Calendar year end is perhaps the most exciting and impactful time of the year for nonprofits. Supporters are ready to give to causes they believe in. But there’s also a ton of competition for the eyes and ears of your donors. And it feels like that competition increases year after year. So what can you do to make sure your organization stands out at year end?
3 Ways to Stand Out at Year End
- Create an immersive experience. We can’t just skip to requesting a donation. Acquisition is a multi-step process. You need to engage before you ask. Around Thanksgiving do things to engage your audience. Remind donors of your mission. Show what their dollars are doing for your beneficiaries. Then make an ask at the end of the year. We did this with our client University of Alabama Athletics. It resulted in 18,000 new names added to the file and $288,000 raised in 14 days.
- Inspire donors with a compelling case for support. Use video and storytelling to draw your audience in. Build a sense of urgency over the course of your campaign. Your last few times connecting with your donors should build in urgency and time sensitivity. We did this with our clients, FamilyLife, and saw a 10% increase in donors and an 8% increase in revenue year over year.
- Set a challenge goal to drive momentum. Run a matching campaign and remind donors of the limited window of time they have for their gift to be doubled or tripled. Our client, Washington National Cathedral, took this approach. They raised double their goal. Consider kicking things off on #GivingTuesday. In the early days of your year end campaign make your messaging very missional. Then build the urgency as time goes on.
Don’t wait until the end of the year to figure out your year end strategy. Make the most of the opportunity by planning ahead. And consider utilizing our Year End Accelerator. We combine the power of viral fundraising campaigns with relationship fundraising principles to help you eliminate the guesswork (and hard work) during the end of the year. Get in touch with us here to learn more.