5 simple ways to make the most of your end-of-year fundraising
This week, a colleague of mine said she had just been asked for help with planning a year-end giving campaign and all I could think was, “oh boy, it is November!” In a world where we all have all the staff and all the time in the world, end-of-year planning would start in late summer. Or so I’ve heard.
Unfortunately, that is not what usually happens for most of us. Our other obligations, goals, and life, get in the way. We may end up planning our year-end at the end of the year.
Whether December 31 is your calendar end-of-year, your end-of-fiscal-year, or both, end-of-year giving is critically important to nonprofits. The holidays create a spirit of generosity and it's the end of the tax year, so donors are eager to give. It's often the biggest opportunity that most of us have to ask for support all year.
Let’s talk about how we can strategically and efficiently use your time these last few weeks of 2021 to make the most of your fundraising potential! You’ve got this!
1. Set your goals
Goals are the backbone of every fundraising opportunity—including end-of-year campaigns. I’ve rarely met a fundraiser who didn’t love a target to work towards.
Chances are that you already have a number in your head of what you would like to see come in by year-end. Great! That’s a start! Let’s put the number down on paper. The first way to set yourself up for success is to…add to that number!
What we don’t want to do is look at year-end as a time to squeak by. Let’s aim to blow our goals out of the water and to walk into 2022 on solid ground. Looking at what the gap to goal is for the year is where you can start building.
Having an actual target makes it easier to know which direction to head and where you should focus your energy.
2. Make a list
How do we make the most of the resources that we have while making sure that everyone is being reached out to? Segmentation.
Segmentation, at its core, is merely organization. It will help you tailor your message appropriately. It is the best way to ensure that you are connecting with the right donors, in the right way, and at the right time. Of course, we value all donors, but not all of them need the same type of ask to be made of them.
The first segment you should look at is the year-end donors who have given to your organization for the last three years. If you have the time and the bandwidth, looking at what the giving capacity of those donors is can enable you to know who to focus your energy on.
If you do not have the time for a wealth capacity examination, look at the amounts that they have given for the last three years and take it to the next level. You have the opportunity to not leave any money on the table if you’re making strategic asks of your most dedicated supporters.
Other segments to examine:
Donors who have expected gift dates from January 2022-March 2022. It never hurts to ask early!
LYBUNTS (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year) with the exclusion of December 2020 donors who you expect to give in December 2021.
Prior year donors: If they gave consistently prior to 2020 but have not since then, now is a great time to reach back out.
Recurring donors: It can be easy to overlook your sustainers, but the holidays are a great time to have a conversation about their giving and what your organization means to them.
Volunteers: If volunteers are not already included in your donor segmentation, they should be. People who volunteer at nonprofits donate at an incredibly high rate, but we often forget to ask.
3. Plan how you are going to tell your story
Making sure that your emails, newsletters, appeals, social media, and websites are in harmony is key! Make sure that all your messaging matches and is taking your donors on a curated journey.
I’ve worked with organizations that had a marketing department telling a completely different year-end story than the fundraisers. The result is very discombobulating for donors. You don’t want the donors to think you’re not all on the same page. Or worse, you don’t want them to think you are two separate organizations.
Many organizations like to go with a theme for end-of-year fundraising. Great! Make sure it relates directly to your mission and reinforces the importance of your work.
What we have learned over the years is that humans have a short memory. Reinforcing the same message (or theme) throughout these next few weeks will create an impactful impression on your donors.
Also, if you’re making a special end-of-year landing page, or you haven’t recently tested if your donation button is working, now is the time to investigate it. It’s also a good time to look at what your donor experience on the website looks like when they visit. How many clicks from your home page to a processed gift? We want to make this experience simple and clear.
4. Plan a way to say thank you before Thanksgiving
Thank all your donors early and thank them often. As with all fundraising, you do not have to do this alone! Now is the opportunity to involve your other colleagues, volunteers, and board members in the fundraising process – and it’s fun!
Ask your executive director if she can call a long-time, high-capacity recurring donor. See if a board member is willing to reach out to their colleague who gave a one-time gift. If you are involving other members of your community and making it clear who is responsible for what, what they are saying, and exactly how you are going to execute it – it will be a great experience for everyone. Every time someone from your organization is reaching out to your donors, it is a moment that can be used to learn something new.
It allows your fundraisers to focus on raising new funds while stewarding your existing donors. We do still have to ask for money, but you can never say ‘thank you’ too much. It also puts your organization in the front of your donors’ minds, which often leads to the consideration of an additional gift. Plus, you can very sincerely acknowledge that your organization can’t do what it does without those who are supporting it.
5. Make the ask!
Sit down with the list that you created earlier and plan out when you can call whom. Personally, I block out time on my calendar so that I know that is when I am making calls. I organize the calls by highest expected gift amounts first and then in descending order from there. For example, if I expect someone will give $100K for year-end, they will get my first call.
You’d be surprised at how often I’ve seen fundraising plans that did not involve a timeline for making an ask. Plan a way to make all asks and do it before December 10th. The field gets more crowded as we get closer to the end of December. Making sure your asks are early will be beneficial.
Before picking up the phone, remind yourself of a few things:
You're not robbing anyone! If they are on your list, they have either given before or have expressed interest in deepening their connection. You are providing an opportunity for them to do just that.
Nobody should be surprised that you are making an ask. Look back in your CRM or in your notes: What was the last action with this person? Have you thanked them for their last gift and reported on its impact? Make sure they know that an ask is coming.
The absolute worst thing that might happen is that someone will say no. And you know what? ‘No’ to a fundraiser usually doesn’t mean ‘no’ forever. It means now is not the right time.
Your donors are human and so are you. To make an ask of a donor is to give them an opportunity to do good and feel good. You can do it!
6. Follow up throughout December
As the holidays draw closer, it becomes more and more difficult to reach donors. Start your outreach now and spend December doing follow-up. Ideally, you’ll have made a meaningful connection with each of your donors before December begins.
Don’t forget to remind donors to give before December 31! In doing so you want to communicate urgency, but not desperation. Everyone wants to be on the winning team. Let them know that their donation before the end of the year is going to ensure your continued success in the year to come (and a tax benefit for them)!
So, 1) set your goals, 2) make your lists, 3) tell your story, 4) send your thanks before Thanksgiving, 5) make your asks, and 6) follow up.
We’ll come back in January to talk what happens after year-end. Happy holidays and good luck out there!
Ellen Claycomb
Ellen earned an M.P.A in Nonprofit Management and has been fundraising ever since. Prior to joining the Aperio team, she served nonprofits including American Red Cross, True Colors United, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.