perfect. Okay. Let’s move on. Great takeaways. It’s very good.
So here’s the three steps and this is kind of like helping you. This is very, very practical. So these are action items. So I hope you’re taking notes. I hope you are going to be adding these things to your calendar, to your appointments.
And this is going to be basically what can you do this week and next week? What can you do the third week of, or the fourth week of December and the fifth week of December? So I’m kind of going to calendar it out for you. Here we go. So this week and next week, I want you to . . .
The first step is going to be to ask again. So for those of you who’ve asked for a specific amount, it’s fabulous, you need to remind your donor of what you asked for, and you need to do it again.
Ideally, this can be done over Zoom. If it’s too late for that, and you have too many donors that you need to contact, then you can call them on the phone. You can send them voice memos, if you have their cell phone. If you don’t have a relationship like that, then you can send them a personalized video and email it to them, and record yourself talking to the camera like I’m doing right now, and make the ask again.
So, some of them, they just need to be reminded, like, what the heck did we talk about? I’ve slept since then, you know. Like, I need a reminder. People have a lot going on right now. The benefit of the doubt goes a very long way. So sample scripts here could be, “Hey, I’m following up on our previous conversation. Will you consider giving $25,000 this year in supporting youth in San Francisco? You’re helping to change lives of these students.”
You know, you could say something like in one sentence, “You are helping kids go from bullied, and disconnected, and really struggling in the classroom to becoming a leader in their community amongst their peers and applying for college.” You see, so in that one sentence, I’m able to show you the impact that you have. You help kids go from this to this is kind of the template there.
You can do this with anything. You can do this with a animal or dog shelter. You can do this if you have an environmental organization. You can do this, even if you’re in advocacy. Whatever your mission might be, there is a way to succinctly talk about your message and what it is, the impact. Remember, impact matters most. And reminding the donor the impact in the ask. You need to do it again, right? And then make it really easy for them to give.
So here’s how you can give. Here’s the link to give. And then you could say, “If I don’t hear from you in the next week or so, I’ll plan to follow up this time next week.” So you can let them know, expect to hear from me again, just as a friendly reminder.
These types of things are so helpful, and are so customer service oriented because your donors have a lot going on. They have lives, right? We all do. We have families. We have responsibilities. We have been through this pandemic. It has been hell. How about you? It’s been very hard to be a human being these days. So let’s give our donors the benefit of the doubt. Let’s make it as easy as possible for them to give a lot of money.
And if they’ve planned to give this December, which a lot of these people do, then we want to make it very easy for them to do that.
Yeah, Leanna, so you need to be clear and direct and ask them for what you need? “Are you planning to make a gift this year?” Right? You could ask that question. “What would be a meaningful contribution to you?” These are really great questions to ask.
Okay. So then December Week 4, I want you to, like we talked about, inspire them, right? So inspire them to take action right now. If you can really create an emotional moment where they’re connecting with the impact that they’re going to have, then they might just give before December 31st. Right?
So here’s an example of that. You’re reminding again, the benefit of the doubt, are you hearing a pattern and a theme? “I’m following up with you because I know that you care deeply about what we do, and I know that you want to change lives.”
See, so here’s an example that I wrote, right? Y’all can read it. I ain’t reading it. You helped make this possible. I put phone number here. I would do this for people who have maybe been communicative with you, they’ve engaged with you and corresponded over email, or they’ve come to events in the past, or you’ve met them, you know them.
If they like to give through credit card, you can offer to just take their credit card information over the phone, I’ve had board members and people who are close to the organization really appreciate that because it just makes it as easy as possible. Like, yeah, I really don’t . . . I’m, like, on a plane, or I’m traveling, or I have all this work stuff and I’m slammed. So yeah, if you could just do that, run that for me, that would be great.
What do you think about asking about other giving? I think a lot about that. Ask them, “Who else are you giving to this giving season? Are there other charitable gifts that you plan to make?” Here’s one of my favorite questions, “Where does our organization fall in your charitable giving priorities?” Boom. You’re welcome.
And then you can say, here’s a follow-up question if you’re really brave, which is what I teach my clients to do, “What would it take for us to become your top priority in your philanthropy? What would it take?”
