Effective Year-End Strategies to Implement Now - Part 1

For many nonprofits, more than half of annual contribution revenue comes during the last quarter of the year. While this isn’t true for all, year-end remains a season where many donors consider making significant contributions. These gifts are often driven by their passions and potential tax benefits.

However, these final weeks can become hectic fast. If you don’t enter the season with a solid plan, you might look back in the spring with regret, realizing you missed key opportunities to invite your donors and friends to deepen their commitment.

Concrete Steps to Maximize Year-End Giving

In this blog series, we’ll outline four actionable steps to help you make the most of year-end giving and beyond. Step one is reviewing your goals and setting a strong action plan.

1. Review Your Goals and Set an Action Plan

Start by setting aside dedicated time to closely examine your annual contribution goals and assess whether you're on track to meet or exceed them. If you haven’t set specific goals for fundraising income, review past revenue numbers, calculate your typical growth percentage, and estimate what your target should be for this quarter.

Additionally, evaluate goals related to acquiring new donors, increasing monthly/recurring giving, and improving donor retention. If you didn’t establish these goals earlier in the year, analyze your donor patterns and consider setting these metrics for the upcoming year.

2. Create a Plan Aligned with Your Goals

Once you've reviewed your goals, create a tailored action plan. For instance, if you're falling short of your projections by a certain dollar amount, consider launching a specific campaign to bridge the gap or meet an urgent need.

Example:
Imagine your annual gifts are pacing behind, and you project a $125,000 shortfall. Implementing a creative “12 Days of Giving” campaign could help educate and motivate your donors. Be innovative with the campaign structure. Can you secure a donor willing to match gifts? Break down your goal into achievable segments, and craft different messages for recurring donors versus new or prospective ones. A strategic approach to each segment of your donor base will improve your success rate.

What’s Coming Next?

In the next blogs, we’ll cover three more critical steps in year-end planning:

1. Calendaring
2. Gathering Stories for Appeals
3. Sending Thank Yous

Documenting these year-end strategies, and their outcomes, will also provide valuable insights when it’s time to craft next year’s fundraising plans.

Feeling Behind?
Don’t despair! These strategies are not only fundamental for year-end giving—they are tools that will help you build effective development strategies year-round.

Timothy L. Smith