Summer Busy, Summer Not

sunflower-sun-summer-yellow
Memorial Day – the official start of summer. For schools, it’s the start of those precious 2-3 months when all the planning gets done. Often it’s a time when people take vacations or are just not as available as they are at other times of the year. And for many, it’s the slowest time of the year in terms of donor activity.

Just think of all the things you can accomplish with your donor database when the regular input and output activity slows down. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Purge old information from your database that is no longer critical to your current relationship management needs. Think about whether you need to know what acknowledgement letter they received for a gift they made back in 1994, or that you called them on their birthday ten years ago. (Always remember to make a backup of your database before performing tasks like this.)
  • If your database is like most, there will always be duplicate records to find and merge. ResultsPlus has the Merge Constituents wizard to help with this task. You might even get lucky enough to find the perfect volunteer for this undertaking.
  • Put all those notes on how you use your database into a spiffy procedures manual that everyone can use. If you have several people inputting data, consider having them each develop their own sections.

…and the best recommendation for the summer months is…

  • Become more proficient at using your software so that you’re better prepared for all the crunch times ahead. (You’ve told yourself to do this – I know you have.)

For ResultsPlus, there are two options for training you can do right now. First, you can sign up for one of the Essential Elements classes currently scheduled by visiting our website. Second, you can subscribe to ResultsPlus.tv, our online library of recorded courses and tips, so everyone in your organization can get some training this summer (when they get back from vacation, that is).

So please lift your glass of ice-cold lemonade and join me in a toast - to a fun and productive summer.