Welcome and What to expect in this course

Welcome and What to Expect in This Course

Welcome! I’m so excited that you are here. You might have purchased access to this course well in advance of the official start date and that’s okay. We have several substantial modules to keep you busy in the meantime. If instead you are just joining us right around the start date, no worries. While we will open a new course module most weeks, this course is entirely self-paced and you have lifetime access, so you can do everything in your own time. Let me walk you through what to expect.

First, the two pre-course bonus modules (How to Survive and Thrive in the Non-Profit World and Putting the FUN in Fundraising) are designed to be done at any time. These two modules are more about taking care of yourself and helping to create a healthy culture of philanthropy in your offices. They enhance and complement all the other lessons.

Before the course begins, you also need to do a few things to make sure you are getting the most value out of All-Star Annual Giving. First, pop over to Facebook and request to join the “All-Star Annual Giving Cohort 1, 2020” Group. This group will provide you with instant access to me and all the others studying alongside you in this course. It’s a place to ask questions, gather examples, share a win, and offer support to each other. I’ll be very involved as well and checking in frequently.

The course rolls out with a new module every week for 3 weeks and then we have what I call a “Make Progress" week. Those weeks are breaks with no new material rolling out. This will give you time to catch up or to start implementing some of the ideas you are learning. During those weeks, I’ll host two Zoom calls so you can ask me live questions about anything you are wondering about or struggling with. I will also do a couple of Facebook live sessions in our Facebook group during our Make Progress Weeks. The final week will be “Graduation Week” to celebrate how much you’ve learned over the 12 main weeks, but remember that you have lifetime access, so if you are not with Module 9 by Graduation, you are not behind. There’s no way you can be behind in a self-paced course with lifetime access.

I’ll list the modules by week below. Each module will have a video to introduce the topic and anchor the discussion. I also love audiobooks and podcasts, so I am going to provide the same content as the video in an audio format if you prefer that. If you prefer to read the lessons, or if you just need it for reference, I provide the text of each lesson as well.

Then there’s the fun stuff. I will have downloadable PDFs that help walk you through the implementation of each lesson’s content. It’s crucial you download these, print them, and work through them. They will lead you to ACTION, which is the most important thing you can do with what you learn in this course.

I will also provide a list of resources at the end each lesson, those might include blog posts of mine, articles by other fundraising practitioners, links to YouTube videos, or books you can order to delve more deeply into a topic. If you don’t fully grasp something jot down your questions or note your points of confusion and then 1) Check the Resources to see if there is something else you can consume that might clear it up, 2) Ask the question in the Facebook group, or 3) Save that question for the Zoom calls with me during the Make Progress Weeks.

Please remember: I’m here for you all the time and I want to know where you get stuck. Not only so that I can clear it up for you, but so I can make this course even better for future cohorts.

Welcome aboard! I’m going to download everything I’ve learned about fundraising over the last 20-something years to you. You’re going to become an absolute marvel of fundraising proficiency! I can’t wait to get started.

Here are your action steps for this lesson:

ACTION STEPS:

-  Request to join the Facebook group and make an introductory post about yourself

-  Begin working through the Pre-Course Bonus Modules

-  Review the course outline

-  Think about how you’d like to consume the course material: video, audio, or reading?

All-Star Annual Giving Course Outline

Pre-Launch Bonus Modules:

  • How to Survive and Thrive in the Non-Profit World
  • Putting the fun in fundraising!

Week 1: Module 1: Philanthropy & Fundraising

Lessons

  • History of Philanthropy in US
  • Current State of Fundraising
  • Developing your Case for Giving

Week 2: Module 2: Goal Setting and Projection Setting

Lessons

  • Annual Fund vs. Annual Giving
  • Goals vs. Projections
  • Demystifying Predictive Modeling
  • Benchmarking

Week 3: Module 3: Partnerships

Lessons

  • Your team
  • Communications/Marketing
  • Data Team
  • Program Staff (Faculty)
  • Vendor Management
  • Board
  • Managing Up

Week 4: MAKE PROGRESS WEEK

This will be a week to catch up on content or implement some of the new ideas that you’ve been learning. Jessica will offer Facebook lives and Zoom calls to check in and take questions.

Week 5: Module 4: Direct Mail

Lessons

  • Why use mail?
  • Testing Scientific Method
  • Start with Data Integrity
  • Writing Copy for Direct Mail
  • Ask Amounts
  • Creative Direct Mail Ideas
  • Gift Processing and Tracking

Week 6: Module 5: Phone

Lessons

  • Why use phone?
  • Equipment and Software
  • Recruiting & Training Callers
  • Scripting
  • Rapport Building
  • Follow Up and Stewardship
  • Data Analysis

Week 7: Module 6: Email & Social Media

Lessons

  • Email Statistics
  • Email Tips and Tricks
  • Video – telling meaningful stories
  • Social Media Strategies
  • Giving Tuesday and Giving Days and Crowdfunding

Week 8: MAKE PROGRESS WEEK: ​

This will be another week to catch up on content or implement some of the new ideas that you’ve been learning. Jessica will offer Facebook lives and Zoom calls to check in and take questions.

Week 9: Module 7: Special Events

Lessons

  • Start with why on events
  • Event Fundraising Formulas that Work
  • Evaluating Event Success

Week 10: Module 8: Lead Annual Gifts & Stewardship

Lessons

  • Lead Annual Gifts: Get the Visit and Listen
  • Giving Societies and Stewardship

Week 11: Module 9: Building a Strategic and Tactical Plan

Lessons

  • 5 pillars of annual giving
  • Constituents, Vehicles, and Budget
  • Segmentation Plans
  • Calendaring
  • Putting it all together
  • Radical Self Care: Taking care of you in all of this

Week 12: GRADUATION WEEK

This week includes, live group calls with Jessica to answer any lingering questions, especially about strategic planning.

Resources

www.realdealfundraising.com/blog

www.realdealfundraising.com/allstaroutline

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