12 Proven Tactics to Boost 2023 Year-end Giving
Nonprofits encountered a very challenging fundraising environment in 2022. According to a GivingUSA report, total charitable giving by corporations, foundations, individuals and bequests dropped 10.5% compared to 2021 when adjusted for inflation. As the 2023 giving season swings into high gear, it will be more important than ever for nonprofits to bring their “A game” to their fundraising efforts.
Over the course of my three decades in nonprofit development and consulting, including cultivating and closing major gifts, I’ve honed a list of effective end-of-year fundraising tactics for nonprofits of every size. A great year-end campaign might include all these approaches, but even leveraging two or three could be just what your nonprofit needs to grab the attention of new donors and boost the generosity of past donors.
Leverage Employer Matching
As part of their benefits package, many corporations offer to match charitable donations made by their employees. However, these matching gift opportunities are often overlooked because the companies may not actively promote them, and employees don’t know to look for them.
In fact, only 1 in 10 eligible donors have their gifts matched, leaving at least $4 to $7 billion dollars in workplace matching funds unclaimed each year. Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they double employee contributions, but in some cases, there is a 2:1 or even a 3:1 match. With just a little effort at increasing awareness, your nonprofit could secure substantial unanticipated funding.
Supercharge Campaigns with a Challenge (Matching) Gift
Challenge gifts are donations pledged by an individual, organization, or business that are contingent upon the nonprofit raising a certain amount of funds by a certain deadline. For example, a corporate donor agrees that if $10,000 is raised on GivingTuesday, they will match that contribution dollar for dollar.
Challenge gifts can be tremendously inspiring to donors because of the opportunity to increase the benefit to their favorite charity twofold or more. They also create urgency.
Three years ago, I introduced the concept of a challenge gift to a cat rescue organization that had never done an end-of-year campaign. A board member anonymously made a challenge gift of $10,000 that was used to motivate giving during their end-of-giving campaign. Not only did they raise the funds to reach the $10,000 match (which became $20,000 due to the challenge), the urgency and excitement helped them exceed their goal.
Host a Thank-A-Thon
Instead of calling to ask donors for a gift, as you would in a phone-a-thon campaign, you are calling to simply thank them for their support. There’s no ask. No sales pitch. Just a sincere and honest thank you with some examples of what the donation was used for and the impact it made on the nonprofit.
You can divide the list of donors to be called, create a brief script, and let your board and other key volunteers do the calling when it’s convenient to them. In a thank-a-thon, if you cannot reach the designated donor, you can leave your message. Wouldn’t it be a nice change to check your voicemail and hear a warm, friendly thank you for your generosity?
Try to select a time in your organization’s calendar – or campaign timeline – that is clear of fundraising events. You want this thank you call to come as a surprise, something that can delight your supporters, and hopefully warm them up for a future solicitation.
Send Personal Notes to Loyal Supporters
Just like the thank-a-thon, but even more thoughtful, is a personal note to your supporters (typically at a certain level – whatever a major or significant gift would be for you), thanking them for their generosity and asking them to consider a gift prior to December 31. You want to make this letter as personal as possible. The body of the letter can be somewhat the same, but there should be portions of the letter that are specific to the individual donor; it makes them feel special and important. You might also consider including your annual report or a testimonial from someone who benefited from your organization’s work.
For very special donors, consider sending your personal note in a Federal Express or USPS priority envelope to be sure it is received and opened. If you are reviewing your donor list and there are some significant donors who have not already supported your organization this year – and their gifts would make a big difference in your overall fundraising results – they may be ideal candidates for this type of personal outreach. It does get one’s attention.
Make a Traditional End-of-Year Appeal
Traditional end-of-year appeals are typically letters with return envelopes allowing the donor to make and return their gift (hand-written check) via snail mail – thus the word traditional. If your donor base includes the Silent Generation and Boomers, they may strongly prefer being contacted in this way. You can also do an annual appeal via email where you would include buttons and links to an online donation page. In most cases, a strong end-of-year campaign will include both mailed and emailed appeals. Another reason for this one-two punch? Many people miss emails, thanks to spam filters and email overload.
You will typically see direct mail appeals arrive in a #10 envelope with the return address block clearly indicating the sender. The contents include an appeal letter signed by the board president, the fundraising chair, or the best person to solicit the donor. Also included is a return envelope (it could be a #9 with a simple return address or a custom envelope that allows you to capture additional information about the donor and the donation), and an insert that talks about the success of your program and includes several testimonials.
