You Gotta Have a Plan
When is the best time to plan your fundraising strategy? Now.
If you didn’t quite get around to planning for 2026 last year and now, we’re in the third month of the third quarter of FY26, you need a plan for your end-of-year fundraising.
Research shows that nonprofit organizations raise about 36% of their annual revenue in the fourth quarter, October through December. Depending on the sector, such as the arts or social services, about 18-30% is donated in December alone. (source: Nonprofit Times)
Realistic goals
To have a good plan with realistic goals, you need to know your fundraising history. What was raised last year and the two years prior to that? Additional goals could be to increase the number of recurring donors and to attract first-time donors.
A well-maintained CRM (customer relationship management) can give you all the data you need. If data entry is haphazard and inconsistent with no guidelines on data procedures, then you will have a difficult time knowing the fundraising history of your organization.
Data, data, data
Accurate data over at least three years will show you trends. How much was raised with end-of-year appeals? Did it increase or decrease from one year to the next? Were there outlier gifts such as an unexpectedly very large gift? If so, most likely you cannot count on it again this year, so plan accordingly.
Assuming the funds raised increased two to five percent from one year to the next, it’s safe to set this year’s goal at that same increase.
Now that you have your goal, look at last year’s solicitation messages and, if possible, compare the income flow to the messages. This will tell you what donors responded to, or not, and will help you as you write your appeal messages for this year.
Gratitude
Lastly, plan your outreach schedule. A good place to start is with a message of gratitude around mid-November in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. A simple email or a video embedded in an email thanking your donors goes a long way in keeping them close and feeling appreciated. It’s also a good strategy to thank your donors before asking for another donation.
Using your CRM and your email platform like Mail Chimp or Constant Contact, you can schedule a new message each week through December 31. The more you can segment and personalize your messaging, the better. For example, if you can include the donor’s name and the amount of their most recent gift in your message, that’s very personal.
The bottom line is, take the time to plan, use your data, and start early. You will be that much closer to success.
Good Luck!!
Check out the next episode of my podcast, “About Fundraising: The Podcast” where I will go deeper into You Gotta Have a Plan. Tune in to About Fundraising: The Podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
At DMGroupConsulting, our goal is to help you achieve your goals. Schedule a free 30 minute consultation.
