5 Things You Can Do NOW to Prepare for Year-End Giving

The time for year-end giving (i.e., fall fundraising) seems to come faster and faster each year. Back to school shopping ends and Halloween decorations line the aisles of your favorite stores. If you wait until Halloween rolls around, you’ll have waited too long.

So, carpe diam — seize the day!

The reason it’s so important to prepare for year-end giving is that many nonprofit organizations raise 70% or more of their annual fundraising revenue in the last 8 weeks of the year. Seventy percent!

5 Ways to Prepare for Year-End Giving NOW

With that in mind, what can you do today — RIGHT NOW — to start preparing for year-end giving?

1. Walk in your donor’s shoes.

Make a donation to your own organization. Online. And through the mail. Notice the process yourself:

• Is it easy to give?
• Are there any glitches?
• How do you get notified of the donation?
• Does it get entered correctly into the donor database?
• How long does it take to get a thank you letter?

Take the time NOW to correct anything that doesn’t go as you would expect.

2. Improve donor retention.

Print your list of LYBUNTS — those who gave “Last Year But Not This.” What will you do ensure those donors give again this year?

Have you thanked them in a way that ensures they feel thanked? If you’re not sure, what else can you do? And, do they know how their money was used?

September and October are the perfect months to let donors know how their gift was used this past year.

3. Secure major gifts.

Have you reached out to your top twenty donors this year? And asked them for a major gift?

Don’t leave this up to chance. Communicate with your biggest and best donors about what you need and how they can help, and do it now, before year-end.

One great way to ensure your year-end success with major gifts is to enroll NOW in my 7-week online course, Mastering Major Gifts. You can begin the course the day you buy. So if you’re ready to get serious about major gift fundraising just in time for year-end giving, register today!

4. Increase year-end giving.

Personalize, personalize, personalize.

Make a plan to write personal notes to each donor you are asking for a gift. Handwrite envelopes too. Send a follow up mailing or phone call to those who don’t respond to your first mailing.

5. Practice gratitude.

Be grateful for the gifts you have received and those that are coming your way.

Print lists of your loyal donors (those who have given over the last few years), your monthly donors, your largest donors, and your first-time donors and give them a call simply to say thank you. Let them know how much their gift means to your organization and the impact it has had on the people you serve.

Be Patient and Persistent

Finally, cut yourself some slack. Don’t beat yourself up for the things you don’t get to or can’t accomplish.

You’ve been working hard all year. You’re doing the best you can. Some things are beyond your control. Continue to grow, learn and work hard. Don’t worry about the rest.

You’ve dedicated your life and your work to helping solve the world’s biggest challenges. If it were easy, it would be done by now.

So be patient with yourself, but practice persistence. You’ll get there.

---

What will you be doing to prepare for fall fundraising? Let me know in the comments.