As a marketing consultant for nonprofits, I liked to start thinking about the end of the year before the fourth quarter. But if you haven’t started, it’s definitely not too late to craft a year-end giving strategy.
Between the tax incentives that many people seek and the generosity of the holiday season, there’s plenty of motivation for donations. And even the most simple campaign can be surprisingly effective.
I’ve overseen dozens of end-of-year giving campaigns, and the steps involved follow a fairly straightforward formula. Use our Non-Profit Year-End Marketing Checklist to make sure you have everything covered for an effective strategy and a smooth execution.
In this guide, I’ll share my insights from years as a marketing consultant for nonprofits, small businesses, and governmental agencies. These action steps work for religious organizations, too — any mission-driven organization with tax-exempt status.
What is end-of-year giving?
End-of-year giving can be defined as a time-sensitive fundraising strategy built on the traditional season of giving during the last few months of the year. Beyond any religious connection, November and December are popular times to show love through gift-giving. The act doesn’t stop with loved ones, either.
Think about Giving Tuesday, the day following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This single day launches the end-of-year giving campaigns of thousands of nonprofits throughout the United States and beyond. Last year, nonprofits raised $3.1 billion on this day alone, according to GivingTuesday.org.
With a bit of planning, your organization can be a part of this windfall, too.
Why is it important to create an end-of-year giving campaign?
NonProfit Source reports that 30% of annual giving donations to nonprofits take place in December, with 10% coming in during the last three days of the year.
Charitable giving comes with big tax incentives, something many people take advantage of as part of their tax planning. However, the season of giving itself can’t be overlooked. Many people will ask for donations to their favorite nonprofit instead of gifts.
You want your organization to be top-of-mind during this time, so you’ll need to create a fundraising marketing plan to unveil in the year’s final weeks.
3 steps of an end-of-year campaign
It’s helpful to schedule time to brainstorm end-of-year giving campaign ideas. When you craft a written strategy, it’s much easier — and more effective — to execute.
The three main steps of any year-end giving strategy are:
- Plan for key giving opportunities.
- Act on your end-of-year marketing plan.
- Prepare for ongoing success after the holidays.
Let’s unpack these steps so you can lead an end-of-year giving campaign that’s individualized for your organization and its important mission.
Step 1: Plan for key giving opportunities
You’ve heard it before: Plan the work, then work the plan. This means having a written plan of action before action begins. Otherwise, you risk expending energy on actions that don’t move you closer to your goals. When you get distracted, your message becomes diluted and less likely to inspire your fans to support the mission.
Create the goal of your campaign
First, look at your budget to determine an amount you’d like to raise during the campaign cycle. Are there big-ticket items your organization needs? Be realistic but ambitious. Having physical targets, such as new playground equipment for an after-school program, can make the task easier.
Once you’ve set your goal, identify your target audience. Consider who is likely to give to your organization, starting with those who have supported you before.
If — like my workforce development client — you’re just starting out, you may need to get creative. For them, we targeted members of the local chambers of commerce.
Why? Because we thought about what motivates them to support the organization. In this case, these are small businesses that would directly benefit from a more prepared workforce.
Think about what motivates your target audience and create a message that resonates with them. Stick with a clear and engaging message and use it for all campaign ideas.
Grow your email list
Your year-end giving campaign will work best if you’ve already started collecting email addresses. You’ll want to include email marketing when planning any virtual fundraising events. So, if you haven’t focused on collecting email addresses, now is the time to start.
There are a few powerful ways marketing professionals gather email addresses. These strategies include:
- Creating a pop-up form on your website
- Making a lead-generation landing page
- Sharing the new landing page on your social media accounts
- Collecting email addresses offline, such as with a sign at the front desk
Segment your list further
As your email list grows, create an internal infrastructure to organize on the backend. This infrastructure is known as email segmentation for nonprofits. By breaking your main email list into smaller sections, you can more easily target groups with accurate messages for your email campaign ideas.
Try segmenting your list by:
- Average gift size
- Levels of support, such as long-term donors and business sponsors
- Volunteers
- Board members
Each of these groups requires a slightly different, more personalized message. When your email recipients feel like you’re talking directly to them, they’ll be more receptive to giving what you ask.
Step 2: Act on your year-end marketing plan
The best year-end giving marketing plans should include a multi-pronged approach to sharing a singular message during the year’s final months. A comprehensive strategy allows you to move forward confidently with little time wasted.
