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Ten Winning Ways to Maximize your End-of-Year Fundraising
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About one-third of all charitable giving is made at the end of the year. According to Network for Good, December donations increased by forty-nine percent from 2011 to 2014.
Your end-of-year campaign is critically important to your organization. Here are ten tips to maximize your end-of-year fundraising.
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1) Identify your top 25 to 100 donors. Make a special effort to reach out to them personally. Share your plans for 2016 and your 2015 accomplishments. And of course, be sure to ask them to make a generous contribution.
2) Include a matching gift challenge in your end of year campaign. Donors love it when their contribution multiplies in value; a matching gift offer is a great motivator.
3) Engage your board in your end-of-year campaign. Board members can make thank you calls to donors who make extraordinary gifts. They can also send personal appeals for support to their friends and colleagues.
4) Be sure your office is ready to accurately process the increased volume of mailed and online donations. Ensure your staff and volunteers are prepared to send acknowledgements promptly. Appropriate stewardship is vital to your campaign.
5) Remember people love stories, not figures. Emotion, not logic, is the centerpiece of an effective appeal. Don’t write about what you did; write about what happened because of what you did.
For example, talk about how your organization helped Austin, a charming five-year-old with curly black hair who wants nothing more than to one day pitch for the Nats, do what he loves. Write “the physical therapy provided by our nonprofit enabled Austin to join his kindergarten baseball team and start down the road to fulfilling his dream.” Don’t just write “we spent $145,000 providing wrap-around physical therapy services to at-risk children.”
6) Online donations spike the last two days of the year which makes December 30th the perfect time for you to send a heartfelt, compelling … and short … email to your donors. Make it easy by including a simple link to your donation page in your email.
7) Your homepage should offer not just an easy, one-click way to give but also a concise, readable appeal for an end-of-year gift. This donation button and text should be located at the top of your website.
8) Social media can augment your campaign and even garner a few donations. Ask your followers to make a year-end donation. You can also use your social media channels to report on your campaign's success.
9) A few scribbled lines at the end of a direct mail letter can make a huge difference. It is worth the time to quickly hand-write at the bottom of a letter “Thank you for last year’s donation of $500. You helped feed a hungry child, and I hope we can count on you again this year."
10) People will skim rather than study your direct mail letter. Short, well-crafted sentences, generous white space, and carefully selected phrases in bold will make it easy for people to quickly read your appeal.
What are your favorite year-end techniques? Share your tips at partnering@capacitypartners.com, and we’ll publish them on our blog.
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At Capacity Partners, we believe in the power of nonprofits. We specialize in strategy and development services for nonprofits that lead to
transformative
results.
CP Consulting Team
- Mary Robinson, President & Founder
- Sara Watkins
- Julie Crudele
- Marjorie Goldman
- Daniel Wacker
- Marion Ballard
CP Strategic Partners
- Avalon Consulting
- Fixation Marketing
- Shelly Ducker, Rx Communications
- WealthEngine.com
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If you need help with your end-of-year fundraising, contact Capacity Partners.
partnering@
capacitypartners.com
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