The 12 Days of Giving: End of Year Giving Campaigns
The fourth quarter of the calendar year (Q4) is considered to be the best time of the year for nonprofits to raise funds. Are you prepared to take advantage of end-of-year giving opportunities?
A nonprofit’s year-end giving campaign is often one of the most important fundraising efforts they take on throughout the year. Because 30% of all annual charitable donations take place in December, the end-of-year fundraising push is an exceptional opportunity to connect with supporters and to secure vital fundraising dollars.
Here is a menu of creative and effective end-of-year giving ideas themed through “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” that will help you reach you goals.
On the first day of giving, our make a gift would be...Launch Your Campaign with A Challenge Gift
Challenge gifts, by definition, are donations pledged by an individual, organization, or business to a nonprofit that are contingent upon the nonprofit agreeing to raising a certain amount of funds as described by the challenger. For example, an anonymous donor offers a $10,000 challenge whereby the donor agrees to match, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 for each donation made to the charity.
Challenge gifts can be tremendously inspiring to donors because the simple act of making a donation automatically increases the return to their favorite charity. Challenge gifts can be a catalyst for increasing gifts because they not only motivate donors to give, but also to make a gift that is much bigger than they may usually consider. Challenge gifts also require a tight timeline, which allows you to develop a sense of urgency for the donors.
Two years ago we introduced the concept of a challenge gift to a cat rescue organization who had never done an end-of-year campaign before. A board member anonymously made a challenge gift of $10,000 that was used to motivate giving during their end-of-giving campaign. Not only did they raise the funds to reach the $10,000 match, which automatically became $20,000, they exceeded their end-of-year goal.
Think about whether you have a donor (individual, business, or other) who might be in a position to present a challenge gift. It is an effective way to reach your goal.
On the second day of giving, our make a gift would be...Double Your Dollars with a Matching Gift Program
Corporations support employee charitable giving by matching donations made to nonprofits by their employees. Matching gift programs are often overlooked because companies don’t always actively promote them, and employees don’t always know to look for that opportunity.
In fact, at least $4 to $7 billion dollars in workplace matching funds go unclaimed each year. Only 1 in 10 eligible donors match their donations annually simply because donors and nonprofits alike aren’t well-versed in which companies have matching gift programs. Corporate matching gifts could be a goldmine for your nonprofit. With a little work, you can double contributions.
Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they double employee contributions. In some cases, there is a 2:1 and even a 3:1 match. Focusing on donor matching gifts can provide additional funding that was “unexpected.” With this in mind, something as simple as asking donors if they have an employee matching gifts program, sometimes on the acknowledgement letter you send when the first make a gift, can do the trick. Remember, donors are the ones who will have to fill out the matching gift paperwork, but that doesn’t mean you can’t lead them in that direction. There is a directory of matching gift corporations you can find online. Just think about the possibilities!
On the third day of giving, our make a gift would be...Host a Thank-A-Thon
What is that? A Thank-a-Thon is the opposite of a phone-a-thon campaign. Rather than calling to ask potential or renewing donors for a gift, you are calling to simply thank them for their support (Remember that each and every donor should be thanked seven times.) There’s no ask. No sales pitch. Just a sincere and honest thank you with some examples of what the donation was used for and the impact it made on the nonprofit.
You can divide the list of donors to be called, create a brief script, and let your board and other key volunteers do the calling when its convenient to them. In a Thank-A-Thon, if you cannot reach the designated donor, you can leave an extensive message – wouldn’t it be a nice change to check your voice mail and hear a warm friendly thank you for your charity support! It’s a no brainer.
Try to select a time in your organization’s calendar – or campaign timeline – that is clear of other fundraising events. You want this thank you call to come as a surprise, something that can delight your supporters, and hopefully warm them up for a subsequent solicitation.
On the fourth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Send a Personal Note to Some of Your Loyal Supporters
Just like the thank-a-thon, but even more thoughtful, is a personal note to your supporters (typically at a certain level – whatever a major or significant gift would be for you), thanking them for their generosity and asking them to remember your organization with a gift prior to December 31. You want to make this letter as personal as possible. The body of the letter can be somewhat the same, but there should be portions of the letter that are specific to the individual donor – it makes them feel special and important. You might also consider including your annual report or a student testimonial.
For very special donors, consider sending your personal note in a Federal Express or USPS priority envelope to be sure it is received and opened. If you are reviewing your donor list now, and there are some significant donors who have not already supported your organization – and their gifts would make a big difference in your overall fundraising results, they may be ideal candidates for this type of personal outreach. It does get one’s attention.
Personal outreach through notes and calls serve a two-fold purpose: thanking donors for their support and asking them to make an end-of-year gift.
On the fifth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Make Five Outreach Calls
This is the most effective, direct way to solicit annual gifts to your organization. Directly solicit prospects in person or by phone. Develop a script. Practice the pitch. Be sure to talk about the donor and the impact he/she can make on your organization – directly. It is extremely difficult to say no to a friend or colleague who is reaching out to you with such a passionate ask for such an important cause.
You can go from five to 50 direct solicitations by engaging your board and key volunteers. Your end-of-year giving campaign is a great opportunity to build your solicitor team. You can do it, really.
