5 Ways to Make the Most of Year-End Giving
Nonprofits receive about 20% of all their donations during the month of December.
If that’s not enough to make you focus on your year-end giving campaign, consider this: Most nonprofits bring in 47% of their online revenue during the last week of December, with 20% coming in on New Year’s Eve.
If your year-end giving strategy consists of sending a letter around Thanksgiving and waiting for the checks to roll in, you leave money – possibly substantial amounts of money – on the table. Likewise, if you clock out on December 23 and ignore your giving campaign that last week of the year, you will lose out to organizations that pay attention to their donors during this critical week.
How can you make the most of your year-end giving campaign?
Begin with strong messaging. “It’s the end of the year; please give to us” does not qualify as a strong message. Instead, focus on stories of the impact that you make on the people (or other beneficiaries) of your services. So far this year, I have received two solicitations that I consider good. Both talked about the people they serve and how they changed their lives; they did not talk about what their organization needs. Regardless of the medium through which you communicate this message, it should focus on the changes you make in your community.
Ask. It sounds really simple, but I could probably count on one hand the number of solicitations I’ve received so far this year that actually ask for a gift – and have a few fingers left over. “Will you support my organization this year?” is not an ask. “Will you make a gift of $(specific dollar amount) to support (specific need)?” is an ask. Research clearly shows that the fewer decisions the donor has to make, the more likely they will make a gift. That is, you want them to only have to decide if they want to make a gift of whatever amount you ask. Trust me, they will give more (or less) if they want.
Repeat the ask numerous times. In addition to the letter, send a series of emails to the constituents for whom you have an email address or even a second letter or a postcard. Letters tend to get lost in people’s busy lives this time of year; don’t rely on just one letter to get their attention. And make sure at least one communication arrives the week between Christmas and New Year. Most programs let you schedule emails in advance so you can still take the week off.
Call lapsed donors to remind them to make their gift this year. Many will have forgotten and will appreciate the reminder.
Reinforce your message and ask on social media. Post early and often and especially the week between Christmas and New Year – and definitely on December 30 and 31. People have time to think about making gifts once the holidays end – and many do not work that week because of the holiday. Make sure that you have your message in front of them when they have time to think about giving. Again, many social media programs allow you to schedule in advance so you can have these ready to go before you leave for the holiday.
Remember, a person has to hear a message 7 times for it to resonate. Make sure that you repeat your message in numerous media to keep it in front of your potential donors when they have time to think about making a gift.
Even though you can schedule many of these things in advance, making yourself available to donors who have questions or making follow up calls to lapsed donors will bring in even more donations than waiting for them to passively arrive.
Good luck!
