10 Tips For Last-Minute Year-End Fundraising

Here we are again at the end of another year. It’s always coming, yet always seems to sneak up on us! And for nonprofit leaders who are up to their ears each day in helping others, long-term planning can sometimes feel like a luxury.

But year-end fundraising is essential for nonprofits because the general public is caught up in the spirit of giving and generosity (and tax deductions). And with so many others soliciting donations right now, your organization should get a piece of the pie, too. After all, there are so many people who could benefit from your work.

When the good folks at GiveCentral asked if they could share 10 tips for last-minute year-end fundraising, I easily and eagerly said yes. Whether you’ve been planning for December since this summer or are are only realizing that the New Year is around the corner, you will find a few gems below to put into practice immediately.

Wishing you much success in your year-end fundraising!

For nonprofit organizations, year-end fundraising is of undeniable importance. This is so because it is between October and December that nonprofits receive half of all annual donations. Understanding your donors and really getting to know them is important, and that’s how you will pave a way to line up your supporters.

For any kind of fundraising in the nonprofit industry, technology plays an important role. Of course, there have been changes in the nonprofit landscape after the pandemic hit and it's a mistake to try to make the old ways work in every situation. It is good news that new and improved methods have been adopted by organizations at large.

As for year-end giving, there is a lot of planning that goes into making the campaign work. However, there are a few last minute actions you can take to make sure that you are on the right track. 

1. Check Priority Goals

It is very true that all nonprofit organizations wish to perform better each year. In order to precede last year’s result, you must look at your downgrades and upgrades. Have a look at your retention—your database can indeed be a gold mine while reviewing your year-end fundraising objectives. Additionally, go over the nonprofit fundraising trends that have worked for nonprofits this year and draw a quick takeaway for your own year-end fundraising plan. 

2. Be Website Ready

Sometimes, you’re so busy paying attention to bigger things that you miss out on the simpler and the more obvious aspects. Your website is a representation of you, and what you display on it speaks volumes about your organization as a nonprofit. Fundraising for nonprofits requires updated and functional donations forms and Calls-To-Action on your website. Buttons, banners, and visuals that talk rightly about your cause and campaign is definitely a prerequisite. 

3. Go Mobile

Definitely a must-do if you haven’t already since 52.2% of website traffic is known to be generated from mobile phones. Nonprofits can increase their donations by 126% on average simply by incorporating mobile-responsive design to their websites. Therefore, mobile optimization of your website and all your communication materials is essential. Adoption of modern giving tools such as text-to-give and choosing a good keyword for the same should absolutely be on your checklist.

4. Personalized Communication

It is not easy to get people to talk about you and your organization. Yet, communication can help increase the attention that you receive. Tailored communication requires an excellent segmentation of donors. It is likely that most nonprofits already have a good sense of audience segmentation. These are mostly current donors, lapsed donors, prospective donors, and so on. Personalizing every message to each section of your audience is the best practice. Rather than launching a generic blast to your entire list, tailored messaging for each segment is more likely to result in donations and gifts. At the very least, include their name in the email to make it more individualized.

5. Adopt A Year-End Email Series

In addition to the above point, having a year-end blitz is recommended—at least three e-appeals between December 26th and 31st can help you get a better response. Set up your emailers in such a way that you can also talk about it on your blog posts. For example, write a year-end fundraising trend article on your blog that is an introduction to the emails that you’ll be sending later. As for your email subject lines, try to be engaging yet short and crisp. Considering the fact that there are more than 4.2 billion daily email users around the world, you wouldn’t want to miss out on this chance. 

6. Steward Bigger Donors

Not that you should ignore the mid-size and smaller donors, but pay extra attention to the bigger donors. At the end of the day, your goal is to bring in more funds while turning your donors into passionate fans. Have the top professionals in your organization such as Executive Director and Chairman to reach out personally to these major donors. Send personal, one-on-one emails and messages thanking your big donors and talk to them on a phone call. Know the interest of your audience and weave the conversation around it. 

7. Lest We Forget Social Media

Social media has become an everyday habit for many. Well, nothing wrong in that but this is exactly why some nonprofit organizations miss out on creating a well strategized social media communication plan. Improving your organization’s social media takes effort and pushing your year-end campaign through your social media handles takes planning. This planning, however, doesn’t have to take up too much time. Carefully pick the image or videos you want to use, have a link or a Call-To-Action button that leads to your donation page, and include an “ask” message. Create a calendar and see to it that you post about your campaign at least four times per week. 

