Don’t Be a Victim of the Summer Slump

• Do something out of the norm with your team (yes, we mean team building).
  Let’s face it, fundraising is tough in the best conditions. Add in the rigorous schedule at a school, and things never seem to slow down, and certainly rarely enough to take time away for team building. This summer, take a couple of hours and do something fun together. The introverts reading this will cringe, and type A leaders will likely scoff at the necessity.  However, there’s much to be said in the research about employees’ contentment in their job being correlated to company culture, bosses who show appreciation and mental health related to work/life balance. Get out of the office together and do something fun.  Order lunch and go have a picnic; book a cooking class (there’s something to be said about laughter and connection); or attend a daytime activity.  Whatever it is, the goal is to laugh, connect and NOT talk about work. I once had a boss that randomly took the entire team (a small office) to lunch at Medieval Times (one of those medieval horse shows where you eat a feast with your hands) and followed it up with a chocolate making session at a local chocolate store.  It was the most random day I’d ever spend at work, but also the most fun our team had ever had together. Yes, it cost our office money. But the positive effects that day had on our team were more than worth it. 
• Schedule time to analyze (or write) the annual development plan.
  If a yearly review/update of the annual development plan isn’t already a regular practice, this is the summer to change that!  Set aside a day or two dedicated to nothing other than a discussion on annual activities.  Analyze what’s working, what’s gone stale and specifically dedicate a portion of the time for brainstorming new ideas. Often, we get into a routine of checking off boxes that we forget how productive we are when we stop and really spend time analyzing and planning our activities.  While this can be done anywhere there’s space, I’m a big proponent for making this as comfortable a process as possible.  Over the years, I often scheduled this at my home, catered in lunch and encouraged everyone to dress comfortably.  Maybe you rent a shared office space for the day, steal a corner of your favorite coffee shop or borrow another office’s unique space. A change of environment encourages a fresh perspective and decreases distractions.  When everyone feels comfortable to provide open and honest feedback and for their ideas to be heard, this lends itself to some team building as well. When you’re done, make sure to update your written plan (or create one for the first time). 
• Clean Up!
  According to research, clutter affects our mental health – be it in our personal or professional environments.  Citing this Harvard Business Review article, “The physical environment of the workplace has a significant effect on the way that we work. When our space is a mess, so are we. [Research shows] that our physical environments significantly influence our cognition, emotions, and behavior, affecting our decision-making and relationships with others. [O]ne international survey showed that information workers lose up to two hours a week fruitlessly searching for lost digital documents.” Set you and your team up for success this fall by taking time to declutter. Clean out those files in your office you’ve forgotten existed; order pizza and spend an hour with the team cleaning out the promotions and events closets; and for the love – make this the summer you finally tackle the database!
• Set Yourself Up for Fall Success:
  After you’ve created that development plan, consider what tasks you and the team could go ahead and knock out this summer, saving yourself precious time once fall hits. Go ahead and write the annual fund solicitation letters; if you send birthday or holidays cards, write them now and put them aside so you can just grab and send throughout the year; meet with the marketing team and have all your social media pre-written and ready to go…You get the idea. Every time-consuming task you knock out this summer is more time available throughout the school year to spend with your donors.
• Take a casual approach to donor cultivation.
  If you’re doing it right, donor cultivation is planned (hopefully in that summer development planning you’ve scheduled) and executed with great care.  As it should be! However, the calm moments of summer are a great time for some additional “spontaneous” touch points. Need some ideas?
  • When doing some of that clean up, you’re bound to come across something that makes you think of a donor. Send a quick, “came across this while cleaning out files that made me think of you and wanted to see how your summer is going” email (better yet, call them!). 
  • Take 30 minutes to write a few “thinking of you this summer” handwritten notes. If you have a small budget, include a $5 gift card for an ice cream with the kids. 
  • Ask a particular group of donors or volunteers who’s in town tomorrow and wants to grab a casual lunch or ice cream at your new favorite spot. 
  • Do any of your donors’ kids have summer birthdays?  Drop by with cupcakes. We all know showing love to kids is a surefire way to a donor’s heart – especially when their kid feels jilted with a summer birthday. 

Ailena Parramore is Principal & Director of Practice at Our Fundraising Search. The team at Our Fundraising Search brings the experience and wisdom to help your organization thrive. Our suite of services include: Recruitment services for development & executive positions, Leadership coaching & board development and Campaign counsel & strategy.