What is End of Year Giving
The end of each year is a special time – not just for holiday shopping, but also for nonprofit charity! Statistically, a good chunk of your annual donation total will come in around then – around 17% in December alone!
Since this is a special occasion, you’ll need to start making plans. The earlier the better – that chaotic rush to meet your annual goals is optional, if you prepared enough!
The holidays come alongside a fresh campaign concept for you to use, one themed around the idea of giving and generosity. It’s exactly what you need to meet your goals. #GivingTuesday is just one such option – but the sheer depth of holidays at this time of year offers no shortage of ideas. And in this article, we’ll show you exactly how to leverage them in support of your nonprofit.
1. Ask Donors to Upgrade Donations
In general, it’s much easier to get donations from people who have already donated. The numbers don’t lie – the odds of donor retention are much higher for those who’ve already donated, than from fresh faces.
This is a connection you can leverage. Challenge donors to increase their donation goals. Start extra side projects, and ask them to support there as well. There are all sorts of different tactics you can use to boost donor retention, and force-amplify those who are already loyal.
Donors can also encourage each other to boost donations – get donors involved in a community with a donation circle!
2. A Countdown Clock
The end-of-year timing isn’t just important for you, or your nonprofit. It also matters a whole lot for the donors, too! The end of the year is a season of giving, of celebrating holidays with the ones you love, and of generosity and the beautiful things it can create. Those feelings are what brought them to you, and you can use them to seal the deal.
Taking part in a donor’s celebrations is a wonderful strategy (we’ll get into that later), but something like a countdown clock can do a lot to keep the present time front-and-center in a donor’s mind.
Encourage donors to donate quickly, by making a special event out of this season. A sense of urgency to meet goals is a common tactic – because it’s undeniably effective.
3. Email Campaigning
Be sure to start this one early! When it comes to email campaigns, one-and-done strategies are an easy way to let donors forget about the random email that found its way into their inbox that one time. Under no circumstances should you spam donors, however! A general rule-of-thumb is to cap things off at 5 messages per donor.
You can also amplify the effectiveness of email campaigns by making the campaign into a more prominent feature of people’s lives. Get involved in social media, and set yourself up with multiple ways to make your campaign relevant.
4. Matching Gifts
You’re not just interested in getting donors, you also want them to think about this season as a whole. That is what’s driving them to donate, after all! When you design your donation reward incentives, see if you can match something special about the holidays.
For example, if you receive a donation from someone you know celebrates a specific religious holiday, give that a mention! For a donor, it can be a nice surprise to see their own culture represented in a thank-you. That surprise is your gift to them – one they could very well repay.
Alternatively, if your specific cause relates to a specific demographic, you can center that demographic in your thank-you instead. This can have a similar effect as representing the donor’s preferred holiday, immersing donors in the culture(s) you represent.
5. Always Find a Way to Say Thank You
Thanking donors is always a necessary step! Getting people interested in donating again is always a powerful goal, and positive responses are necessary in that effort. Be quick and responsive, and if you want to really send the message home, you can include a gift with that thank-you.
You can also leverage social media channels to make public thank-yous for select donors! For pragmatic reasons you likely won’t be able to thank everyone this way, but giving someone a spotlight is a great way to make them feel appreciated – while also incentivising others to ‘be like them’.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to thank the staff and volunteers who’ve carried your nonprofit to success!
Bedankt voor het delen van deze kennis van Event Ideas.