There's still time

Because June 30th marks the end of fiscal year deadline for many institutions, I think it would be timely to start our discussion with last-minute ways to capture end of fiscal year gifts. First and most importantly, it's not too late to build an appeal. Sending closer to the EOFY deadline adds a sense of urgency that is an effective way to persuade action on the part of your constituents. Secondly, I'd recommend you consider an html email or Flash e-appeal for this solicitation. With an e-appeal you can control the time the appeal is sent and received by constituents, and you'll have an opportunity to track opens/click throughs so that you can resend the campaign to those who haven’t responded. That brings me to my third point. If at all possible, I'd recommend a two-send approach - send the initial appeal two weeks before the June 30th deadline and resend it 24 or 48 hours before the deadline. Time and time again, we see this approach bringing in additional last-minute gifts for our clients.