Tips for Preparing Your End-of-Year Campaign
#1 - Focus your message.
Think about what you’re asking, of course, but also think about why you’re asking. Donors are more responsive to campaigns that are both specific and timely. Maybe the campaign is framed around an upcoming program or initiative. Whatever the focus is, you will want to make sure to ground it in storytelling.
Studies show that charitable giving is often triggered by feelings rather than logic. The more heavily you can leverage individual stories of transformation—as opposed to program features and statistics—the more successful your campaign will be.
#2 - Make it easy.
Think about your audience. Who are they? Where are they? How do they prefer to give, and how can they help get the word out about your campaign? Wherever they are, go to them.
More than half of donors across all demographics prefer to give online, so you’ll want to make sure you have a landing page to drive traffic to. If a significant portion of your donors are inclined toward checks, you’ll want to plan a direct mail component. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to donate, and to equip them with promotional assets that they can easily share with friends, family, and supporters.
#3 - Build a strategy.
Once you have your means of giving established, begin planning how you’re going to drive traffic. How many social posts, emails, and mailers do you want to go out, and at what frequency? How do you want the messaging that you’ve planned to carry throughout the campaign? Each asset should tell a story, but you also want the campaign itself to have a broader narrative arc that builds in intensity the closer you get to the campaign deadline.
Studies show that donors become increasingly inclined to give the closer you get to reaching your goal. This fact is worth planning for. Securing a donor match can also be a helpful way of driving donations.
#4 - Remember, it’s more than just fundraising.
Campaigns aren’t just opportunities to raise funds; they’re opportunities to deepen relationships with existing donors and build connections with new ones. Make sure you have a process in place for collecting and storing emails for future communications. Build out automated responses thanking donors for their support, and consider reaching out to some personally to express your gratitude.
Sixty-eight percent of donors in the US also volunteer with nonprofit organizations, so make sure you’re creating pathways for deeper engagement with every donor you come into contact with.
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