Are You Ready to Get Your Share of EOY Giving?
43 days until #GivingTuesday
77 days until New Year's Eve
31% of annual individual donations are made in December (with 12% happening in the last three days)
What are you doing to make sure your donors are considering your organization in their year-end giving plans?
Hopefully, you have been communicating with your current donors all year. Keeping your supporters informed about the impact they have on your mission may be the most important thing you do. Reaching out to new supporters, whether donors, volunteers or ambassadors is a close second. Without the resources to do your work - the work simply will not get done.
Communicating in the ways your supporters have shown they want to hear from you and how often they do, can be critical in keeping them engaged. Telling them exciting news and the impact their donations have had on the need your organization addresses shows them you understand why they support your organization. (Sending out boring, non news is a turn off :-()
You need to make it clear to each and every donor how important they are!
When you don't follow the basic steps of good stewardship, donors assume their support is not necessary. Are you sending out timely acknowledgements? If the gift is considered major or the donor is new - do they receive a call from the executive director, board chair or other VIP in your organization? (Send them a testimonial video too!)
After the gift are you staying in touch?
If so, and even if not exactly, now is the time to continue communicating and laying the groundwork for #GivingTuesday and End of Year asks.
Here are three quick things your organization can do to start upping their EOY strategy this year. (Remember fundraising is a long-term game - not built in a day or even one year.)
1. Send out a quick email of thanks to current donors. Make it sincere and update them on the progress your organization has made due to their support this year.
2. Get a #GivingTuesday communication ready. The Monday after Thanksgiving let them know your organization is thankful for their support and ask for support tomorrow on #GivingTuesday.
3. Prepare two or three communications for the last week of 2018. If you do not have a staff member who has the time or talent, ask a volunteer. Show the need for 2019, explain to your supporter what a community without your organization and their support would look like, and ask your donors to help you start off the New Year helping those in need.
To find out more about year round donor cultivation click here.
To find out more about marketing and branding click here.
Here's hoping you are ready to plan, implement and grow!