Ew, baby, you ask that, maybe somebody will be like, “Yeah, well, the reason I’ve only given you this much money is because y’alls vision is really small. You haven’t brought me any million-dollar ideas.” Ew. And you better get your prospectus together, honey. You better get something together because you got people who can give big money, and they would do it. Right?
But you just probably haven’t asked, or they just think you’re satisfied being small. Are you? Are you satisfied with that? I’m not. I’m not satisfied with that for you. I’m not okay with it. I want you to raise more.
Carol says, “Yes to all these questions.”
You all better put in the chat “yes.” If this is resonating with you, you better put yes. “Yes. I’m going to ask for more.” “Yes. This makes sense to me.” “Yes, I hear you, Julie.” This ain’t for me. This is for you.
Okay. So that’s the fourth week of December. Send another inspirational thing. What is inspiring you, Karen, James, Julia, Sarah, another Julia, Togie, Louise, Carol, Mary Kate, Barbara, Scott, Lexie, what is inspiring you? What do you go home and you tell your spouse, your partner, your significant other, your family members, your friends? What do you tell them?
“Man, I love what I do.” “Wow, this thing happened today, and it was so beautiful and special. And it reminded me why I do this.” Share that with your donors. Right? Do it. What are those moments that you’re like, “Man, this is so meaningful, we really are making a difference.” Those moments, share them with your donors and be concise. And guess what I’m going to say? Cut it in half, and then cut it in half again.
Number 3, so this goes a long way. This also has to do with ghosting. So, “Hey, just sending a friendly reminder that you planned to give $10,000 this year.” If you know that somebody said, “Yes, I’m going to give again,” you can remind them, “Hey, you gave this,” or, “You said you were going to give this.
This is just your friendly reminder, do it. Here’s the link to do it.” Just send them a friendly reminder. And if they still haven’t given on December 31st, it is not too late. They can still do that.
I don’t really care for, “I know you’re good for that lunch.” But yeah, Rachel, I mean, you could just say, “I know that you plan to give.” If you’re feeling really brave, you could say, “Last year you gave $10,000, would you consider increasing your gift to 15, or 20, or whatever amount you pick? I know that you’re really passionate. I know that you care deeply about this work. And so that’s why I’m asking for the increase,” right?
So tying the increase into who they are and that you know that they care deeply about having this particular impact. If this is helpful to you, put in the chat, “helpful.” If you are taking notes, then put, “I’m taking notes.” I am giving you a lot of stuff that I usually share with only my clients because I really do want you to win, I want you to raise more. I want to give you the tools.
Sometimes just knowing what to say is so helpful, right? So sometimes you’re just like, “What do I say, ugh,” I get it.
Yes, Danielle, you will get a copy of the recording.
Seriously, Julie, you are magic. You are magic, Rachel. I am taking notes.
Yeah, some of y’all need to stop accepting people’s . . . You’re just settling. You’re settling for little gifts when people could give you way more. You need to get bold. You need to cast your vision. You’ve got a bold vision. You need to tell them what it is.
And you need to say, “Hey, this is an opportunity for you to be a part of something that we’re doing that is amazing, that is world-class, that is changing lives.” If you know you’re actually changing lives, then you need to act like it. Right, it is time to act like it. Put that in the chat. “It’s time to act like it.”
You are an executive, and you are inviting people to make a difference that they cannot create on their own. Do you hear what I am saying? How are these people going to go . . . If they could just give $10,000, then they could change people’s lives. Where else can they go to do that in the way that you do it, in the location that you do it in? They can’t.
Macro didn’t hear you. I know Marcus. I’m trying not to yell.
You’re going to raise so much more, friends. You are. The last week of the year is the most charitable week of the year. It’s not even Giving Tuesday. Do you hear what I’m saying? So if you did good for Giving Tuesday, that’s a sign you could do even more the last week of the year and December 31st.
And here’s a truth, bomb, you ain’t going like it. Some of y’all are taking off the last week of the year, and you’re missing out on major gifts because you haven’t taken off enough time during the calendar year when you should have taken a vacation. December 31st is the biggest giving day of the year. And I usually never take it off. For that reason, I raise six figures on December 31st.
