IF WE SAID IT ONCE . . . WE SAID IT . . . WELL, MANY TIMES . . .

Hello Hello . . . is this thing on? At the risk of sounding super pushy, we are going to take the time to sound . . . super pushy on a message we have been stating since spring.

During spring we reminded everyone that if your nonprofit has the responsibility to raise funds on an annual basis from donors, to start making those asks right away and not assume an ask letter in December is going to do the trick. Why? July was right around the corner, meaning the end of the first half of the year.

Then in July we made it a point to say that the summer arrived which meant the second half of the year started, which meant you only had 6 months left to do face to face asks. We mentioned that because if you have a lot of asks to do, trying to stuff them all in December will not work as well as one might think.

Now it is almost September in just another week. We know it is hard to believe but December WILL be here before you know it. Start making those appointments to meet with donors. Don't be one of those organizations who miss their goal in December, then in January "promise" to step it up the following year.

So we wanted to focus this week on doing one simple thing . . . reminding everyone again to get a start on those asks. Timeline wise you are probably still looking pretty good (assuming you got your fundraising plan ready and your marketing materials in order). However we would advise you not to wait too much longer.

Need help with your fundraising plan? Need trainings on how to make an ask? Not sure how to create a donor pyramid or giving levels? Need help bringing new potential donors to the table? Midwest Studies Group can help. Regardless if you use us or not though, please listen to our advice and don't wait until December to make all your asks.

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To learn more about strategic and fundraising plans, feasibility studies, planned giving studies, need assessment studies, and capital campaigns, visit us at www.midweststudiesgroups.com.