As the year winds down, many nonprofits ramp up their fundraising efforts to meet annual goals and set the stage for the year ahead. The end-of-year giving season is a crucial time and bring in 1/3 of the year’s revenue for some nonprofits. To maximize success, it's essential to think about your culture of philanthropy.
What is a culture of philanthropy, you ask? It’s involving everyone at your nonprofit from your board, staff and volunteers to participate in year-end giving. Here are five tips to help your nonprofit make the most of this vital period:
Tip 1 - Successful End of Year Fundraising Starts with a Clear Plan
Proper planning is key to any successful fundraising campaign, especially during the busy year-end period. Develop a clear strategy that outlines your goals, target audiences, communication channels, and key dates. Involve your board, staff and volunteers in the planning process—getting their input early ensures they feel invested in the campaign's success.
Pro Tip: Create a fundraising calendar and assign specific tasks to board members, staff and volunteers. This helps everyone stay on track and ensures that no opportunity is missed.
Tip 2 - Leverage Your Board and Volunteer Networks
Your board members and volunteers are some of your most valuable fundraising advocates. They often have connections in the community that can be tapped to financially support your nonprofit. Encourage them to reach out to their networks, whether through personal emails, social media, or even small in-person events.
Pro Tip: Provide your board members and volunteers with templates or talking points to make outreach easier. This ensures consistency in messaging and gives them the confidence to make the ask.
Tip 3 - Engage Staff in Storytelling
Your staff are on the front lines of your organization and can provide powerful stories that resonate with donors. Involve them in gathering and sharing stories that highlight the impact of your work. These stories can be featured in email campaigns, on your website, social media and shared with your board and volunteers.
Pro Tip: Host a storytelling workshop for your staff to help them identify and craft compelling stories. This not only enhances your fundraising efforts but also boosts staff morale by connecting them to the organization's mission. Then engage your board and volunteers to share those compelling stories. By doing so, you are beginning to create your organization’s culture of philanthropy that can carry over into the new year!
Tip 4 - Use Matching Gifts to Boost Donations
Matching gifts are a fantastic way to incentivize donors to give during the end-of-year campaign. Reach out to board members or key supporters who might be willing to offer a matching gift. This doubles the impact of each donation and creates a sense of urgency.
Pro Tip: Promote the matching gift opportunity widely and make sure donors know that their contribution will go twice as far. Highlight this in your communications to encourage larger gifts. Don’t forget to educate your board and volunteers on the matching gift so they can talk about it when helping your nonprofit raise funds.
Tip 5 - Celebrate and Thank your Supporters
Don't forget to show appreciation to everyone involved in your end-of-year fundraising efforts. Acknowledge the hard work of your board members and staff, and make sure to thank your donors promptly and personally. Open the camera on your smart phone and record that heartfelt thank you expressing your gratitude. Then send it out far and wide!
Pro Tip: Consider hosting a small virtual or in-person event to celebrate the campaign's success. This not only shows appreciation but also reinforces the importance of everyone's contribution. You can send an email out ahead of time inviting your community to join you virtually and hear firsthand about your successful end of year campaign. It also gives that connection to personally say “thank you”.
End-of-year fundraising is a team effort that benefits greatly from a culture of philanthropy. The active participation of board members, volunteers and staff can lessen the burden and enhance the success. By planning ahead, leveraging your board’s networks, volunteer’s passions and engaging staff in storytelling, using matching gifts, and celebrating success, your nonprofit can close out the year strong and set the stage for an even better year ahead.
If I can support your end of year campaign, then let’s talk.
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