It’s so important to guard your time, especially during this time of year. Take time to connect with your supervisor about what you’re being asked to participate in and clearly outline why those additional tasks need to be taken off your plate. Remember, your role is to be working directly with the donors on your caseload, and you’ll have the greatest impact for your organization by staying focused.

Once you’ve realigned your focus for the remaining weeks of 2021, there are four basic things you must do this month and next:

1. Continue with your final plans to bring your Tier A caseload donors to a year-end ask. These are the 15-25 donors on your caseload that have the highest potential for substantial year-end giving. You should have a tailor-made approach and execute a communication strategy that is centered on their core passion and interest. This plan should provide information on what needs to be done and should lead to a year-end ask.
   
   
2. Continue with your plans to ask your Tier B and C caseload donors for a year-end ask. You can cluster donors who have the same passions and interests, producing a printed offer that you can get in the mail. There can be an email follow-up to that offer, and most likely a phone call. If you haven’t planned for this already, you should get these strategies in place right away.
   
   
3. A follow-up to your ask, to all tiers. This follow-up needs to be executed by December 23rd if you haven’t heard from the donor, so that it reaches them between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The last week of December is when many donors make decisions for giving.
   
   
4. A repeat ask in some situations. There will be some situations where one or more of your caseload donors, because of the good planning and communication work you have done, has already given a substantial gift early this month, but is open to giving more as they consider their year-end giving. You obviously need to be very careful on this point not to be offensive. This is where your knowledge of the donor and your good relationship with them comes into play and will help guide your approach.

Again, you should take immediate steps to review your calendar and remove all the distractions that have nothing to do with your caseload donors. Then be proactive about managing your caseload donors at this critically important time of the year.