So some of you need to take a vacation when you should have taken a vacation in June, July, August, whenever it was, so that you could have December 31st to be a money-making day, and you enter into 2022 with some fire under your britches, like, yeah, we’re going to get that. We’re growing. You hear what I’m saying?
You need to take a vacation. Take a vacation. It ain’t that serious. It’s holy and it’s sacred what you’re doing, and it ain’t that serious. You could take a vacation. Because December 31st is the day of giving. And some of you are exhausted, you’re exhausted, and you need to be getting that money in December 31st.
I really hope that you don’t take the whole day off. I hope that you automate your emails to remind people, “Hey, today’s the last day, if the calendar year matters to you. This is the last day for you to receive a tax deduction for your charitable giving. We would love to be considered your top priority for your charitable giving today.”
So if you know that you’re taking the last day off and you need to take it on, then what can you do between now and then? Can you take a longer weekend? Can you plan to take off the first week of January when everybody else is asleep at their desk anyways and ain’t nothing happening?
Put it in the chat. I’m going to take off January. The first week of January I’m going to take it off. Go ahead. If you know you need to take a vacation during the year so that you can be leveraging these major gifts. Do you hear what I’m saying? Okay, because I’m not trying to get you to burn out here.
And nobody has control over your burnout but you. Nobody. Okay. Here are ways you can stand out. So these are tips. These are ways to stand out because you know why you’re going to stand out because nobody does them. Nobody has time. I don’t have time to do this. Julie, I don’t have time. I don’t have time. I don’t have time and nobody does them.
And that’s what keeps you small, and your organization small, and your revenue small, and your staff small. It keeps you small. You need to make time for it, right? There are people who are going to give to you. You need to stand out. They get hundreds of emails every day. I don’t want you to stay small. I don’t want you to stay this tiny little team. I don’t want you to keep your impact small.
We are trying to change the world here, are we not? Say, put it in the chat. “I am trying to change the world.” We are changing the world. Yes, you are. So you need to stand out. You need to personalize, personalize, personalize, personalize. This needs to be personal.
When I email people, I look them up. I’m like, “Oh, you’re based in Houston. That’s where I’m from. That’s amazing. I’m going to be there for Christmas and New Year’s.” Right? Call people. Call them on the phone. If you have their number, why aren’t you calling them? They gave you their number. It ain’t like you got it because you held a gun up against their head. Excuse me for the violent image.
If they gave you their number, call them. And if they are pissed, if they’re like, “Why are you calling me?” “Well, we have your number here because you gave it to us, so I thought that it was okay to call. I’m so sorry. We can take you off the call list.” Just apologize and move on with your life. Right?
Text them. Be like, “Hey, I know that you typically give in December. We’d love for you to give again, here’s how you can do that.” Send a video. Send a personalized video. “Hey, Ethan, you know, we really appreciate all that you’ve done over the years. We’re following up with our most loyal donors, and I’m following up with you personally. We’d appreciate your charitable gift. Here’s how you can give,” boom.
Sam says, “I asked for a gift of 180k and got it this week. What do I tell others? Doesn’t it discourage other gifts?”
Wrong? Sam, you need to shout that from the rooftops because people want to be on a winning team. They want to see, oh, you’re getting, you’re calling in $180,000 worth of money. People are giving that level to you. Oh, it ups the ante for them. They’re like, “Oh, okay. Great. So y’all must be doing something right over there.” Right?
I had a client who got a $2.1 million gift from a donor, just two weeks ago, on Giving Tuesday, actually. They just happen to give it on Giving Tuesday. But yeah, you better believe that I’m telling all my other clients, “Yes. Look at what is possible. People are giving this money away.” Do not believe that everybody is struggling financially. They are not. Did they tell you that? Right.
Include photos of people if you want to stand out. Share wins. Share it, Sam. You better share it. You better believe when I tell my clients I’m like, “Look, if you get a lot of money, tell other donors. Someone just gave us $70,000. I got another 10k check today. What are you going to do?”
They’ll be like, “Oh, dang,” because some of y’alls donors are competitive. And peer to peer is so important, right? We want to know, what are other people doing? What are they doing? Does this help?