8. Focus On The Inner Circle

Your inner circle within the organization would mean your board members and staff. Board members have a huge role in the functioning of a nonprofit—when the board takes action, everyone else follows. Ask and encourage your board members and office staff to give. It is very impressive when the staff is donating no matter how big or small; it shows oneness. You can also request the circle to spread the word to their friends and family.

9. Create A Thank You Page

In addition to auto-generated thank you messages for your donors who give online, create a dynamic thank you page to show how grateful you are. Once your supporters have made their donations, they should be taken to an inspiring thank you page that makes them feel good about having donated. An immediate email thank you should not be missed as well. 

10. Optimize On Testimonials

Show a video or an image of someone or a group that has received help from your organization, made possible due to donations from your donors. Do this everywhere—emails, website, social media, landing pages, thank you emails, etc. Visuals speak louder than words and what better way to communicate your message than this! 

Conclusion

As the year nears its end, it is good teamwork that will bring you closer to your year-end fundraising goals. Last minute or not, good communication within the team is important - discuss your ideas, ideate together, and bring the best to reality. Good luck!

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Patrick J. Coleman is the President of GiveCentral and Coleman Group Consulting. As a CEO to two enterprises, he is on a mission to help reduce costs and increase fundraising for all charities through ways such as mobile giving. With a diverse educational background and over 25 years of experience in operations leadership and strategic planning, he has developed a proprietary methodology that focuses on the art and science of negotiation to deliver measurable, implementable, and sustainable results. Mr. Coleman has served as Board President for Elk Grove United Way of Suburban Chicago, and as a board member of both Talkline/Kidsline and Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS).

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

Create a Year-End Social Impact Report to Engage Donors and Customers

Can one person really change the world?

I think it depends on what you count.

Some people are only impressed by massive reputations, millions of dollars, big programs, and culture-changing ideas.

But as nonprofits and social impact companies started to release their year-end reports over the last few months, my favorite ones to read are the creative reports that:

• make tangible the intangible,

• highlight the small numbers that represent a change in heart or thought for a few people,

• share the seedlings of disruption that will shape a family's trajectory forever,

• tell the David versus Goliath stories,

• represent the optimistic beginnings of early-stage organizations,

• sound more relatable to me.

It's the idealist in me, but these reports represent hope and what could be.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly in awe of the big nonprofits and social enterprises who make an impact that I could only dream of. But I think we often forget that everyone who tried to do something great had to start somewhere, usually with meager resources.

Even on a small scale, these reports are the testimony of how you've used your resources to do something worthy of your donor or customer’s investment in you—whether that be time, money, influence, or anything else. No matter how big or how little you feel your contributions are (and theirs in you), they deserve to hear the story of what you did together.

If you haven't done so already, I urge you create your own report—and I’ll talk you through it.

Why Do You Need a Year-End Report?

Here are a few reasons why having a year-end report benefits you and your nonprofit or social impact company.

• Help your community understand what you did with their resources, which might encourage them to give more.

• Show them where you're headed in the future, and how they can be a part of it.

• Tell stories of the real lives that were affected by your mission and the shared belief that things can be different (and better!).

• Reiterate their standing as an insider that will always be kept in the loop when you've been trying something new.

• Thank your current large donors, partners, and sponsors.

• Build trust in you, your work, and your vision for a new and improved future.

We are in need of more good news than ever before . . . and you are in a fantastic position to share it!

How to Easily Design Your Year-End Social Impact Report FOR FREE

Here’s what you need to know: Your social impact report doesn’t need to be fancy. It certainly can be, but don’t let that stop you from making it happen.

Canva

Canva is the (free) tool that I use to create pretty much anything visual on this website or my social media. There are thousands of free templates to utilize for pretty much every purpose, and it’s pretty easy to get up to speed. Canva lets anyone be a designer!

People Resources

If you have a limited budget but a pair of extra hands, put them to work! It could be an intern, volunteer, board member, or peer that you can barter with.

Yearly

Yearly is a tool I only recently discovered through a friend, but it looks user-friendly and like it could create a great social impact report.

Webpage

No eye for design or short on time? Simply add a new page to your website and list all the data there. Just try to compliment numbers with stories and information that bring the facts to life.

Marketing Your Social Impact Report

Once you’ve taken the time to create your year-end report, be sure to get the most mileage of it by promoting it everywhere you can.

