It’s December, which means year-end fundraising season is here! This is an important and busy time for nonprofit organizations because, according to Network for Good, about one-third of online giving occurs in December and a high percentage of that is within the last three days of the month!
As you can see by the Network for Good graph here, “generous procrastinators dominate in December.” This graph is from their Year-end Fundraising Survival Guide, which you can download free. . In it you’ll find a lot of solid advice for making the most of the season’s generosity.
And if you need a quick shot in the arm to get you going, here are my
Top 5 Ways to Create a Successful Year-End Fundraising Campaign
1. Include a short example of how the dollars will be used. Bite size gifts add up. Explaining how “My” gift makes a difference will increase your responses – even if you are asking for $5 or $10 per person.
2. Share your campaign goal and deadline. Let people know how much it takes to deliver a day or week of your service and give them a deadline to respond to create a sense of urgency. Combining this with your email updates, will generate a higher response rate. Keep your goal visible, in print, on your website, at meetings, everywhere.
3. Share a short story or quote from a client that paints the picture of who will benefit from a contribution. A photo included with the quote or short story is worth a thousand words and sometimes hundreds of dollars. Example: Photo of a child sleeping on a pillow with the words: 3000 children will sleep on the floor or in a car tonight – conveys something the words alone can’t.
4. Make it easy to give online. Research indicates your response rate will increase up to 40% with easy online contributions. And is your contribution page compelling?
5. Send compelling, personal, updates via email & social media. Let people know how they are doing in helping that young child or veteran receive the care they deserve. Get your readers excited about their collective results or concerned that there is still more to do.