Okay. So if you’re not on my mailing list already, you need to get on it. It’s right here, julieordonez.com/list. You will automatically get email templates. And one of them is about asking for people to give from their donor-advised fund. You can just copy and paste that email, and it’ll help you out immediately. Because if people have a donor-advised fund, they need to be giving from it this month, and they need to give it to you.
So just remind them and they’ll be like, “Oh, yeah, I have three year-end just sitting in there. I can issue that to you right now. All I have to do is just send a quick call or email and get it done.” That’s it.
[foreign language 00:48:50]. I used to be fluent back in the day, but, you know, you don’t use it, you lose it, you know?
Okay. I think that’s all for my slides. Let’s do questions. So, yes, thank you. I’m so glad what . . .
How much coffee do I drink? I just have one cup. It’s black. I do love coffee. But it’s because I love this so much. I love it. I love fundraising. I love helping people. I love changing the world. I love talking to people who want to make a difference and getting them to give. It’s just the most fun ever. So the cup is a regular-sized cup, Rachel.
“I look up people’s phone numbers.”
In your CRM? Yeah, call them.
The donor video, I don’t know, Julia, I’m not going to give you a script for that. I want you to trust yourself. You know what to say. What do you want to say from your heart? Say it and get it done in 60 seconds or less.
Hey, I’m reaching out to you because of this. Right?
My cape is showing.
No, in the white pages. Yeah, I guess you could. I knew you were going to say that. Yeah, you can trust yourself. You can.
Okay. Let’s do questions. Okay. “How do we connect with individuals in this seminar? I have no mentor in my area, and I am lost.”
Susan. Get on my mailing list, julieordonez.com/list. There are lots of communities on Facebook, that connect nonprofit fundraisers to one another. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with people. Start something up.
Reach out to people in here, who is willing to connect with Susan? Put in the chat, “I am,” if you’re willing to connect with Susan. Yep, look at that, Susan. This is what you need to do. You need to be direct and clear. You need to ask people for help. Y’all need to start receiving people’s help.
And one of the biggest ways people want to help you is by giving you $10,000. And you need to make it easy for them to do that. If you’re struggling to get help, just straight up, ask for it.
Here you are with 212 peers. You see that? Look at all of these beautiful people who are so generous because people in the world are generous. It’s not just you. Do you hear what I’m saying? Put in the chat, “I hear you.” Susan, you better scroll up and copy and paste. They’re all in here. We can help you out, but you got to take ownership of this. This is your moment.
Jim says, “A closed mouth don’t get fed.”
That’s right. Some of y’all are acting like you have it all together. It’s all good, and you’re in a crisis, and you need to receive donations. And it’s not like you need to go tell people “Ah, we’re in a crisis,” but you need to tell them, “Hey, look, the support we need from you, we don’t need more advice. We need unrestricted financial support.”
How many of y’all need to say that? That’s what you need to say to somebody who is trying to give you donated Dell laptops. Like, I don’t need . . . You know what? Thank you for that. Thank you so much. We’re so grateful, right? You’re like struggling to write that email. You’re like, “Wow, thank you for 12,000 crappy laptops, that your company no longer wants.”
You’re like, oh, I . . . What you need to do is you need to learn how to redirect people’s energy. So they’re coming to you because they want to be helpful. So you could just say, “Hey, I love the fact that you want to help, and I’m so appreciative of that. Here is the help that we need. We need financial support.”
Put it in the chat, “We need financial support. Here is the impact that you can have.” Put it in the chat, “We need financial support.” I want you to own the fact that this is going to be your response. Anytime that you get frustrated with a board member or a major donor who’s trying to give you something, trying to help you, trying to give advice, trying to give something that you don’t actually need, how many of you need something you don’t need? You don’t need it. You don’t need it.
“Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate. I can see how . . . You’re just so helpful. You want to help us. The truth is the thing we really need right now is financial support.” This is what I teach my clients.
This is what we go through in my group coaching program called CourageLab. Some of y’all need to get in CourageLab. You need to get on the waitlist. It starts in February.
This is what you say, you say, we need unrestricted support. Advice about which donors to call and which to email. I don’t know, it doesn’t . . .
