Giving Tuesday is over. Giving SEASON is just beginning!
More than 30% of ALL ANNUAL GIVING happens in December. And get this: 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year!
According to our friends at DoubletheDonation, 30% of ALL ANNUAL GIVING happens in December, with 10% rolling in the last three days of the year. Read that again. And remember, before December comes Giving Tuesday. Last year, GT campaigns SMASHED previous records: In 2022, in 24 hours, donors in the U.S. gave $3.1 BILLION dollars. That’s a 15% increase over 2021.
There’s still plenty of time to finish your 2023 fundraising on a high note! Here’s how.
Update Your Giving Page
You probably already updated your giving page for Giving Tuesday, so update it again for your end-of-the-year messaging. Add new images and video of your team. Ask your ED or board members to shoot casual videos with their phones and post them. Capitalize on year-end urgency by prominently displaying a giving thermometer on your page and utilizing clear calls to action.
Urgent Call to Action
We advised this during your Giving Tuesday campaign and it is appropriate for EOY campaigns as well. Messaging like this:
“Only a few hours left in 2023… Only a few hours left to give…”
“Help us reach our goal by the time the ball drops…”
“We’re so close to our goal… Can you help us get there?
You can incentivize EOY gifts with prizes, even if the prize is name recognition and/or bragging rights (at no cost to your org)! And be sure to play up those deadline dates to further promote your sense of urgency.
Donor Motivation
WHY do people give? Reasons vary extensively. Sometimes it’s intensely personal. Sometimes it’s tangentially personal (a friend’s friend/child/pet is in need). This time of year, folks are generally already feeling generous and grateful. Focus on this, especially when dealing with your existing top donors AND your lapsed donors. Remind them WHY they got involved with your organization. Add faces to the impact of their donation through real-life stories.
Targeted Messaging + Storytelling
Storytelling is always going to be what moves your donors – always has been, always will be. Time to get creative with it! Try something you’ve never tried before. That’s the very definition of innovation! If it doesn’t make an impact, you don’t have to do it again, but you did glean valuable feedback as to what doesn’t tug at your donors’ heartstrings. Dare to be different – but keep in mind, the donor is always the hero. The donor is always a key part of the solution to the problem and/or need.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
It’s easy to overlook personal phone calls and direct mail in the digital age, where email and text reign supreme. But you don’t want to! You still have donors who appreciate a personal touch. Even form letters can still be effective – especially if you personalize it. Think hand-written letters, or at least a hand-written note in the margins or at the end of a form letter. A personal touch won’t soon be forgotten. A form letter will.
Email Campaigns
Email campaigns are a super easy way to reach a lot of people. And remember that study we just mentioned, about how 12% of annual donations come in the last three days of the year? For many, the week between Christmas and the New Year is much quieter, more relaxed than a typical work week. But in general, there’s a lot of holiday cheer still in the air. Happy hearts full of gratitude, and gratitude often begets generosity! Maybe that’s why so many donations roll in during this time. So send something every day that week. Ideally, a story with a beginning, middle and end. If you don’t have the bandwidth for that, at least stay in front of your donors with repeated contact.
Mobile Campaigns
Know what IS working extra hard, the last week of the year? Or at least what SHOULD be working extra hard? Your mobile bidding software! If you don’t already know, now’s the time to push it to the limit with QR codes, company matching options, and – perhaps most importantly of all – recurring giving options. Recurring/monthly giving plans are the brass rings of your org’s fundraising. You need a thousand more of them. For reals. What if you challenge your donors to get involved in it (if they’re not already) by tying it into their New Year’s resolutions?
Here’s an example:
“Got any New Year’s resolutions? How about resolving to increase your philanthropy/do more good//help those in need/touch more lives/ in 2024? You can accomplish this New Year’s resolution instantly, by enrolling in our Monthly Donation Campaign! Click here.
Shout out to savvy fundraisers, who are doing an awesome job procuring more recurring donors! In 2021, 46% of donors were enrolled in a recurring donation program. That percentage jumped to 57% in 2022. We suspect once the final numbers for 2023 are tallied, we’ll see an even BIGGER percentage. We’ll be sure to share those stats once they’re in, but in the meantime, fellow fundraisers, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
You also want to make sure your mobile giving software is set up for text-to-give and text-to-donate. Text-to-Give is carrier-based. It’s executed through your phone plan; therefore, it’s not instant. Text-to-donate is. It sends donors to a secure giving page containing a keyword, a shortcode and a link to the donation page. Both are SO easy to set up, there’s really no excuse not to!
Year-End Themed Social Campaign
Maybe your org already conducted a year-end social campaign, like a Peer-to-Peer fundraiser. We had a lot of fun with our Go Social! Virtual Fundraisers in 2021, when the pandemic was still impacting in-person events. (Take a look at the way Cleveland High School did it in 2021.) While it’s too late in the year for one of these, you can still harness the power of social media with a simplified Facebook or Instagram Live version of the Go Social! Virtual Fundraiser. Or record a year-end ask from your ED or a board member and push it out that way. Keep it simple, mission-focused and celebratory! It’s a celebratory time of year, after all. Remind folks what you’ve been able to do thanks to their donations. Remind them how much of an impact they could make, right now, right before we usher in 2024!
Gratitude Gathering
Since you’re a forward-thinking fundraiser, now’s the time to consider planning a gratitude event. Maybe in January or early February. But don’t ask for money this time; it’s strictly a thank-you. It can be short and sweet. Maybe just a cocktail hour or open house for a couple of hours to bring some love and light to a cold, dark winter evening. Donors will remember your gratitude!
Cheers to successful 2023 End-of-Year Fundraising! Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year. We have a final gift for you: A complimentary consultation! So once you’ve put away all of the decorations, reach out. We can’t wait to work with you in 2024!