• Website

• Social media

• Email newsletter

• Conversations with donors and customers

• Partner and sponsorship presentations

• Direct mail

• Speaking engagements and interviews

• And anywhere else at your disposal!

Pssst—You can also promote it more than once! For example, you could even promote it to new donors and customers as they begin to interact with you over the course of a year.

Examples of Year-End Social Impact Reports

After everything we’ve discussed above, would you like to see some impact reports from small nonprofits and social enterprises like you?

Atlanta Dream Center (now Frontline Response)*

This incredible organization has been doing good in Atlanta and beyond for a couple of decades now. So, they have some pretty great numbers to tout. However, one of the things I love about their social impact report is their vision for the future. At the end they show a photo and blueprint for their new headquarters as well as the budget they need for it. This allows their current donors to understand future needs and make the investment.

Gifts for Good

When you don’t have a designer on standby, you can follow Gifts for Good’s example and simply add a new page to your website with all the relevant stories and stats. A few of the creative stats they included were hours of employment, gallons of water save by using recycled materials, and chemo rides for cancer patients.

Refugee Coffee Co.*

My friends at Refuge got super creative in 2020 by telling their story through the lens of a fairy tale. If you have talented artists at your disposal, this is a fantastic way for their skills to intersect with your mission. You’ll see that they included cups of coffee served, hours of training, mentor/volunteer hours, and reiterated that their customers and donors helped them fight injustice.

Love Not Lost

My friend Ashley and her team at LNL had a heck of a year trying to help us all process grief in the midst of 2020. But they showed up in the ways that only they could, and loved on their community at a safe distance. Their report is a terrific example of what happens when you don’t make your goal. They were honest, upfront, and showed their donors and supporters their vision for 2021 with gusto! I know anyone who received this wasn’t disappointed—only proud to be a part of their community.

Kula Project

My friends at Mad+Dusty created this beautiful report, and the design was inspired by the founder’s quote about seeing the light and continuing to follow it. As you can see in this piece, they kept written content to a minimum but used the opportunity to show off the amazing photos of their work in action.

Goshen Homes

Another Mad+Dusty special, this one isn't quite an impact report, but it is still certainly a great model. Even without the beautiful design, you’ll see the testimonials scattered throughout that reinforce the importance of their work. And I love that it also shows you clear steps to getting involved.

Partners International

A huge kudos to Partners International for including a video with their annual report! It’s really the icing on the cake, and sets the stage for their work and impact. And for those who don’t like to write or don’t think you have much to say, note that their report doesn’t actually include a lot of words, but still does an excellent job of communicating what happened through powerful language and a beautiful layout. You’ll also notice that they include the donate button right after the report, which is another great move!

Conscious Capitalism

I love that this report starts off with the title, “A Pivot Toward the Future.” It’s hopeful, shows they are still standing strong after a hard year, and points to their work moving forward. I also like that they counted the attendees for their online gatherings as a stat. Finally, I love that they dedicated several pages to thanking their major partners, event donors, board of directors, and team. You can never thank people enough!

To The Market

This report stood out to me for several reasons. First, I love that they reinforced their work with stats about why their mission matters to the public at large. Second, they showed their growth very simply and in a straightforward way on page 5. (And yay for utilizing interns!) And, third, you’ll notice that their case studies are short and so is their social impact report. This is a terrific example of how you can communicate impact in a compact way.

Bi-Bett Corporation

Full disclosure—I wrote this report! Bi-Bett is a substance use treatment center in California, and they’ve been doing incredible work for over five decades. However, this was their first impact report so they wanted a hefty mix of stories, hard stats, creative stats, and showing their gratitude for everyone who contributes to their success. I loved the way we ended up quantifying some of the more emotional parts of their work such as safe nights spent in their care, observations by staff, days people felt supported, and people who turned their lives around. They have a lot to be proud of!

Signify’s 2020 Social Impact Report

I’m one person, so my stats are meager at best. But, again, that’s not the point and hopefully you’ve seen that by now. I show mine to you not to say, "Hey, look at what I did!" Instead, I show it to you in the hopes that you'll create your own and share it with your community.

I really do believe that one person can change the world—when you know what's important and what to count.

You're the one.
Get out there.
Create your impact.
Share it with the world.

PS: Have your own awesome year-end report to show off? Link to it in the comments!

