How to Maximize Year-End Giving in Three Easy Steps
Even in December, there is still time for fundraising efforts that will have immediate and long-term impact. It’s crunch time, so you have to prioritize.
Year-end Giving Isn’t Over Yet…
The giving season isn’t over, as shown by gift data compiled from a number of our clients in the last four weeks of December.
To make the most of your limited days left in the office, here’s an easy plan to connect with past and potential future donors to encourage end of year giving. Start by generating a report with giving history for all who made gifts in any of the last three years – including restricted, capital, and Annual Fund (AF). Don’t include event attendees or peer-to-peer donors. You’ll want access to their:
lifetime total years of giving;
total amount given;
largest gift and the date thereof;
most recent gift and the date it was given;
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY… the amounts and dates of their AF gifts for the current year and the past five years*
Now you’re ready.
Here are the 3 Steps to Boost Your End of Year Giving and Annual Fund Growth
Send Email Reminders
Set up 3-4 year-end email reminders for those who received your most recent appeal and haven’t responded with their end of year donation. Schedule the emails between Dec. 21st and Dec. 31st. The first blast might coincide with the end-of-year appeal’s in-home date, with additional follow-up emails staggered until December 31st. If you can, segment the messaging by donor status – current year donors, previous year donors, donors lapsed more than one year, and prospective donors.
Call Donors Whose Giving Has Lapsed This Year
Sort them by the size of their last gift, total lifetime giving, or their largest one-time gift. Whatever is easier. Starting at the top, reach out to as many as possible with a personal phone call before year’s end.
Perhaps they only make one gift a year and it is right around this time—in response to end of year fundraising campaigns. They may need a personal nudge for their end of year donation. This is also a great opportunity to thank them for their previous gift and remind them of the good their continued support can do right now with a few value propositions
Contact Loyal But Now Lapsed Donors
Contact those with more than 5 years of giving whose last gift was in the previous fiscal year – the once-loyal-but-now-lapsed donor. Send emails letting them know they have been missed and with encouragement to return. Mention the current goals of your annual fund campaign. Or, if your data prep showed a specific designation preference for the donor, explain how their longstanding support will benefit this area. If you finish calls to the first group, call people in this group using the same priority.
Update your list daily so you and any involved staff or volunteers know if and when your lapsed donors renew their support. They should also be pulled from any email reminders you scheduled in Step 1.
Remember, recapturing recently lapsed donors before they lapse a third year will have a HUGE impact on your donor file and fundraising going forward. Donors also need to be offered multiple opportunities to complete their end of year giving — it’s a busy time of year and they are being asked by multiple organizations for gifts. It’s OK to remind them again!
“A 10% increase in donor retention can increase lifetime value of your donor database by 200%.”
* Note: You’ll want to identify those who have made multiple gifts in a year. For these, it will make sense to include their total amount of AF giving for the year. Their significance of an “anniversary” date will require interpretation.
Get ahead of the end-of-year rush!
Five Maples uses tried and true annual fund strategies year-round, including adding follow up emails to every fundraising appeal and stewardship mailing you do! When it counts the most, encourage your donors to renew or continue their support with thoughtfully written and well-planned end of year fundraising.
Contact Sarah Gnerre, CFRE, VP of Philanthropy, at 1-802-387-3091 or sarahg@fivemaples.com today!
