Ops Insights #013 Fiscal Year End
June 30, 2023 | Read Time: 3 minutes | Written by Jenny Kleintop
If your fiscal year ending this month? Do you feel a little stressed? It may feel like the end of month, except more intense. Go, go, go. Make those calls, close those gifts, process those gifts, pump out those acknowledgments, make those thank you calls …all hands on deck.. go, go, go.
I remember driving an hour and a half to help process gifts, even on a weekend. This was pre-pandemic before all the remote gift tools that are available today. It was important to me not to make my one gift processor feel alone or more stressed at the end of year. I would say let’s tackle it together, team work, we’ve got this!
This week, I’m doing it for a client. Why? Because that is what it takes to turn those gifts around so they can thank and steward the donor. It’s impact, it’s gratefulness, it’s appreciation for the donor’s generosity. After all it’s about the donor - they did not have to give to this nonprofit organization, they could have chosen from the 10 million nonprofits in the world, but they chose this one. So, we want to show appreciation for their generosity, and part of that is processing the gifts as quickly as possible.
Yes, I hear you, there are exceptions and reasons why it may take longer than the standard 48 hour turnaround, but I encourage you to put yourselves in those donors’ shoes. They are donating their money to have an impact at your nonprofit. They want to feel appreciated and feel like their gift made a difference, whether it was $1 or $1,000,000, they want to feel like their gift matters.
Some Friendly End of Year Reminders
Treat all donors like their gift matters.
Make donors feel like they make a difference – less like an ATM, and more like a meaningful difference.
If you are underwater with getting those gifts in, ask for help (it takes a village in nonprofit fundraising, especially at year-end.
Thank, thank, thank, and thank those donors for their generosity, and show them the impact that their gift is making.
Then when you come up for air, talk about the wins as a team. Often we clear the metrics board for the new year and dive right into the new year. It’s important for team morale and to re-light the excitement to take time to reminisce about the past year. What milestones did you accomplish? What metrics did you conquer? What gifts did you close and donors did you thank? What are you proud of? And it’s ok if you didn’t conquer it all… talk about what may have fallen short and why. Talking about those is just important.
Above all, remember you are not alone! You are part of a team working together to bring in funds for the mission you serve. You are making a difference.
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