Colin, you just go to go for it. Got to go for it. Pick them. Pick the people who are the most passionate. Pick the people who open the most emails. Pick the people who have given in the past. Start somewhere. Don’t overthink it, my friend. Colin, pick up the phone and call people and find out. Ask them questions. Try to get to know them. Build a relationship. See what matters to them.
“Hey, I noticed that you’ve been giving for six years. That’s amazing. Why do you give to our organization? You could give anywhere. And you give here. And we’re so grateful.” Start somewhere. And then the people who respond, they’re telling you, “I want to be like a part of this. I want to help.” The people who don’t respond, don’t put on the top of your list. It’s all good.
Yes, Barbara. That’s exactly right. “I love that you want to help. Here’s how you can help. We need financial support. Here’s how you can give. And fundraising is going great. There are so many people who are giving. We just got $180,000 gift from one donor. Isn’t that awesome? You can join us, here’s how you can be a part of this amazing movement,” boomski.
Is it assumed that we already have sent them an appeal on paper before we email them? Yeah, I mean, that is what I’m assuming. I’m assuming that you’ve been making asks throughout the course of the year. If you have not, then I would reach out to them, and say, “Hey, I’d love to talk to you about if you’re interested in becoming a donor,” and giving them a heads-up. You don’t really want to blindside people, you know?
Jennifer, can you clarify, follow-up one time a week, like, every week forever? I mean, yeah, 10 minutes a day. Just put it on your calendar, I’m going to email as many people as I can, or send as many personalized videos, or as many voice memos, or make as many calls as I can 10 minutes a day through the end of the month.
And then, you know, in the new year, just tell people, “Happy New Year, and I’d love to get to know you better.” Just build relationships.
If people don’t respond, one trick that I do is, the emails that I sent, I’ll reply to my own email and put their email back in the to box. So there’s a long chain of emails that I’ve sent to them all in one thread that shows they haven’t replied. And then eventually, they’re like, “Oh, my gosh, you’ve been emailing me since August of 2020, and I haven’t replied, I’m so sorry.” Eh. So that’s one thing you can do.
How do you approach asking for gifts with donors you’re friends with or know very well? I think the thing that I shared before about . . . let me show you my slide again. This script will help you. So you can do something like this. Hey, I’m reaching out to you because I know who you are. Right?
I know you. I know that you care deeply about inclusion and equity. I know that you are from this neighborhood. This is your community. I know that you are a generous person. I mean, I’ve been doing fundraising for a long time.
Do you know how many of my friends and family I have asked for money at this point? and I only ask the people who I genuinely believe this is a good fit. This aligns with their values and who they are. If that is true, then tell them, right, and then make it about their identity. That’s what I would do.
If you’re afraid to do that, then you need to get in my program CourageLab. That’s the whole reason that I created a program for nonprofit fundraisers called CourageLab because it takes courage to ask people straight up for money for your nonprofit. It takes guts to do that.
It doesn’t take as much guts to plan an event or a gala for six months and spend hours, and hours, and hours, and hours. It doesn’t take as much guts, personal courage to write a grant and write a bunch of grant reports 10, 15 hours a week to follow up on all those, does it? No, it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of hard work. It takes courage to talk to individuals who have money to give of their personal money. That is why I created this.
Yeah, you’re welcome, Marcus. “Thank you for truly amazing information.”
Yeah, I really do want to be helpful. Whether or not you sign up for CourageLab, whether or not we end up working together, it’s all good. I want to help you, and I hope that you use these tools.
Where can you sign up? Lizzie, just share one link at a time if you can. So julieordonez.com/couragelab is the place.
Okay. “How do you approach asking for gifts with donors you’re friends with?” I answered that.
Our new library capital campaign needs to reach into the community for money donation, best way to do that? Deborah, a capital campaign is delicate. That is a whole . . . you need to strategy around that. You need to do an assessment before you start.
You probably need to hire somebody to help you with that. So that’s a whole thing that is outside of the scope of this webinar. But please get the help that you need. And if your organization is serious about doing capital campaign, I’ve done it in the past, it’s not my favorite thing. It’s not something that I help people with. Best of luck to you, though. Sounds beautiful. It’s a beautiful thing a new library.
Any other questions? I know, Steven, we’re pretty much out of time here, but I see a few more questions in the chat, or you tell me how you want to do it, friend.
