With tax reform on the horizon, this year-end may be an especially important time for fundraising. Below are four tips to make the most of the final months of the year.
1. Review your website.
Look at your organization’s website from an outsider’s perspective. Is it donor friendly? Is it easy to discover how to make a gift from your homepage? Does your website list gifts of securities and additional ways to give beyond cash gifts?
Remember that many middle-aged and older donors have reservations about making gifts or conducting other financial transactions online, so be sure your mailing address and phone number are prominently placed on your home page.
2. Rethink your digital year-end giving strategy.
Remember the giving season does not end on #GivingTuesday. After November 28, review your scheduled digital marketing calendar, remove references to #GivingTuesday and change your messaging, providing links to reflect giving during the rest of the year. Consider incorporating a series of year-end giving email appeals in the weeks before December 31. (See “Planning Your Year-End Fundraising Calendar” in the August 2017 Give & Take for other important year-end fundraising dates.)
3. Get coordinated.
Coordinate digital and print appeals. It has been well established that multiple appeals generate more gifts than a single appeal, but be sure you time them carefully so your donors don’t feel overwhelmed.
4. Appeal to special people.
Consider sending a special mail appeal to a targeted group of your most loyal and/or wealthiest supporters. Depending on your time and budget, this might go out to a relatively small portion of your active donor file, perhaps those you will not have time to personally visit or call later in the calendar year. Some possible audiences include:
a. Donors who have made substantial gifts in the past but haven’t yet made a gift this year.
b. Those who made a gift during the first nine months of the year and may consider making an additional gift this year-end.
c. Donors who have made noncash gifts in the past to remind them of the special benefits associated with gifts of appreciated securities.
d. LYBUNTS (donors who gave last year but not this year) or SYBUNTS (donors who give some years but not this one). Such donors may warrant a single special appeal or segment in your printed marketing initiatives.
Sharpe Group’s Year-End Giving Brochures are specially designed to motivate giving before December 31 and explore various ways to make a charitable gift, including cash, securities, gifts from retirement plans and bequests. As with all Sharpe publications, Year-End Giving Brochures may be personalized with your organization’s contact information and logo on the front and/or back cover. With every order, Sharpe includes a sample cover letter, P.S. language and suggested web/article copy.
For more information and to order, click here Or you may contact us by calling 901.680.5300 or emailing info@SHARPEnet.com. ■
