4+ keys to great year-round fundraising campaigns
- Digital communications & marketing
- Fundraising ideas
- Nonprofits
- Guided Fundraising
The end of the year presents valuable opportunities for your nonprofit organization to make the most of donors’ heightened generosity and send out a year-end fundraising appeal. Around 31% of all annual gifts occur in December, so take the time to craft compelling donation requests that will carry your organization’s fundraising momentum into the new year.
In order to stand out from the crowd and encourage people to donate, you’ll need to do your research and employ thoughtful language that inspires action among your supporters. To help your nonprofit appeal reach its full potential, we’ll walk through five effective strategies to motivate giving in your next appeal.
The key to all successful, donor-centric fundraising is understanding your nonprofit’s donors. Review the information you’ve collected in your donor management system, such as average gift size, past involvement with your organization, and giving frequency, and use these details to tailor your nonprofit appeal.
If you’re looking to gather more information on your supporters, consider making phone calls or sending out a mailed survey for feedback on their relationships with your nonprofit. Ask questions such as:
Additionally, you can use your donor profiles to segment your supporters into different groups to send more relevant, personalized communications to each one. For instance, you could separate them into monthly donors, major donors, and online donors to effectively appeal to each segment.
Collect and keep track of words that resonate strongly with your supporters based on their previous communications with your nonprofit. If they’re repeating any words in survey responses, phone calls, or at events, incorporate them in your next nonprofit appeal.
For example, a social services agency’s supporters might commonly use adjectives such as “caring” and “compassionate” when describing the organization. These recurring words can help you determine what makes your nonprofit unique in the eyes of your donors and implement that into your year-end appeal, donation page, newsletter, social media posts, and more.
An effective year-end nonprofit appeal doesn’t just convince donors to give, but to give immediately. By instilling a sense of urgency throughout your message, you can encourage supporters to take quick action in support of your organization’s purpose.
Focus on the “why” of your donation request—the tangible impact that your donors’ gifts will make if given promptly. To inspire your writing, take a look at these examples of urgent calls to action:
Incorporate your call-to-action in a clear and obvious location in your fundraising appeal, such as at the top of the page or in bold print. This will capture your audience’s attention and compel them to read through the rest of your message.
Your nonprofit’s fundraising appeal should be memorable and effective. Whether you’re communicating your appeal through direct mail, email, a video, or several of these, maximize the impact of your message by making it easy for readers to understand its meaning at a glance.
Consider incorporating these best practices into your year-end appeal to ensure that it’s easy to comprehend:
In this digital world, there’s an abundance of news and updates calling for your audience’s attention. Keep them engaged with the most crucial aspects of your appeal with simple, effective language and design.
Your nonprofit invests time and passion into your purpose on a daily basis, so you’re likely well-versed in all of its associated terminology. While your donors may care about your cause, they may not have as much expertise in it. Therefore, it’s essential to avoid using jargon or acronyms in your nonprofit appeal. Some useful questions to ask yourself while writing include:
Opt for simple and informative language when it comes to your year-end donation requests. This way, you’ll ensure that donors better understand your organization’s purpose and why it’s important to contribute toward it.
A successful year-end nonprofit appeal is one that centers donors in its writing. Focus on how you can resonate with each supporter when you reach out and remember the importance of communicating impact. Highlight donor contributions as a valuable driving force for your organization’s purpose and back up these statements with data, so each donor understands how they make a difference.
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