As you know, the end of the calendar year is one of the busiest times for charities, regardless of size.
Donations are coming in, impact reports are being put together, plans are being made, emails are being sent, and campaigns are ramping up. It's a hectic time and it's easy to let one or two things slip through the cracks.
To stay on track, here is a list of four things you need to keep top of mind this holiday season to help you stay organized as we quickly approach the end of the year.
Why Is End-of-Year So Important?
Every year at CanadaHelps, we see upwards of 30% annual donations made between GivingTuesday to December 31st. Why the rush? Yes the holidays are a time when we show others we care, but there is also the December 31st tax deadline. Donors can receive up to 53% back through charity tax dedications depending on regional tax incentives.
1. Before Your Ask, Share Your Results
There is a good reason why many charities publish their annual report before the holiday season. Before asking your donors for another gift before the year ends, it’s critical to remind them of what you’ve accomplished because of their support. Use impact stats to share how many people you’ve helped, lives you’ve saved, or trees your team has planted. It will remind your donors what your team can do, and how you can further your cause together with their additional support.
2. Nurture Donor Relationships
The end of the year brings about an opportunity to rebuild relationships with donors by sending thank you cards or notes to express your gratitude for their support. In every piece of communication, make sure to thank them for their generosity and remind them that your work can’t be done without them. Another fundraising tactic is to send out donor appreciation gifts after receiving a donation over the holidays. It's also good timing for recurring donors as they enter into another 12-month cycle of giving.
3. Planning For Next Year
The end of the calendar year is a good time to start planning your fundraising efforts for the upcoming year.
One important thing to keep in mind when building out your plan is what you can do differently to engage with donors in new ways and re-engage with lapsed supporters or supporters who are at risk of lapsing. For example, if you have a donor that gives every year, but never gives via your website or social media platforms, it could be helpful to send them a friendly reminder about the various donation avenues available.
4. Final Push for Donations
Consider sending out a final email or direct mail piece asking for donations just before the year is over. It might be helpful to include a donor's previous gift amount in your message to show them how much you appreciated their generosity last year. It’s also important to remember that at the end of the year, many supporters will make larger gifts so it’s important to increase the suggested donation amounts on your online donation forms to inspire those bigger gifts.
It's also a good idea to include a time-sensitive ask. If you want to be really fancy about it, consider including a fundraising thermometer or build a customizable donation form for them to contribute to.
This is an important reminder for the last push in donations as the year comes to an end, and would show donors that their support means a lot even when dollars might be tight.
Bonus Tip: Once your 2021 year-end activities are complete, start planning for next year! While many gifts happen in December a significant number of donors and in particular donors who make large contributions plan their year-end giving well before December. Now is the time to build out your 2022 fundraising strategy!
Philip Manzano is a Senior Client Marketing Manager at CanadaHelps, a leader in providing powerful fundraising and donation technology to charities and donors since 2000. Philip has been working closely with charities and small nonprofit teams to adopt nonprofit technology for the last nine years. www.canadahelps.org
