Year over year

As each of our fiscal years come to a close, we all have a number of decisions to make - goal setting for next year, campaigns to schedule, programs to fund, maybe even staff to hire or additional dollars to allocate. It has been my experience that mail, phone and personal visits are typically best planned and implemented from campus, using campus resources and personnel. Online programs on the other hand can be, and maybe need to be more mixed at this point. Social media based campaigns are in keeping with that campus approach - assuming that the expertise and time is available on campus to keep up with and execute the work needed. Email based campaigns at very least need to utilize the services of an ESP (email service provider) to ensure delivery and the needed tracking to follow up on/with constituents based upon their actions. Anything more complex than those, most likely needs to be outsourced. While campus resources may be available and may even be able to provide the needed efforts in the near term, the ability to keep up with the changing nature of the technology is rarely dependable. As we expect to see this area continue to grow, we need to invest in it the same as we do the other aspects of fundraising. Consider putting aside additional resources now to grow that next year. Investment today will not only lead to continued growth in this arena but will allow you to develop the internal and external relationships that we depend upon to grow tomorrow as well.