This guide is shared based on research from Rich Dietz and Sage Nonprofit Solutions. It is designed to assist nonprofit organizations in building successful year-end fundraising campaigns.
2. Agenda
What is a Year-End Campaign?
Why You Need to Launch a Year-End Campaign
Today
Tools of the Trade
Best Practices for Year-End Campaigns
Q&A
3. Our Goals Today
Convince you why you need to launch a Year-End Campaign!
Provide ideas and tips to get you going or improve your current
campaign
Get you to take action and launch the campaign ASAP
No campaign is ever perfect or “ready”
Start where you are now
Only way to improve is to get something out there and test
Pick one or two ideas and add them to your campaign
5. Definition for End of Year Campaign
A coordinated multi-appeal fund-raising campaign that capitalizes
on the end of year giving cycles that is a part of a larger donor
cultivation system
Key ideas from the definition
Coordinated
Multi-appeal
Giving cycles
Part of larger system (Donor Engagement)
8. Why an End of Year Campaign?
NPO’s raise from 40% to 70% of their funds at the end of the year
Up to 22% in the last two days of the year
People like to give during the holiday season
Practice altruism. Instead of big gifts for others, buy smaller gifts and donate
a portion of your budget to the needy. Sometimes reflecting on those less
fortunate helps us regain perspective about how lucky we are and how
commercialized our holidays can become. Dr. Janet Frank, Ph.D.
People like to get their tax breaks
Great way to update your supporters about the year’s
accomplishments and what you have planned for the new year
Great opportunity to find new donors
10. Tools of the Trade*
You only need four tools to run a solid Year-End Campaign Online
Place to make your case – website
Way to take money – donation form
Way to connect with potential donors – email marketing
Way to track results – online analytics
But—
A little creativity goes a LONG way!
12. Best Practices - Basics
Prepare and Plan
But keep it simple for
now
Start from where you
are and improve every
year
Use the planning guide
(end of the slide deck)
13. Best Practices - Basics
Multiple Touch Points
Direct mail, email, website, online form, Facebook, video, in person or
committee asks
Easy Donation Process
Vivid Examples of
How Donations Will
be Used
Example: $10= 17 meals
14. Peer to peer fund-raising
Custom landing pages
Online Video-
Social Media Integration
Drip Marketing
A/B Testing
Best Practices - Advanced
15. Compelling Campaigns
Tell a Great Story
Inspire them with your passion
Individual stories are best
People give to people
Emotion >> Rationality
Make it timely
Online Video
16. Get Your Message Heard
The end of year can be crowded and noisy….
Timing
Be compelling, Be First, Be Often
Event Fundraising – The 890% Difference
Another way to engage and stand out
Tie the events into your end of year fundraising
Create a “Signature” event or campaign
17. Follow Up / Cultivate Donors
Follow Up
Easy way to stand out from the crowd
Develop donor engagement (Two Way Communication)
Welcome email or series
Small favors
Multiple thank you notes throughout the year
Thank You Update
Thank You and Small Favor
Thank You and Success Story
Thank You.. But still work to do
Measure and test throughout the year
19. Resources
Google is Your Friend
Search for “End of year appeal example,” “thank you card
example,” etc. Gets you off the blank page.
Mail Chimp, Marketo, Eloqua
Techonolgy-
Kimbia
Abila
BlackBaud
Drupal
21. Sample Time Line
September – Brainstorm, research, and schedule your campaign
§ Review Last Year’s Campaign
§ What worked? What did not work?
§ What do the stats tell you?
§ What has changed for your organization in the past year?
§ What are your organization’s goals this year?
§ Complete End of Year Campaign Planning Sheet
October – Design, write, and prepare communications
§ Draft Email Series
§ Design look and feel of the campaign
§ Create email templates
22. Sample Timeline
November – Finalize all communications and test the campaign
§ Have multiple staff members review all campaign content
§ Have the campaign approved by appropriate staff members
§ Run multiple tests of the entire campaign
§ Run a few tests yourself pretending to be a donor & ask volunteers to do the same
§ Send warm-up appeal email/letter (optional)
§ Monthly newsletter or separate mailing
§ Updates on year, preview of campaign--Send out at least one week before the first appeal
December – Launch Campaign
§ Appeal 1 – Campaign Kickoff – 1st week in December--Sets up campaign and tone
§ eCard – For acknowledgement of support – 3rd week in December
§ If including a holiday greeting, send before the period most applicable to your donors
§ Appeal 2 – Follow Up/Reminder – Dec. 29 or 30-- Last chance to give in 2013
29. Conclusion
End-of-year campaigns are not as difficult as they
seem
Take action – Pick one or two ideas and
implement
Only YOU can figure out what works for YOUR
organization