* Past or present Signify client

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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GivingTuesday: The Resources You Need to Succeed

Head’s up: GivingTuesday is just weeks away! Isn’t it funny how the holiday season happens at the same time each year, yet it always seems to sneak up on us?

Consider this your warning: It’s all going down on Tuesday, December 1st.

Around since 2012, GivingTuesday is a national day of philanthropy for nonprofits far and wide, large and small, and for every cause under the sun. It follows Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Shop for Good Sunday, and Cyber Monday.

Yep. People will shop . . . drop . . . and then give back. (Even in 2020!)

Every year, more and more nonprofits are joining the fun. Yes, it can be a little intimidating for first-timers, but it can also payoff big time (if it’s done right). In fact, in 2019, over $500 million dollars were raised!

If you’re still on the fence, need some advice, want a marketing toolkit, or need to see some examples, I’ve got you covered. Keep reading to make your #GivingTuesday dreams come true!

If you only choose to look at one website, be sure it’s the official Giving Tuesday website. There you’ll find out how to participate, a toolkit and other resources, statistics, and stories of impact.

GivingTuesday: Should You Participate or Not?

• Pursuant laid out a short list of the pros and cons of #GivingTuesday participation for your nonprofit.

• Nonprofit Expert gives you five reasons to participate, including the fact that it helps you build trust.

• Need a specific reason to say yes or no? CauseVox will give you four scenarios to consider.

• While they may be a little biased, GivingTuesday can help persuade you, and also remind you that each year’s campaign doesn’t have to be completely new and fresh.

• Funraise presents some pretty compelling reasons to jump in with both feet, especially during the chaos of 2020.

• Red Start Creative shares their perspective, and #1 alone is worth the read.

#GivingTuesday Best Practices and Advice

• Nonprofit Hub has a terrific article about prioritizing relationships over tactics when it comes to your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.

• GivingTuesdaySpark will help you inspire young people ages 6-21 to take action for your cause.

• One Cause has seven best practices that you should pay attention to. I particularly like #2.

• “Thank Your Donors” is just one tip that The Modern Nonprofit gives you. It’s a simple one, but should never be overlooked!

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy has compiled all their best articles and advice for you. I recommend taking a look at 6 Things Data Tells Us About Giving Tuesday.

• Have you jumped on the video bandwagon yet? If not, Wild Apricot may just convince you to press record.

• Are you a little technologically challenged? Soapbox Engage will guide you through some of the finer points.

• Keela has three tips to help you make the most of your #GivingTuesday campaign, and you should definitely take a gander at #2.

Resources and Toolkits for #GivingTuesday Campaign Success

• My friends at Funraise have put together a super helpful GivingTuesday Toolkit, including a step-by-step calendar and pre-written emails and social media posts.

• CauseVox has outlined a simple campaign timeline, and it’s a great place to start for some general guidance.

• While not exciting to look at, what I like about the Smithsonian’s toolkit is that it has options for starter, experienced, and advanced campaigns, as well as examples.

• Download Qgiv’s Ultimate #GivingTuesday Guide for messaging templates, promotion templates, and even a post card for your donors.

• Blackbaud has their own toolkit for you, and includes some items you won’t see from others such as webinars and podcasts.

• Wordpress’ nonprofit resource, GiveWP, created a whole workbook that you can download. It’ll walk you through campaign ideas, public relations and corporate partner options, and email templates.

• Be sure to check out your own state’s #GivingTuesday resources. Here in Georgia, we have GAgives.

• Kindful has curated a very comprehensive list of resources, and you’ll find ideas, examples, communications and marketing advice, and virtual fundraising suggestions.

• Want someone to walk you through a GivingTuesday strategy? Give Lively has you covered with an on demand webinar.

• Classy has a full resource center for you with a planning checklist, email templates, a webinar series, example campaigns, and more.

• The Whole Whale is priming you with 31 ideas for the big day, and you probably haven’t thought of some of these!

Examples for Your GivingTuesday Campaign

• You know storytelling is important in fundraising, and GoFundMe gives you five examples to learn from.

• Snowball Fundraising will show you nine of their favorite campaigns, and a template for your donation page.

• Campaign Monitor gives you four email examples to scrutinize—one for each prominent email of your campaign.

• Neon One is giving you a peak behind the curtains with four of their clients, and highlights examples for nonprofits both large and small.

• Donorbox explains the fundraising process in 10 steps . . . and gives you an example to go with each one.