On the sixth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Traditional End of Year Appeal
Traditional end of year appeals are typically letters with return envelopes allowing the donor to make and return their gifts via snail mail – thus the word traditional. You can also do an annual appeal via email (not an e-blast, but through a personal email address or your organization’s email) where you would add a link to an online donation mechanism. In some cases, a strong end-of-year campaign will include both - sending an email and following up with a mailed appeal.
One reason for the one, two punch is the fact that many people miss emails. If you do decide to use an email campaign only, be sure to send more than one email to your prospective donors. If they miss the first, they may see the second.
Let’s go back to the traditional appeal. You will see these arrive in a typical #10 envelope with the return address block clearly indicating who it was from. The contents included an appeal letter signed by the board president, fundraising chair, or the best person to solicit the respective donor. It also includes a return envelope (it could be a #9 with a simple return address or a custom envelope that allows you to capture additional information about the donor and the donation), and an insert that talks about the success of your program and include a number of testimonials for a variety of people. You can, of course, duplicate much of this online.
On the seventh day of giving, our make a gift would be...Participate in #GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to use their individual power of generosity to remain connected and support their communities. It’s a day when everyone comes together to give back. Nonprofit organizations can leverage the energy of GivingTuesday to tell their stories to engage lifelong supporters and advocates, and to build awareness of your organization – whether they “give” or not, the engagement gained through Giving Tuesday is powerful.
Integrate GivingTuesday into your end-of-year campaign. There is a complete GivingTuesday tool guide available online that provides everything you need to fully participate in GivingTuesday. If you haven’t given it a look yet, you might want to do that soon.
On the eight day of giving, our make a gift would be...Recognize Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving represents a day or time of thanks. It is an opportunity to provide for your donors examples of what their generosity has provided. A heartwarming testimonial wrapped in a seasonally designed e-blast with a soft message about continuing that support with a gift and a link to online giving is a simple end-of-year giving activity that all you should be able to construct.
On the ninth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Online Giving Campaign
Online giving campaigns are generally focused on bringing donors to your website to make an online gift. There are many ways to do that, including simple emails (with your end-of-year theme) that conclude with a link to the “donate now” page.
I have also seen groups become very creative with their online campaigns. One I have seen work well is called:
Jailbreak: It might sound crazy, but it’s just out there enough to call attention to your event and just grounded enough that people will want to participate. For the event itself, you’ll need to identify a number of notables among your supporters who would be willingly volunteer to be arrested. You make up some silly, cause-themed crimes (such as “arrested for volunteering too many hours”). Prior to the event, you set up your fundraising page and promote them and the event itself. Once arrested and bail is set, it’s a race to reach that financial goal to freedom. Include a time limit to prevent people from remaining jailed indefinitely and to incentivize donors to act swiftly. If you have people with a sense of humor – who are attached to larger firms/employers with colleagues who would be willing to make a gift to bail them out, it’s a winner. There are lots of other online gimmicks that can be used as well. The key here is to utilize the power of your website and your online giving option to drive end-of-year donations.
On the tenth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Friends and Family Appeal
Board members and key volunteers connect friends, family, and colleagues to your organization. This can be done by phone, email, or letter – whatever makes the most sense for your organization. It requires that your board and key volunteers think about “new” potential donors to introduce to your organization through this end of year campaign.
The Friends and Family Campaign doesn’t need to be complicated, requires no technical resources, is a good fit for nonprofits and engages your strongest volunteers. It makes those who are being contacted feel valued and special. They are becoming members of the “friends and family club.”
Emphasize that this opportunity is focused completely on the friends and family of your board and volunteers. They will definitely respond to an outreach made by a family member or good friend. Use words that make the opportunity sound limited and special to the audience. Be sure to recognize the volunteers for their efforts.
On the eleventh day of giving, our make a gift would be...Host a Virtual Holiday Gathering
Everyone loves a party! This doesn’t have to be high-tech but would be an opportunity to share some highlights of the year, include a few testimonials, thank volunteers for their efforts and wire into the event an opportunity to make a gift. Keep it simple, but warm and personal.
If you’ve always had a holiday gathering for your board and volunteers, with guests, don’t let the pandemic prevent you from capturing some of the holiday spirit – and the spirit of giving in a holiday virtual gathering. Raffle something off and have party goers purchase a ticket. That can be the beginning of an individual giving journey for many of them.
On the twelfth day of giving, our make a gift would be...Drop a Final Email on December 28 or 29
Believe it or not, reminders do work. Make sure you send a note indicating the calendar year is ending, you are still short of your goal (if you are) and include a “donate now” button that links to your online giving site. Remember, 12% of all donations occur in the last 3 days of December. Make sure you are reminding those procrastinators that you need their support!
The 12 Days of Giving provides you with some real-time ideas, both simple and a little more involved, that you can use to begin your end-of-year campaign plan. Start this year with 2 – 3 elements and add to your program each year.
Vicki Burkhart is Founder and CEO of The More Than Giving Co.
Learn more about our fundraising consulting or Nonprofit Virtual Assistants who can assist with your organization’s end of year campaigns.