As a fundraiser, I take year-end fundraising seriously, and you should too.
Spoiler Alert! At the end of this post, I’ll be giving away two free phone consultation sessions to help you whip your year-end giving into shape! But read the post first… no cheating!
According to several sources, the end of the year is the time when many organizations raise 40 percent of their fundraising dollars for the entire year! How much of your overall fundraising revenue came in last year in November and December?
Better question: How much more could you raise this year?
Giving spikes between Thanksgiving and New Years, both for year-end tax-purposes, but also thanks to the holiday season. Are you ready to receive your share of the billions of dollars that will be donated over the next few months?
6 Things You Can Do to Prepare for Year-End Giving
Here are the top six things to do in September to prepare for year-end giving:
1. Contact your top twenty donors.
I’ve written lots of posts on the importance of cultivating and stewarding your top donors. If you’ve been lax this year, there’s no time like the present. Identify your top 20 donors and contact them. Thank them for their past giving and let them know how their money was used to further your mission. Let them know you’re counting on their support again this year. If they haven’t given yet this year, ask for a specific amount.
2. Write a compelling appeal letter and design the reply envelope.
Don’t wait for October to write your appeal letter. Write it now. Include stories, compelling quotes, and some amazing statistics. Plan a day for volunteers and staff members to personalize letters well in advance of your mail date. Here are 7 critical tips in writing your year-end appeal letters.
3. Test your online giving system.
When was the last time you made a donation to your own organization? Make one today to test your system. Can you easily find where to click to donate? Do you use a nice, large “Donate” button? Is the online form easy to use? Do you receive a thank you email shortly after making the gift? Are you sending out a paper thank you as well?
4. Step-up your social media outreach.
Want more donations online? Now is the time to engage your online audience and pick-up new friends and followers. Work on your social media strategy and implement it!
5. Let people know how their money was used.
When was the last time you told your donors how their prior gifts were used? September is the perfect time to mail, email, or even pick-up the phone to let donors why their gift made a difference to your organization. It will have a bigger impact on future giving than you might think.
6. Toot your own horn.
This is related to number five, but I want to emphasize it here. It’s ok and even advantageous to toot your own horn. Does the community know what you accomplished this year? How can you tell them? Hang a banner on your building. Write a press release (especially to local, community papers). Send an e-alert or special mini-newsletter.
More Excellent Year-End Giving Resources
- A fantastic article: Fundraising 101: Planning for Your Year-End Appeal
- A great resource from last year (still relevant): Three Ingredients for Successful Year-End Fundraising
- My friend, Tony Martignetti (with guest Katie Chapman) prepared this last year (also still relevant): Last Minute Tips for Year End Fundraising
Here are a few of my own posts:
- 4 Rock-Solid Ways to Raise More Year-End Money
- 8 Questions to Answer Before Year-End Giving
- How to Raise More Year-End Money in Just 3 Weeks
Let Me Help You Succeed!
I really want to see you succeed with your year-end giving. So much so, in fact, that I’m giving away two free, 45 minute phone consultation. One session will go to the person who comes up with the best, new idea for year-end fundraising. Another free session will go to the person who convinces me why their organization needs the most help.
All you have to do is to post your answers in the comments. My decision will be made by September 15, 2012. You can redeem your consultation session during the last two weeks of September.
I can’t wait to work with two of you lucky posters one on one! Post your answers below.
Great post Amy! Inspired me to put some of my ideas (and those of others on the committee) for the local shelter on paper. We’ve had a lot said in meetings and via email but it was nice to use your concrete steps to create a bit of a plan. http://bit.ly/RDsAG7 With one ED and no fundraising staff, the committee is really the backbone of fundraising efforts and they are working hard. Funny enough, the ED has mentioned this “great fundraiser who wrote this book 50 Ask in 50 Days” and I said I know that great fundraiser. In 2013 we are definitely aiming for 50 asks in the first 50 days. Thanks for the inspiration!
It doesn’t matter how compelling we make our appeal letters we are finding it difficult to increase % of giving among our constituents. We are Mental Health organization with 55 years of service to the community and finding it hard to convince people to support us, maybe has to do with stigma of mental health.
Hi Cate,
Is your list current and up-to-date? Is it growing? Do you personalize your letters? How do you know they are compelling? Have you included a brochure? Pictures? Are you including a reply envelope?
Amy
Very good reminder. Stewardship of our top donors, telling our story (and how we use donations) and making the most of our web page were all ideas my board member and I discussed as easy ways to move our board toward fundraising (v. direct service). We attended your last class in OKC.
(Please enter me to win! Thanks)
Sara
Our organization does a “Thank a thon” before our end of the year mailing goes out. Members of our board and volunteers call all our donors to thank them for their support of us, ask them why they are motivated to give to us, and tell them that we hope they will give to us again. Not only does this put our organization in their minds at year-end giving time, but it gives board members who are hesitant to participate in fundraising a chance to contribute in a fun way.