Steven: Well, are you willing to . . .
Well, first of all, Julie, thank you because that was really awesome, and I was just laughing along. I think, honestly, your emails do find me well. I like getting emails from you but not everybody else. So thank you. And dang, that was really fun. I think we had . . .
Everyone in the chat is agreeing there.
Would you be willing to take questions by email if people reach out to you? Is that cool?
Julie: Yeah, or I can stay on longer right now. If you want. It’s totally up to you.
Steven: Yeah. Why don’t we do a couple more? If people have to leave, no problem. But maybe there’s one or two in there that look really good to you, Julie. Let’s do it.
Julie: Great. Perfect. Let’s see. Ew, this one is about a board. That’s fun. Sarah says, “My board thinks we need to get to know donors with a series of questions about their interests before making the ask, not very direct, but relational. We want to make sure we’re aligning with their values. A United Way who does a lot, thoughts?”
Yeah. So a few things there. How do I say this? It’s not a great sign if your board members are telling you how to fundraise and in the weeds of the donor conversations that you have. So I think this is one of those scenarios where you kind of, like, you don’t really ask for permission. You just kind of go for it and ask for forgiveness later.
But what will end up happening is if you do things . . . If you are direct and clear, you’re going to raise more money. The people who have the guts to ask for more, they raise more. That is absolutely a fact.
So I think it might be that your board is really protective because these people are their friends. They’re their peers. They do business with these people. And so they’re like, “Eh, I don’t want you shaking down my friends.”
But when you start to raise more money, you get more credibility. You can influence things more in the culture of your organization when you raise more money. So it behooves you to be direct and clear.
I love asking questions. I love getting to know people. And I ask them to give. So it’s not one or the other. It’s really relational to be clear and direct. Remember, clear is kind and executives are clear. We’re not doing a dance here. This isn’t a game. This is about changing lives. And this is about impact. So this is serious business, and you take it serious, and you’re going to straight up ask people for money.
Yeah. Yes, Sarah, you got to have courage, even when your leadership or your board . . . What ends up happening is, for some reason, sometimes really extraordinary business people who are really business savvy, they come onto a nonprofit board and they, all of the sudden, want to stay small.
They’re like, “Oh, we can’t spend any money. And it’s my job to make sure we don’t spend any money. Ew, we can’t do this. We can’t do that.” We can’t do . . . And it’s like, you have to prove them wrong, by the way in which you do your job and how you show up and connect with donors. And you will earn the right to speak up and to affect change, and to change the culture of your organization when you prove, by raising more money, that what you do is working. Right?
Because, at that point, it’s all theory. It’s like, whose theory are we going to listen to? Yeah?
For a small charity, that is just, oh, honey, anonymous, I love you. But this is long.
Bill, our fundraising donor asking, “Do you have suggestions for the first steps or priority steps? We don’t have a donor list or contact list really, and our ED is very new to fundraising.”
So you need to get, be a part of my program, CourageLab.
So everybody who starts out, if you’re a founder, or if you’ve been an ED for, you know, a year or less, or less than two years, everybody who’s starting a nonprofit, they ask people they know for money. And that is the way that it is. And there is no other way around that.
I mean, I don’t know if that’s bad news to you, but, again, it’s about changing your mindset. You’re inviting people to be a part of something that’s really beautiful and meaningful. So it isn’t an imposition. It is not a burden. It is a blessing. What you’re doing is a blessing. And it is a blessing for people to donate to it and to be a part of your team and what you’re building. It’s exciting. And you need to believe that.
So yes, you’re going to need to go to your mentors, to teachers, and professors, and people in your community, and business owners who live where you live. You need to go to your family. You need to go to people who you have relationships with and invite them to be a part of what you’re doing, and ask them to give. That’s it. You can do it.
“Is there a minimum standard for what responsibility a board should have help with fundraising including recruiting board members who can help more?”
So yeah, I do this for my one-on-one clients. And we talked about this in CourageLab, but I think being really clear with your board members about what you need from them in regards to fundraising, and line iteming those things.
So creating a bullet list of, hey, you know, we really want you to attend all board meeting or, you know, three out of four or five out of six, however many you have, we want you to introduce us to your friends. We want to do an event at your company, and do like a lunch and learn, or do a Zoom call for your colleagues to introduce our organization to them. We want you to come with the ED, or the CEO, or the development director on three meetings every six months.
