01 Dec 5 Things Smart Fundraisers Do at Year End To Exceed Fundraising Goals

As a non-profit, you recognize the importance of end-of-year events. Studies show that one-fifth of annual nonprofit revenue is raised in December. Beyond looking forward to executing fundraising campaigns to help you reach your year-end goals, the end of the year also sets you up for success in the upcoming year. Here are five things that smart fundraisers do at year-end.

1.    Maximize end-of-year fundraising

There’s an increased tendency to donate at the end of the year, mostly because people are in a giving mood around the holidays. On average, nonprofits raise 17-22% of their annual revenue in the month of December alone. All your materials should be ready to launch with your content schedule in place. Design your campaigns to be simple to take action, so you don’t miss any opportunities. Take a multi-channel approach for your year-end campaign; create strategies for social, website, mobile, and email. Emphasize that donations are not only for a good cause but also provide donors with tax benefits. Year-end campaigns should be reinforced with a social media strategy that shows the impact of donation dollars, gives the people behind your nonprofit a face and spreads awareness of your mission.

2.    Evaluate the year’s performance

As you plan for your year-end campaign, review data and metrics from your past campaigns. Gain a sense of what worked and what didn’t. Old campaigns may be tweaked and optimized to perform better in the future. Evaluate email open rates, event engagement, and program participation. The insight you gain from fundraising, marketing, and program metrics data can help you create a unique campaign theme that will resonate the most with your existing and target donors.

Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that you may have failed to track over the past months, such as donation frequency. Determine how effective your segmentation and personalization strategies were. The past month’s fundraising campaign performances can help you set goals and benchmarks for new donor acquisition, campaign ROI, event registrations, and donation conversion rate.

3.    Reach out to major donors personally

The end of the year is the perfect time to thank donors, whether through a gift or public expression of gratitude through social media, a “thank you” video, a handwritten letter, or a phone call. Donors love seeing how their contributions are making a difference. Make it a part of your year-end tasks to communicate to donors how your nonprofit has made an impact by giving them specific examples, such as the number of children that received medical care or the recipients of housing.

4.    Show gratitude to volunteers

Empower volunteers to continue giving their time and support to your cause by showing genuine gratitude. Some volunteers may have participated in your programs months ago. By expressing your appreciation to them through a personalized email, featuring them in your newsletter, or highlighting them on your social media platforms, you remind them of their rewarding experiences and motivate them to return next year.

5.    Plan for the next year

When it comes to promoting your cause and fundraising, there’s no such thing as planning too far ahead. As the year closes, another promising year greets us. Review the performance of past fundraising campaigns. Analyze historical data to determine the channels that performed the highest in the past months. Let the insight guide you as you develop next year’s communications strategy. Set goals for the next year!

There are various ways to maximize your end-of-year strategies. We’d love to hear what your organization is doing!