Here are some action steps you can take to reach your end-of-year goals.
Update your website
Make sure your organization’s website highlights your fundraising campaign. The more often people see your message, the more likely they are to take action. Not only should you have information about giving on your website, but you should also have call-to-action (CTA) buttons on every page.
Can people sign up for your email lists on your website? If not, now is an excellent time to make that update.
Update listings and review sites
Not everyone will connect with your organization through your website. Some people will search for your nonprofit through listings and review sites like Google Maps, Yelp, and Facebook Business pages.
Before you launch your end-of-year giving campaign, make sure the information on these online resources is complete, accurate, and current.
Set up donation and event pages
If someone wants to donate to your nonprofit, you’ll want to make it easy for them — and you. One way to do this is by creating a landing page on your website to collect online donations.
People don’t just write checks anymore. They may prefer to pay through an online banking or financial service like PayPal. Know the preferences of your target audience to make it easy for them to give.
If your year-end giving also includes a specific event, create an event registration page on your website. Potential donors don’t want to have to search and scroll to find ways to give. Provide a direct link so they can give with just a few quick clicks.
Promote your campaign on social media
You probably have followers on your agency’s social media pages. To leverage these fans, brainstorm social media campaign ideas that align with your end-of-year giving strategy.
For example, I created a “Friendsgiving” campaign for my workforce development initiative client. Using a QR code on all email blasts, social media posts, direct mail pieces, and advertisements, we are encouraging people to join their email list and get involved in the program.
Schedule social media posts in advance to reduce the time that social media marketing can take. First, announce the campaign when it initially launches. You can schedule a reminder about the opportunity to give a few days later. Then, you can schedule another last-minute reminder in the year’s final days.
Create and send email messages
Concurrent with the social media blasts, you’ll want to connect directly to the people who have shared their email addresses. They’re your hottest leads and most likely to donate to your campaign.
Start by emailing a straight-forward donation letter. It may feel awkward at first, but you need to ask for financial support. Tell the members of your email list your goal, and then provide them with easy action steps to support you. Be direct.
Using email marketing platforms like Constant Contact, you can schedule email messages at the best times. Then, if someone donates to the campaign, you can automate a thank you email message. Follow-up emails are often overlooked but can strengthen your relationship with donors.
Use paid advertising
If your budget allows, consider adding paid digital advertisements to your end-of-year marketing plan. Start with Facebook lead ads, which can help you grow your email list before your campaign begins.
Then, once the year-end giving plan starts, schedule more digital ads. Use these to drive traffic to your website’s landing pages. Depending on your target audience, invest in Facebook, Instagram, or Google ads.
Step Three: Prepare for continuing success
The final step of any marketing campaign is often overlooked: what to do afterward.
Going straight to radio silence after the first of the new year can send an unintended message. You always want your supporters to stay engaged and interested. Include a plan for January and February in your strategy to keep the momentum going.
Review your results
Schedule a meeting after the New Year’s holiday to review the campaign’s results. Look at the metrics and compare them to any previous efforts. Calculate your return on investment (ROI) and analyze what worked and what needs improvement.
If you didn’t reach your goal, consider the reasons why. Every effort at development is part of a learning process to refine the ask and have more success the following year.
Keep communicating
A great way to give thanks for a successful campaign is to share the results with the members of your email list. Celebrate your success at any level, and remind your donors that you can’t succeed without them.
Then, showcase other ways they can support your organization. For example, the workforce development organization has an active list of volunteer needs. That way, someone who wants to get more involved knows they can mentor clients or even help them shop for appropriate outfits for job interviews. When people give their time, they’re more likely to give financially, too.
Finally, ask for feedback on the campaign through an emailed survey. You may find that your supporters have fantastic ideas you’ve yet to consider.
Continue segmenting your list
After your campaign, further refine your email list segmentation based on new donor information. Members of your email list who have donated may be moved to a different list. You may find that you’ll need to create new lists. Your future self will thank you for these “clean-up” actions.
Keep planning for the new year
Year-end giving campaigns are worth the effort, and creating a comprehensive marketing plan to outline the strategy makes everything easier. As part of the wrap-up work, start thinking ahead about how you’d like to stay connected with the people you’ve engaged at the end of the year. Remember, while an early start can help, there’s no need to feel pressure from the calendar. No energy is wasted! As a first step in the process, download the Non-Profit Year-End Marketing Checklist. Use this handy document to craft your strategy for the end of the year — and beyond.
