5 Board Member Actions to Boost 2020 Year-End Fundraising

Attention nonprofit board members: now is the time for you to take action.  

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It’s not too late – it’s never too late – for board members to demonstrate their leadership by engaging in year-end fundraising.  

As we approach the end of the year, board members should take some action to boost your nonprofits’ end of year giving efforts.  

  1. Give – board members should have already made your best gifts by now but still make a gift to support current efforts. If your nonprofit is having a year-end event, sponsor. If they are selling something, buy some. If they are sending a year-end appeal, make a gift.  
  2. Ask others to give – your friends and family should know that this charity is important to you. Now is the time to ask them to invest in this cause. If your nonprofit has special year-end drives (like toys or food), use that opportunity to tell the story and ask for donations.  
  3. Engage on social media – if you haven’t already, like, follow, join (whatever the appropriate verb)  your nonprofit’s social media accounts. During the final weeks of the year, make an effort to check the social media channels once a day and share, retweet, repost. This simple but intentional action can amplify your nonprofits’ reach. 
  4. Thank – start with the people you know who support your nonprofit. Reach out with an e-mail or handwritten note to tell them how their gifts have made the world a better place this year. After that, ask if there are additional donors you could contact with a stewardship message. Don’t forget social media channels for thanking, too. For instance, a post on LinkedIn to thank  corporate donors is a simple but powerful way to show appreciation.   
  5. Encourage staff – it’s been a tough year for everyone. This may be the most obvious statement I’ve ever written but it’s important to remember that nonprofit staff members have been under a tremendous amount of pressure for 9 months. Whether your nonprofit has been running at full speed or has had to curtail services, the stress has been real. Take a moment to write a personal note to staff members telling them that you see their hard work and it’s appreciated. Find a way to tell them that they are appreciated – by you and by the people you are all serving.  

If you are reading this in November: take action now. 
If you’re reading this in early December: take action now.
If you’re reading this in late December: take action now.
(seeing a trend?)
And if you are reading this after 2021 has started and year-end giving is completed, it’s still not too late to take action.  

It’s not too late – it’s never too late – for board members to demonstrate their leadership by engaging in year-end fundraising.  

7 Tips for Year End Fundraising in a Pandemic

How did you handle fundraising in your last global pandemic?

Author Jon Acuff recently reminded me that “this is my first global pandemic.” If you’ve been wondering how to handle fundraising for the rest of 2020 – you are not alone. No one is exactly sure how year-end fundraising will be impacted because no one has ever been here before.  

But that doesn’t mean you should throw your hands up in defeat. We can figure this out.  

The first question seems to be: will donors still give? The research results so far indicate yes.*

My biggest takeaway from the research: Don’t hold back on cultivating and soliciting your donors.

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Here are 7 things to make your year-end fundraising successful in a global pandemic:  

  1. Don’t just ask.
    Make sure that fundraising ins’t the only message your donors hear from you. Be sure that you are telling them how their previous gifts have made an impact on your constituents.  
  2. Listen to your donors.
    Be sure that some of your communication is two-way and that you are listening to your donors. Consider personal calls to key donors. Integrate a survey into your donor communications plan.  
  3. Be transparent. 
    Communicate honestly (and often) with your constituents about how the pandemic is impacting your nonprofit. If you had to close, tell them why and what is needed to reopen. If you adjusted services, share with them how. If you made mistakes, share what you learned and how you are improving.  
  4. Refocus on your mission
    While you may have changed the way you are doing things, your mission is still the same. Communicate how you are still changing the world. Donors want to help. Your job is to show them how their financial support will help people. Tell stories that demonstrate how they will make a difference.  
  5. Look at your past success. 
    Evaluate how you raised money last year. If you had in-person events, seek new ways to ask those donors. Find the other fundraising methods that worked and adjust as needed. You don’t have to start from scratch but you will probably have to try some new things.  
  6. Enhance your digital fundraising strategies.  
    Start with your website. Make sure that a visitor can find the donation page easily. For best year-end giving results, create a multi-channel solicitation using direct mail, e-mail and social media. Giving is not one size fits all. If you’re looking for best practices, check out Heather Mansfield’s 101 Digital Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofits.
  7. Make a plan for stewardship. 
    If you are asking, you’ve got to be thanking. Take it a step farther and provide donors with meaningful information about how their gift saved lives or changed lives.  

Hank Rosso defines fundraising as “the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.” You might feel nervous asking in these uncertain times, but who are we to deny someone the joy of giving?  

