June is nearly over, school is out, and you would think there would be some downtime for the Development Committee until everything gears up again in September.
Not so much. While you are not actively running a campaign, the summer is the perfect time for research and preparation for your upcoming annual campaign and other advancement efforts.
If you haven’t already done so, you should be building your Development Committee and confirming the members to present to the Board. You should also have your annual fund chairperson in position and confirmed.
June is also the ideal time for the Board to start reviewing, editing and upgrading the major gift prospects list. The prospects list is made up of people who are potential leadership gift donors or who can be specially solicited for a capital campaign.
In July, you should identify and recruit leadership gift solicitors for the annual campaign, and review your major gift prospect list for the coming year.
Like the weather, activity heats up in August. For some areas, your students are about to return; for most, the school year will begin in a few more weeks. You need to strategize the cultivation or solicitation schedule for your major gifts, annual fund, and other special efforts for the year.
It’s also time work with your Committee Chairs to make sure all volunteers are confirmed, and training is complete or underway. At the same time, plan your annual campaign kickoff scheduled to take place in September.