One last word. Direct mail campaigns take 5-10 weeks to implement; they are not a last-minute option.
Launch an Online Giving Campaign
Online giving campaigns are generally focused on bringing donors to your website to make a gift. There are many ways to do that, including organic and paid social media outreach, targeted digital display (banner) campaigns and more, but an email campaign, with your year-end theme, is usually at the core. An entire blog post could easily be devoted to tips for a strong email fundraising campaign, so I will just offer three here. First, keep your emails succinct, but be sure they convey something specific about the good work you are doing. Photos and stories of people you’ve helped are powerful.
Second, utilize the personalization tools in your email distribution system (Mailchimp, etc.) When someone is addressed by name, engagement jumps. Third, segment your messaging. Simply, this means identifying groups of potential donors that have similar reasons for giving, or who give at certain levels, and crafting slightly different messages for each group based on that knowledge. You don’t necessarily need an entirely different email for each key audience – you may only change a paragraph or a line or two – but that extra care in messaging will pay dividends.
Drop an Email on December 28 or 29
Believe it or not, reminders do work. Make sure you send a note asking your donors if they’ve made all the tax-deductible donations they planned for the year. Remind them you are still short of your goal (if you are) and include a “Donate Now” button that links to your donation page. Remember, 12% of all donations occur in the last three days of December. Make sure you are reminding those procrastinators that you need their support!
Embrace GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is an opportunity for people around the world to come together and give back. There is a complete GivingTuesday tool guide available online providing everything you need to fully participate. As the guide mentions, this is a great time to get out of your comfort zone and test out additional social media tools (TikTok, Instagram stories, etc.).
Whether those who engage with you make a financial donation or not, the energy generated from GivingTuesday is powerful. The day is a huge opportunity to increase the reach of your nonprofit’s story and connect with new volunteers.
Recognize Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a perfect time to thank your donors and to provide them with some examples of what their generosity has accomplished. Consider a seasonally designed e-blast with your thanks, a moving testimonial, and a soft message about continuing that support (with a button linked to your donation page).
Make Five Outreach Calls
Soliciting prospects in person or by phone is a direct and effective way to boost year-end giving. Review your professional network to identify your prospects. Develop a script. Practice the pitch. Be sure to talk about the donor and the impact she/he can make on your organization. It is extremely difficult to say no to a colleague who is reaching out to you with a passionate ask for an important cause.
You can go from five to 50 direct solicitations by engaging your board and key volunteers to each make five calls. Your end-of-year giving campaign is a great opportunity to build your solicitor team. You can do it, really.
Organize a Friends and Family Appeal
This tactic isn’t complicated, requires no technical resources, is a good fit for nonprofits, and engages your strongest volunteers. A Friends and Family appeal is similar to the outreach calls recommended above, except that it is focused on personal connections rather than professional ones. Board members and key volunteers each determine a list of friends and family who would have an affinity with your organization. Their personal outreach to these individuals, as part of your year-end campaign, can be done by phone, email, or letter – whatever is easiest and most comfortable for them. The key is for them to convey why they are so passionate about your cause and, perhaps, how working on its behalf has changed them. That, coupled with a heartfelt request that this friend or family member will join them in supporting this cause, will often result in a donation or an offer of volunteer time. Developing a sample letter/script can help your board members and volunteers in crafting their own messages.
Host a Virtual Holiday Gathering
Everyone loves a party! While many have returned to hosting an in-person event, there are also plenty of reasons to stick with an online format. It’s easier for geographically dispersed volunteers and donors to participate, winter weather won’t derail it, and it’s far less of an expense than an in-person gala.
This doesn’t have to be a high-tech endeavor, but I recommend planning out how each segment of time will be used (who will be speaking for how long, specified activities, etc.) and doing a test-run of the technology prior to the event. You want your event to feel warm and informal, but you also don’t want lags and awkward pauses. Share some highlights of the year, include a few testimonials, thank volunteers for their efforts and wire into the event an opportunity to make a gift. You may also raffle something off and have virtual party goers purchase a ticket. That can be the beginning of an individual giving journey for many of them.
If you are enthusiastic about these ideas but just don’t have the right people or the bandwidth to implement them, schedule a call with me to discuss the short- or long-term assistance of a More Than Giving Nonprofit Virtual Assistant and/or Fundraising Specialist.