*If you’re looking for the details, here are two respected sources for research:
Association of Fundraising Professionals
IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

5 Tips for Year-End Fundraising Success

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The clock is ticking and if you are a fundraiser trying to reach your goal, the sound can be deafening. Don’t fret, there’s still time to boost your year-end fundraising. In the last few days of this year, take time for these five tips to boost your fundraising and end the year on top.

1. Year-End Appeal

Even if it’s not a huge mailing to the masses, take the time to send a heartfelt letter to your closest supporters. Ask them to join you in changing the world. If you need help with your letter, my colleague Alyce Lee Stansbury shared her tried and true secrets to a successful letter.

2. Website Check

Make sure your website is ready to accept online gifts. The best and easiest way to do that is to take it for a test drive. Make a gift today and see what happens. This guide will help you make sure your online giving passes the test.

3. Mail the Card

Your donors are like family to your organization, and family should hear from you at the holidays. Through my own admission of being perpetually late with my cards, I can make the case that it is never too late to send out a card. And, if you want to go electronic, here are some ideas to make an electronic message that will still warm their hearts.

4. Pick Up the Phone

Possibly one of the most overlooked year-end tools – your telephone. Pick up the phone, tell your donors how much you appreciate them, and ask for their renewed support. Here’s a guide to tapping into that power.

5. Don’t Leave Them Hanging

If you are taking time off during the holidays – which I highly recommend – make sure that your voice mail and e-mail messages give people the information they need in your absence, including when they can expect to hear from you. And, since a large number of gifts are made in the last few days of the calendar year, include a link to your website’s giving page. Here are some tips on setting an effective out of office message.

It’s a busy time of year for you and for your donors. Be sure that you are doing everything you can to make giving to your organization convenient. A gentle reminder from you and a pleasant giving experience make the difference in year-end fundraising for your nonprofit organization. If doing all five things seem like too much, pick one or two and do them really well.

Always remember that you are changing the world with your hard work and you’re inviting people to join you. That matters! Also remember to take some time to rest and recharge and enjoy your family and friends. Happy Holidays!

10 Free Giving Tuesday Resources

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Happy October! Now that we have entered the last quarter of 2015, you should be working on your year-end fundraising plan. I highly recommend integrating the celebration of Giving Tuesday into your plan.

What is #GivingTuesday? Here’s how their website explains it:
“We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.”

One great thing about this open source movement is the spirit of cooperation among the founders, corporations, nonprofits and donors. This has led to a valuable set of FREE online resources. If you work for a nonprofit organization and want to be a part of this, check out the resources below for lots of help.

Giving Tuesday Tools
From #GivingTuesday: toolkits, case studies, logos, and much more! And it’s all FREE.

Easy Communications Timeline: Planning Your #GivingTuesday and Year-End Campaigns
Timeline from Network for Good helps you organize all of your communications are very helpful to integrate your year-end giving plans with #GivingTuesday efforts.

#Giving Tuesday Trends Report
and many other resources from Blackbaud

Everything You Need to Know About #GivingTuesday
from Salsa Labs, includes a link to a campaign planner

Central Florida provides a great example of an entire region getting together to make a greater impact:
Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College
Giving Tuesday Central Florida Facebook page

Several innovative organizations from the Tallahassee area have teamed up to create
Big Bend Gives Back

HOW TO: Tap Into the Power of Cause Awareness Days
Heather Mansfield of Nonprofit Tech for Good

Give Local America Nonprofit Toolkit
I especially like the “Social Media Toolkit” and “Sample Messaging for Nonprofits.”

Giving Day Playbook 
The Knight Foundation

Do you know of other resources? Please share!

I’ll be watching (and giving and retweeting) on December 1st to see how creative you can get.

Giving Tuesday at Planet Philanthropy

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Last week it was my privilege to present at Planet Philanthropy – Florida’s AFP conference. I taught an interactive session on how to use #Giving Tuesday to boost your year-end giving results. I shared several valuable online resources that day and I’d like to share them with you, too.

Giving Tuesday Tools
Toolkits, case studies, logos, and much more!

Everything You Need to Know About #GivingTuesday
from Salsa Labs, includes a link to a campaign planner

Central Florida provides a great example of an entire region getting together to make a greater impact:
Rollins College Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Center
Giving Tuesday Central Florida Facebook page

HOW TO: Tap Into the Power of Cause Awareness Days
Heather Mansfield of Nonprofit Tech for Good

Give Local America Nonprofit Toolkit
I especially like the “Social Media Toolkit” and “Sample Messaging for Nonprofits.”

Giving Day Playbook
The Knight Foundation

Now is the time to make your year-end giving plans. Be sure to look for ways to include the Giving Tuesday movement in your efforts.

Do you know of other resources? Please share!