Great ideas, Melanie! Thanks for sharing.
Hi!
I am new to this and am finding it a great way to also educate the community about us! We are a mental health service agency and I wish we had more of a social network footprint. My letters are successful and I would like to know how to add more personal stories. How can I do that?
Hi Kathryn –
I think you’re asking two questions, if I’m understanding you correctly. To increase your social media footprint, engage friends and followers with good questions and by providing information that might be helpful to patients and families. I’m glad your letters have been successful. To add personal stories, pick one success story from this year and tell it in a clear, concise manner. You may want to indent it, use italics, or quotes to make it stand out in the letter. I hope that helps.
Amy
Hi Amy, Thanks for this opportunity! I’ve been reading your stuff for over a month now and I am a big fan. Since I know you’re Jewish, I am curious about your thoughts about end of the year vs Jewish new year appeals. My organization is very, very new and small and this will be our first mailing for fundraising. Our plan is to do a pre-Rosh Hashannah mailing to existing donors/people who are VERY likely to be interested. In the mailing we will telling them our successes, our goals, and asking for more. Then in the fall we are going to hold a second fundraiser and then do an end of year mailing with a much broader range of people who might be interested in giving. What do you think Jewish organizations should do to distinguish Rosh Hashannah fundraising from December time fundraising? We have big, big goals and are a completely unique project and look forward to your advice!
Hi Erica –
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, Jewish organizations have an extra opportunity to ask for gifts around the high holidays. It sounds like you are on the right track. As with any mail appeal, remember to make the letters as personal as possible. Can you add handwritten notes to your letters? If so, your results are likely to significantly increase.
Keep me posted about how the appeals go. Good luck!
Amy
Thanks for your post, Amy! I’m going to compete in the category of “needs the most help!”
I am the first full-time executive director of American Charities for Palestine (ACP), based in Washington DC. I am also the only employee. We promote the development of Palestine’s education and health sectors, and have a unique agreement with USAID that allows us to identify our beneficiaries through USAID’s partnerships with Palestinian organizations. This means that all of ACP’s donations support Palestinian organizations that have been fully vetted by the US government, so all donors are assured that their gifts are used in full accordance with US law.
I believe ACP can make a huge difference in our beneficiaries’ lives, primarily because we don’t impose our own agenda–instead, ACP channels financial support to existing Palestinian-led institutions. We also focus our investments in projects that have the most “bang for the buck”–for example, we’re in the middle of finalizing a partnership with a hospital in East Jerusalem that provides both state-of-the-art tertiary care AND community-based outreach and education. They don’t just focus on treating the sick, but they also invest in preventing sickness before it starts.
Although ACP was founded in 2007, we’re essentially still in start-up phase because of the lack of consistent leadership over the years. When I came on board in April 2012, ACP did not have a professional CRM, no social media presence, no history of foundation or corporate support, no system for donor cultivation, no method to monitor the outcomes and impacts of its projects, and only about 50 donors in the database.
To give you a sense of how broke we are, a board member had to donate my salary for the year. While he has generously agreed to keep supporting ACP in the years to come, we still have general operating costs to cover, and one magic someday, I hope to have funding to hire more staff! We have a total of only four board members, and although they are dedicated and all of them donate to ACP, they have limited fundraising experience and even less time to spend.
I first saw you speak at the Foundation Center in DC, where I have taken virtually all of the classes on offer. I have also taken advantage of webinars for on fundraising for non profits, and I have occasional conversations with NGO leaders who serve as my mentors. Still, this does not take the place of one-on-one consulting.
I hope you’ll work with me, Amy!
Hi Elizabeth –
Sounds like you are moving in the right direction! I would recommend looking for additional board memebers who have access to resources and have skills to help your efforts.
Best,
Amy
I love your advice.
Amy,
Your site gives my organization guidance and hope! Thank you, Amy!
Blackbaud says that roughly 40% of giving is donated to non-profits in December and about 10% of annual giving is donated during the last three days of December. This being the case, my idea is that a gentle follow-up letter/email or New Yshould be received in potential donors’ boxes by December 27.
Amy,
Your site gives my organization guidance and hope! Thank you, Amy!
Blackbaud says that roughly 40% of giving is donated to non-profits in December and about 10% of annual giving is donated during the last three days of December. This being the case, my idea is that a gentle follow-up letter/email or New Years letter/email should be received in potential donors’ box by December 27. All donations received that are postmarked in the end of the year count for that year! Don’t forget to make a copy of the envelope and send a handwritten thank you along with the donation receipt (which is due soon after anyway). Done in the right way, sending a “last chance” reminder just before.the last three days of the year could be the nudge the potential donor needed.