And all you do on that meeting is you’re our cheerleader, and you talk up the ED, and you talk about why you give and why you’re on the board. And we want you to call 10 donors a year, and just leave a voicemail, and say, “Hey, we heard that you gave this month. I’m just calling because I’m on the board of this nonprofit, and we so appreciate your generosity.”
There are 1,000 excuses that you can have as to why you don’t have time to do these things. But if you don’t have time to stand out and to thank your donors, they will give to someone else. So if you don’t have time, don’t worry, you won’t have donors for much longer. You need to make time, and it can be done in 10 minutes a day.
So be clear with your board members about what you want from them, and then ask them, “Is this something that you can do,” right? Like, “Are these responsibilities, something that you can do?” And then see what they say like, oh, yeah, that’s how you want me to be involved in fundraising, all of those things that I mentioned, they’re not necessarily making asks.
Melissa says, “That’s dark.”
Well, I mean, you know, it doesn’t have to be about reality for you. But that is the case. That is the case. If you don’t build relationships with people and if you don’t invite them into something that’s exciting, they’re going to go find somebody else who is exciting because people are givers. They’re going to give. They want to be generous. They want to change the world, they want to make an impact.
Recruit board members who are givers, recruit board members who are enthusiastic, who have excitement, who want to help. You cannot teach someone how to have enthusiasm. You cannot teach someone how to give a crap. So find those people.
What to do about a board that doesn’t give.
Haley, it’s time to ask them to give. And it’s time to ask them why they don’t give. And if you haven’t asked them to give, then that’s why they don’t give. So it’s time to say, “Hey, we’re moving in a new direction now as an organization. And so we really want 100% board participation in giving before the year is up, we want to enter 2022 with 100% board participation, we want all of our board members to be donors.”
And so that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give a certain amount. “We are inviting you to give a meaningful gift to you. What is meaningful to you? We’d invite you to consider giving that.” Here’s what will happen. When we put our money towards something, our heart literally gets attached to it.
That’s why it’s called buy-in, right? You’re literally bought in to something more, you have a deeper sense of ownership on that thing. So when your board isn’t giving, they have less credibility, and they have less buy-in. When you’re inviting them to give, they’re throwing their heart into the future with that money and your nonprofit.
So it is absolutely imperative that even if you have board members who are giving $25 or $50, whatever the amount is that is meaningful to them, you need to deliberately and clearly ask them to join you in giving, and they will be more invested. And they will show up for you.
If you regularly ask and it’s ignored, then you need to talk about that. You need to say, “Hey, this is the fourth time that I’m following up about this. And I’m just wondering, are you getting these messages? What’s going on for you? You know, what’s happening?” I think it’s best honestly, if you can get a Zoom call or if you can do a phone call, and it’s not done over email.
And I would address the thing that is the awkward thing, right? Like, “Hey, I’ve reached out a few times, is everything okay?” I would just ask that. Yeah, why are you not giving, right? I know that you give them the benefit of the doubt. Again, “I know that you care deeply about what we do. I’d really love to know if there is a challenge in giving. If there’s anything that’s keeping you from giving . . . “
“What’s stopping you from making a personal donation?” Yeah, Michael I love that. Relationships exist without the need for an event just call and ask.
If you have a board who doesn’t, not all of them are donors, then I would really start with those people. They should be giving.
Our board members, for a new organization, agreed to give/get of 500. While 9 out of 10 eventually did it, it was like pulling teeth for half of them.
Okay, y’all, here’s a little bit more of some spiciness. Are you ready for it? Your asks, again, they might be about your fundraising goals. They might be about how you have needs. You have people you need to hire. You have bills you need to pay, you’re not casting the vision. It’s not exciting to give, even for your board.
So, again, you need to make it about the impact. You need to make it about life change. You need to tell better stories. You need to show them, “Hey, I just want to remind you that when you give, you’re literally changing lives.”
We heard a story today about a student who was nonverbal when they started in our program, and now they said their coach’s name for the first time. It was really beautiful, and you helped to make that happen. Who doesn’t want to give to that?