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Year-End Giving Campaign

We’re headed into the final weeks of the year, which means nonprofit fundraising is in overdrive. About 30% of nonprofit donations occur during the month of December, so yes—it’s go time! And whether you’re late to the party or have been planning for months, I know you’re all about maximizing your time and effort. So, I’ve outlined 11 simple ways to improve your year-end giving campaign.

Notice I said “simple,” not “easy,” because we all know there’s a big difference! Simple is focused, minimal, or straight-forward. Easy is typically done in a short time period and with little work.

Simple is Joanna Gaines decorating a room effortlessly and beautifully because it’s what she does every day. Easy is me picking up her decor at Target rather than me trying to design a room on my own. (Thanks, Jo!)

So, while some of these ideas take more energy and planning than others, all are time-tested and proven to help increase your donations. Think about what you’ve already got planned, and then take a peek below to see what you can include in your upcoming fundraising campaign. It’s likely that at least one of these ideas can enhance your current strategy.

People are feeling charitable (and tax-deductible) this time of year, so let’s make sure your cause gets their attention.

1. Ask For Only One Thing in your year-end giving campaign

Chances are, you’re going to be asking for donations. If that’s the case, ask your tribe to show you the money.

Don’t also ask them to follow you on social media, watch an unrelated video, join your Facebook Group, register for something . . . and, well, you get the point. Keep your emails and communication focused on the one, main thing you want them to do. Any other asks can come later. The exceptions to this rule would be something like a contest where they have to take multiple actions for an entry.

Additionally, you can leave some of these smaller asks such as social media links in secondary spaces like footers. You can also still make some of these requests occasionally on your platforms. Just be sure that you’re creating more content than you are asking for something because it shows that you want to build a relationship.

However, when you are sending an email, posting about your year-end giving campaign, or presenting to a group of people, keep it simple. Ask for only one thing and don’t clutter your message.

Remember, Nonprofits Source says that “30% of annual giving occurs in December.” So, this is no time to confuse people on what you want them to do! Giving them too many options or actions may result in them taking no action at all. Yikes.

2. Evaluate Your NONPROFIT’S Website For Optimal Giving

Even if people typically donate to your nonprofit through social media, text, or an app, you need get your website’s house in order to optimize year-end giving. Many people still give through websites, and if someone is new to you or your cause, they may check out your site before donating through another avenue like texting.

Make sure your campaign is front-and-center on your homepage, your donate button is easy to see and ideally in the top right corner, and evaluate any other pages where giving should be mentioned.

No need to only designate one or two pages for fundraising efforts. Of course, you don’t want to bombard people, but it may be appropriate to create an “event” for your campaign on your calendar page, add a pop up, or even include it on your About page. Additionally, you can create a banner at the top of your site that will display on all pages. (See mine in red at the top?) This is done through the “Hello Bar” plug-in on Wordpress and the “Announcement Bar” in Squarespace.

Want more of an explanation? Take a look at my video on how your website is less like IKEA and more like a mall.

3. Increase Your Promotion Frequency

There’s a tricky balance to this, and I explain it more in this video, but you definitely want to increase your email/social media/video/promotion frequency leading into year-end giving. This practice holds true anytime you launch something new, but especially because you’ll be dealing with a lot of competition during the holidays. Other nonprofits will be combing the interwebs for more donations, too, and lest we forget about all of those unbelievable sales at your favorite retail stores.

The takeaway here is that you shouldn’t send an email in November and December, post the campaign on social media a couple of times, and call it a day. You are going to have to work hard for that money, as the song goes. And you’re going to have to see it through until the end. Give Back Nation states that 12% of annual giving occurs during the last three days of December! So, send those reminders!

The caveat here is for my friends who’ve been so busy working that they let all their marketing and communications efforts fall by the wayside. Is that you? No judgement, but now’s the time to rev up those engines. Start now by sending your audience an email on what’s been happening, posting the latest on social media, and having general update conversations with people. This way you aren’t only going to send them a bunch of requests for money. That’s no bueno.

4. Offer Multiple Ways to Give to your nonprofit

Give your people multiple ways to give. This goes back to the basics of knowing your audience. If you have a younger audience, consider adding the ability to donate via text. Check out these compelling stats from Mobile Cause, including the one that says, “96% of donors use a mobile phone as their primary device.”

If you have an older audience, you might want to consider hopping back on the snail mail wagon. There is no perfect answer here. The right answer is the one that works for your tribe.

Again, you always want to make it easy for them to donate by removing any barriers in their path.

