You have successfully held events, applied for grants, organized volunteers all year long, but there is still one more task to complete before year-end.
It’s time to start getting serious about your end-of-year donation campaign.
Here are some tips to help you reach your supporters and make that final push a success.
Engage supporters across multiple mediums
Your campaign doesn’t stop at your “Donate Now” button. Design a campaign that uses every medium available to you to reach potential supporters.
Consider:
- Sending post cards
- Designing an email newsletter (no postage necessary!)
- Connecting with social media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Instagram Stories etc.)
No matter what medium you use to communicate with potential donors, keep that communication consistent. Use unified design principles such as colors, logos, and taglines, to build brand recognition for each specific campaign. Make sure your call to action is always the same. If your campaign is based around a theme or idea, stick to it with every email or direct mailing.
Call your supporters to act
End-of-year campaigns are a great way to encourage previously inactive donors to get involved. Use a message or tagline that gives potential donors specific involvement steps. It’s helpful to provide action on your end, too—let supporters know what their donation will help your organization accomplish, and why it’s important that they donate before the year is up.
As the final days of your campaign draw near, emphasize the time-sensitive nature of your ask. Suggest levels of involvement for donors of all stripes; for example, “Even a $5 donation will provide one student with school supplies for a semester.”
Provide multiple action paths
Give donors different ways to donate or get involved with your organization. You can take donations in honor of a lost family member, collect company information for matching gifts, and give donors the option to make smaller, recurring donations. Make it easy for potential donors to support you.
Stay in touch
Set up a schedule or timeline for communicating with your community. You don’t want to bombard your supporters with email, but you do want to maintain brand presence as the New Year approaches.Use holidays as opportunities to reach out. Renew your ask with each mailing or email. Use new copy if you can, so it doesn’t feel tired, and try having some fun with it. The end of the year is a jolly time of year—let your good cheer be infectious!