So if you’re, like, somebody who’s like, “Hey, just reminding you to give,” “Hey, it’s time to give,” “Hey, can you please give?” “Hey, it’s time to donate.” “Hey, just reminding you.” It’s like, oh, these people, they just keep talking to me about my donation. Right? It’s like, you need to remind them about how beautiful this really . . .
And we need to inspire. We need to bring back the beauty and the wonder and the meaning. And it’s your job to do that. Time and time again, that job is never done. It’s never done. Is that resonating with you? Put “Yes, this resonates.” Yes.
Okay, we’re going to take one more question. Let’s see. Let’s make it a good one. Mm-hmm-hmm. [vocalization] Karen, “What’s the best year-end follow-up for donors who gave to a gala last year?”
“Hey, would you consider making a year-end contribution. I know that you gave to the gala last year, would you consider giving this December? Would you consider matching your gift? Would you consider increasing your gift by 20%?” You could ask any number of things. Just straight up ask.
Anonymous asks, “If I should start calling and emailing to introduce myself.”
Yes. Yes, do it. You’re a development officer, you need to do that. Introduce yourself, say, “Hey, I’m so excited to meet you. And I’d love to get to know you in Q1. And I want to, you know, just share a little bit about me. And I’ve heard great things about you,” and share what you’ve heard about them. Yes, yes, yes. Introduce yourself. Do it.
Okay. Great. Nancy says, “I have suggested that every board meeting begins with an impact story, that just doesn’t happen.”
You could go rogue. Go for it. Be like “. . . and I just have one, can I add one more thing and then just go for it, add your story, and then say, and I just wanted to share this because I really wanted to communicate that you all in this room are helping to make this happen. Thank you so much.” Boom.
And then what are they going to say to you, then they’re going to be like, “Oh, stop being so pleasant.” Oh. “Stop thanking people. Stop telling amazing stories. How dare you, Nancy?” They’ll be like, “Yeah, great job. Don’t do that again. Don’t do it this way. But great . . .” I love that you did that. Right. It’s like some people you just can’t please. So just go for it. You got to go for it.
I’m all about asking for forgiveness. I’m fine asking for forgiveness. I can ask anyone for forgiveness. Yes. And I will just keep living my life, and doing my thing, and raising money.
Okay. I think that’s all of the questions. Great job, everybody. Great questions. If you have more questions, you can DM me on Instagram. I will answer more questions there probably the rest of today because I’m just feeling so generous.
Steven: Dang, Julie, that was awesome. Thanks for the real talk by the way, too. I love the spiciness. So hopefully everyone else does too. Dang, what an awesome way to end the year of webinars.
Julie: Get it, Steven.
Steven: I don’t think I could have planned any better. So thank you for doing this, Julie. And like I said, we’re going to send out the slides and the recording to everybody. So connect with her, jump on that Instagram. I mean, that’s a pretty kind offer. I mean, it’s almost the end of the day for most folks, what else are you going to do? Right? Go on there.
Julie: Do it.
Steven: Tell them one more time where to sign up for the list, Julie. I want to make sure that they knew how to do.
Julie: Oh, yeah, you can go to julieordonez.com/list. I try to be as helpful as I can, obviously. And I’ve had people, like use my tips from that, and they get $10,000 gift. I’ve had one person get a $40,000 gift. Wow. So that’s really fun.
Steven: That’s good. Hopefully, some day you can get that too.
Julie: Yeah.
Steven: Well, if you are here, you’re going to get invited to next season’s webinars. So be on the lookout 1st of January. Because I’ve already got most of next year sessions planned out.
I think we got to have Julie back too. So I might be in touch with you, Julie, to get you back on the schedule. But hopefully, you all have a great year-end, you’re able to take some of these tips, make it happen, and take that vacation in January. Take it some time. You all deserve a break after this mad rush.
So thank you to Julie for being here. Thanks to all of you for hanging out. I know it’s a busy time of year, and it’s always good to see a full room. But hopefully, we will see you again next year on the next season of Bloomerang webinars. So we’ll call it a day there. Look for an email from me with the recording and the slides and best of luck in year-end. We’ll talk to you all soon.
Julie: Yes. Bye, everybody.
Steve: See you.
