Effective Year-End Strategies to Implement Now - Part 3

The last quarter of the year is where most nonprofits and charitable organizations see more than half of their annual contribution revenue come in. Many donors consider making significant contributions in the last weeks of the calendar year. These decisions can be driven by both their interests and the realities of tax benefits.

In this blog series, we’ve been outlining four steps to make the most of year-end giving—or beyond. So far, we’ve unpacked reviewing your goals and setting an action plan, and planning your calendar. The third step is gathering stories for great appeals.

1. Gather Stories Year-Round

I’d encourage you to gather stories—how your organization and its programs impact real people—in a very intentional and systematic way, year-round. Chances are good that your frontline staff and volunteers are the ones you need to tap to share those stories of lives changed. Make the ask for these stories regularly from your program staff—or anyone serving regularly with you—to help illustrate the difference your organization is making.

2. Compelling Stories Drive Action

The best stories compel an immediate need to take action. The descriptive language paints a picture of how you are meeting people’s needs, meeting your mission, and solving a specific community problem. Ideally, it’s the story of a person and his or her experience in your organization’s mission-based work.

We’ve been using an example in this series of a ‘12 days of giving’ campaign to close a $125,000 budget gap. This campaign’s stories could (and I’d argue should) come from a variety of programs and places across the organization. As you think about your local or global work, your outreach programs, or your partnerships, consider these questions:

• What is the problem we are solving?
• What is the situation like before the problem is solved?
• What is the situation like after the problem is solved (and how did this organization play a role)?
• What are the real costs of these solutions/programs?
• How do we measure the impact?
• What is the true impact of an individual donor? (e.g., how many donors giving $50 per week does it take to fund your hunger relief program?)

3. Tie Stories to Donor Impact

These questions help you tie your impact story to the direct need for donor gifts. Your appeals should share stories of your programs’ impact and the people whose lives have been transformed. These appeals should also be clear about the role donors have and the impact they can make through their giving.

In the case of our example project, we also need to be clear about what a $125,000 shortfall from projected giving revenue could mean for mission and programs. We can illustrate that with professionalism and without being alarmist.

4. Caution on “Emergency” Campaigns

I’ve seen organizations launch “emergency” urgent giving campaigns that, while perhaps successful in meeting a need, caused more damage in the long run. Discern launching an “emergency” fundraising appeal very carefully. They can, and often do, cause both concern and fatigue among donors—especially if you do them frequently. Your donors may feel as if the “emergency” really was ill-advised planning and poor management. These urgent projects are merited occasionally, but not nearly as often as they’re launched on donors.

5. Preserve Donor Trust

Donors have an emotional tie to your mission. It’s important not to exploit that for the purpose of meeting a specific budget need. The trust and credibility you have with your friends and donors is far more valuable than any fundraising “win.”

Coming Up Next

In our next blog, we’ll outline the final step of year-end planning: thanking donors often.

Timothy L. Smith