End of the Year Appeal

Most charitable giving happens at the end of the year.  The last three days of the year, to be exact.  Whether this is because people are more generous around the holidays, they get end of the year bonuses, or because most organizations make an ask at the end of the year, is questionable.  What is not questionable is the importance of leaning into this phenomena.  That means, an end of the year appeal.

Your appeal, however, should be more than a single letter or a mention in your newsletter, or an announcement on social media.  At the very least, it should be all of these.

Another should (much as I hate those) is that you should have started this already.  But if you haven’t, don’t panic.   It isn’t too late to start now.

The 5 most important things you can do to end the year successfully these are not singular but part of a continuum; your success will come when these work together.

 What are they?

1.     Set a goal

It is hard to get where you want to go if you have no clue where that is. To set a goal, consider such things as:

  •   Your mission (some things, some years, are just more likely to attract donors)

  • Your prospect pool (always remembering that the best prospect is an existing donor!) 

  • Your past EOY fundraising efforts and your donor retention rates

  • Your current fundraising plans.  Can you build on other things you are doing?

  • Your human resources for fundraising.  The more people you have who can ask others to join with them, the more ability you will have to raise funds.   

2.     Segment your list

At a minimum, divide your prospect/donor list into three:

  • Those who gave last year

  • Those who gave in the past but not last year (LYBUNTs)\Those who have never given

 I would recommend further segmenting those who gave last year:

  •  Loyal donors

  • Larger (than your average gift) donors

  •   Those you believe have greater capacity than their giving shows

 3.     Develop an End of the Year (EOY) Campaign Plan

Look at your goal and your segmented lists.  How are you going to reach each segment? 

  • Direct mail—still alive and kicking.  Despite the rise of social media and other electronic ways to reach people—and I am someone who lives and dies by email and text—direct mail is still alive and well.  In fact, it is still a very productive way to fundraise. 

  • An EOY campaign page on your website—visible from your homepage (Don’t bury it under “giving”)

  • A challenge or matching gift.  People love to leverage.  A gift that offers a way for their gift to count more works.

  • Blog postings

  • Social media postings.  And do target the social media sites to your audiences.   If your donor pool is made up mainly boomers and Gen Xers, you might not want to go to Instagram  where 90% of the users are under age 35

  • Send out postcards

  • Shot a video.  Send it in an email and post it everywhere you can

  • Pull together a call bank

  • Do a text-a-thon

  • Peer to Peer appeals

  • Crowdfunding

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my favorite way to raise funds—the parlor party or salon.  Make sure that you have a program that will appeal to your invitees, and that your invitees will want to be in the same meeting with each other.

 4.     Yes, talk about impact

Develop messaging that speaks to your success.  Show donors how much their gift matters by showcasing the achievements this past year that resulted from your work and their support. 

5.     Make sure you are asking

And that your asks are clear, direct, and often.  If your letter has 5 paragraphs, there should be 5 asks, from “we can’t do this without your support,” to a very specific, “Please make an $XXXX gift.”

  While these 5 steps are critical for your end of the year success, so, too is understanding that EOY does not stand alone.  It is part of your entire fundraising program.   To be really successful, your end of the year fundraising is part of an entire year of strategic fundraising activities, that culminates in your end of the year campaign.

 Arguably, the most important aspect of your EOY campaign is the understanding of and acting on the fact that true fundraising starts with gratitude.   A strong stewardship program will help to  keep retention rates high.  Part of your fundraising plan must focus on strong, consistent ways to keep your donors close to you and always moving forward toward their next gift. 

That means your end of the year fundraising begins at the start of every year.  With a robust and comprehensive fundraising plan, that includes ways to reach new donors, move up loyal ones, bring back lapsed donors, and include your clients so they can become not just recipients but also investors (at any level, in many different ways) in what you do.  It means appealing to your broadest base while working to make each and every one of them feel that they are part of the specialness of your organization.

 And as you close the door to this end of year campaign, remember that it is now time to open the door to next year’s

fundraisingJanet LevineEnd of Year appeal