End of Year: Make It Happen, Wrap It Up, Evaluate, and Get Ready, Part 1
Remember this – Donors who support your organization year after year is the key to a successful end-of-year appeal It’s as simple and as hard as that. Cultivation and stewardship matter.
Some important facts about end-of-year giving are:
- Most nonprofits across the U.S. raise 47% of their online revenue the last week of December.
- 20% of that is on December 31st.
- 18% of new donors give only one time.
- Retained donors, those who have given the last two years, only dropped 1.8%.
Even though it’s October you still have time to plan and implement an end-of-year appeal. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Decide the theme of your appeal message. Involve your team and let the creativity flow. A theme helps keep your message consistent.
- Establish a realistic goal. Analyze past end-of-year giving. Is there a growth pattern? If you’ve grown your fundraising 3% each year for the past 3 years, then most likely you will raise at least 3% more again this year. Make that your baseline and have a stretch goal of 4 to 5%.
- Segment A lapsed donor and a major donor should receive different messages. Your basic message will be the same, but your opening sentence or paragraph should speak directly to a particular set of donors.
- Remember why donors give during the holiday season and write your appeal accordingly. They want to
- feel good about helping others.
- connect with something positive.
- take advantage of tax deductions.
- Make it easy for your donors to give online. Test the donate button on your website and on your Facebook and other socials donation pages. Are they working properly?
- Do you accept gifts of stock and other securities? If so, promote that with your donors and make the transaction process easy for your donors.
The month of November is when your message is finalized, and you send your first round of solicitations. Most of your solicitations will be by email, but you may want to send a real letter by postal mail to select donors. Older donors like to receive mail because that’s what they grew up with. Younger donors like to receive mail because it’s novel to them.
December is when you update donors on the progress of your appeal. This can be a social media post or an email blast. Donors want to know what’s happening. This is also an opportunity to express your gratitude.
Send an appeal each week during December, remember the statistic I mentioned at the beginning, 47% of online revenue is raised the last week of December. It is important to consistently remind your donors to support your cause, a mission they believe in.
Thank You!
December and January are also the time to say, “Thank you.” Be creative and genuinely grateful. Thanking donors is an easy way to engage your board of directors, other volunteers, and staff.
Don’t just send another email. Phone calls, even if you or your volunteer leave a voicemail, is preferable. Handwritten thank you notes are a very nice touch, as are children’s drawings, if your clients are children.
Wrap It Up, Evaluate, Get Ready for 2025!
Technology helps us know almost immediately what’s been raised at any given time. This knowledge will help you evaluate the success of your appeal quickly, and report to your leadership within days of the new year.
I encourage my clients to run reports often and regularly throughout the year to help them know what worked and what worked better. If you have done this, then planning in January for your next fiscal year will be easier and more accurate.
DMGroupConsulting is here to help. Schedule a free 30 minute consultation.