5. Add a Bonus

If you’ve got merchandise on your hands, you may want to give donors a gift in exchange for their contribution. You could even have something created just for this purpose, like a mug, tumbler, t-shirt, or jewelry. What do your people love?

People who are invested in your organization and your cause will be delighted to receive swag for their support. Plus, then they’re carrying your message around with them in public. (<— good marketing!)

6. Get Up Close and Personal with your donors

I don’t need to go in-depth on this one, but a face-to-face interaction will always be your best bet when it comes to fundraising. It works better than any sponsor presentation, email, video, or social media post. Get on the calendar of your biggest donors to date, or potential big givers, and make your case over lunch or coffee. Maybe even pay for it!

Another option here is to at least email people personally and start a conversation. Don’t rely on the mass emails that come from your nonprofit. Write specifically to that one person, and make sure they know it’s coming straight from you. (For the right people, phone calls or video chats are also a good option here.)

Don’t have time? This is potentially the most powerful of all the ideas you’ll read here today, so if you don’t have time, I suggest you make it.

7. Get Everyone on Board

Year-end fundraising is an all hands on deck situation! Make sure your board, employees, volunteers, and any other key stakeholders are carrying the banner.

I talk about this topic a lot on the blog and elsewhere as it relates to launching (<— the creation and promotion of something new), but this is a big deal, so it shouldn’t be left to the development or communications department. Everyone needs to be involved!

(For more on this topic, read this post.)

8. Go Out and network

Yes, it’s getting chilly outside, but this may be the prime time to get out there and start cultivating more donors at events, whether you’re hosting them or not. There’s already plenty happening this season!

It’s easy to leave all of the fundraising to your digital marketing strategy, but shaking hands has a powerful impact on people. In fact, this study shows that “a handshake preceding social interaction enhanced the positive impact of approach and diminished the negative impact of avoidance behavior on the evaluation of social interaction.”

A handshake and a smile can put people at ease, and give you an open door for talking about your cause. Someone may not be ready to donate during that first interaction, but you’re paving the way to a future relationship, which is a big win overall.

9. Participate in #GivingTuesday (At Least to Some Extent)

Some of you probably love #GivingTuesday, and some of you could care less. Some of you may even be new to the “holiday” as a whole, since it’s been around less than a decade.

Now in its eighth year, this unofficial holiday occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and celebrates ways people can contribute to causes, whether monetary, through volunteering, or some other type of involvement.

A few of my clients have participated in #GivingTuesday in the past, but most haven’t. What I suggest to them all, however, is to jump into the mix in some way or another. There are tens of thousands of charities participating each year, so why not be a part of the conversation?

You don’t have to come up with a specific #GivingTuesday campaign, but I think it’s a great idea to send an email on this day or the day before, post on social media about your year-end fundraising campaign, and anything else that keeps you in front of your audience while numerous other nonprofits are out there seeking donations.

Even the most generous of us still only have so much money to go around, so make sure you’re getting a piece of that pie.

10. Ask Partners to Promote your year-end giving campaign

If you are lucky enough to have influencers, partners, sponsors, and the like who rally around your cause, it may be time to call in a favor. You may, of course, need to do something for them in return (or at least offer), but if there’s someone who can help you get your message out in the world, this could be a great time to rally the troops.

Let me sing my song again, though: Make it easy for them. Don’t just say thanks, and leave them to put together their own social media promotions and emails. It’s less likely to get done, or the messaging may not be what you want.

Always offer to create whatever resources they may need to share about your nonprofit. If they don’t need anything, great! But if they do, you’ll be the hero!

11. Recruit Someone to Match Gifts

I’ve left this one for last because it’s potentially the hardest. In fact, because we’re already in November, it may even be too late. But depending on your network and resources, maybe not! I’d certainly give it a try. If it’s an option you need to table for now, make it one of your top priorities for next year.

And let me clarify. This idea could include workplace charitable giving with a matching option, or one of those, “Give by December 15th and all donations will be matched up to $50,000” kind of campaigns that is instigated by one generous donor.

According to Double the Donation, “Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals results in a 71% increase in the response rate and a 51% increase in the average donation amount (and that’s prior to receiving matching gift funds).” That stat makes it a big deal!

So, determine your heavy-hitters as well as your corporate partners, and see what it will take to move the needle in your direction. This could be a huge win for your nonprofit!

What else has helped you haul in those end of year donations?

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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

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