Year-end is my favorite time of the year, and not just because I love #GivingTuesday. Year-end giving is a perfect time to share your nonprofits message with an audience that is in a mood to give. Therefore, I am excited to share ten steps to make your year-end giving campaign perfect for your small shop nonprofit.
First, start by reviewing the previous years’ totals and goals. What was your goal last year? How much was raised? Who contributed? What strategies did you use?
Take some time with your board and/or your finance committee and review your current financial position. How are you doing on your budget? How close are you to your fundraising goal for the year?
Use this information to set some serious goals.
Identify your resources. Do you have a board that is active in fundraising? Are you able to rally the support of volunteers? How much time do you have? What materials do you have at your disposal?
Set your scope. Start by segmenting your audience. Audience segmentation means to divide your donors into groups based on their interests, behaviors, and communication preferences. This will allow you to then identify donors that can be instrumental in hitting your year-end giving goals.
Find your anecdote, decide on a theme, and figure out your messaging.
Identify your timeline. In most cases, I suggest starting on #GivingTuesday, if you can. Your social media push on #GivingTuesday can be used as a soft launch for your year-end giving campaign. Make sure your timeline works for your organization.
Make the ask(s). Use every appropriate communication channel to make your year-end giving requests. That means you should be using social media, direct mail, e-mail, one-on-one meetings, newsletters, website, and/or phone.
Develop a follow-up plan. Remind each of the segmented donors that have not yet given about your year-end campaign, and vary your follow-up appeals across multiple channels. Many donations come in on the last day of the year!
Always remember to thank your donors, and if you can, thank them at least twice. Regardless of gift size, try to send each donor a personalized thank you. Whether that means, a personalized thank you by phone, email, or note – always make sure to tell that donor about the impact of their donation and express your sincere gratitude.
I want to hear about your year-end giving successes and challenges! Drop a comment below and let other small shops know what has or has not worked for your year-end fundraising.
I am also very excited to announce that I have launched the ‘Work With Me’ portion of this website to help mentor 2 – 3 small shop nonprofits with topics such as this one. It is my privilege to share my knowledge with small development shops, so if you want to discuss your own unique situation, free of charge, just fill out the ‘Contact’ portion of this website!
Shelby Moore - MPA, CFRE