5 Things to Do Following Your Nonprofit End-of-Year Appeal

A stellar fundraising letter is critical to nonprofit fundraising success during the end-of-year giving campaign…and your team nailed it! Donors responded in a big way, but now it’s the first quarter of the new year, and you’re wondering what to do next.

While you realize donor-centric communications are essential throughout the year, your team isn’t sure where to start. Today, we’re covering what to do after your nonprofit end-of-year appeal…

The best end-of-year fundraising campaigns don’t end once the fundraising letter is out the door. Donor stewardship should always be included as part of your end-of-year fundraising plan.

Donors to nonprofit organizations don’t want their giving to feel transactional; instead, they want to feel the impact they have made. The most successful fundraisers know that they must ensure donors feel the emotion as if they are the heroes of the story and understand what their gifts have made possible.

Use these five strategies to ensure donors feel connected to your nonprofit long after giving their end-of-year donation.

1. Send a timely and personalized donor acknowledgment letter

Thanking donors is crucial to donor retention, and this should go beyond the tax receipt. Send a personalized and heartfelt donor acknowledgment letter as soon as possible. Per IRS regulations, a tax receipt for gifts of $250 or more is required, but every donor should be thanked. Don’t forget to include those donors who gave in-kind gifts or volunteered their time. The gift of time can feel especially personal to donors during the holidays.

2. Tap into emotion

The best end-of-year fundraising campaigns tap into the donors’ emotions for giving. Nonprofits must move away from making donations feel transactional and move toward making the donor feel the impact of what they made possible. Like your fundraising letter, communication following the donation needs to be heartfelt. Remember, the donor should feel like the hero in the story. Remind the donor what inspired them to give toward your mission in the first place. This begins with the donor acknowledgment letter but shouldn’t end there. Every nonprofit sends tax receipts, so what can your nonprofit do to stand out?

Consider creating a donor-centric communications plan based on donor segmentation. For example, a first-time donor might receive a series of welcome emails, and a major donor might receive an invite for coffee or a tour of your campus. Experiential opportunities can also tap into the donor’s emotion; consider inviting donors to volunteer at your church during a food collection drive or during a resident activity at your long-term care facility. Seeing in action what their donations made possible can help a donor better understand their impact and aid in donor retention.

3. Use your board of directors to help with donor-centric communications

A phone call from a board member can mean a lot to a donor, particularly those who have made a recurring or major gift to your organization. While a call from staff is also excellent, a call from a volunteer can have an impact because the donor knows they are volunteers. Provide board members with names and phone numbers of donors to call and a short script of what they should say to ensure the donor knows what their gift made possible and how appreciated they are. While direct mail is still king for raising funds during the end-of-year campaign, a phone call from a board member can help your nonprofit stand out among all the noise of letters, emails, and social media posts that all nonprofits are putting out.

4. Use data from your end-of-year campaign to elevate future efforts

When your end-of-year giving campaign is wrapping up, don’t let these data insights go to waste. The data you collected can be used for future donor segmentation and creating personalized ask strings for future appeals. Consider a tool such as  AskGenius, from Prenger Solutions Group, to filter this data for you. There is science behind setting the right ask amount for every donor, and AskGenius has figured out an algorithm for this, so you don’t have to.

5. Consider how automation can save time in donor communications

Consider using an automation tool, such as Microsoft Power Automate or AutomateGenius, to send a welcome series of emails to first-time donors or birthday wishes to recurring donors. Identify key communication points throughout the year and set up an automation workflow to lessen the time involved for staff.

Have your team identify the most meaningful communication to each donor segmentation and create actions throughout the year as part of your donor-centric communications.

Donor-centric communications can help your nonprofit stand out in the busy fundraising landscape. Donors want to feel part of something special and are the story’s heroes.

Heartfelt and timely donor acknowledgment letters and personalized opportunities to view your mission in action will ensure donors want to give again. Technology and automation can help streamline donor communications throughout the year. Take these steps now to set your nonprofit up for future success.

The best end-of-year fundraising campaigns start planning months in advance. If you want to get a jumpstart on planning your end-of-year campaign strategy, check out this blog for information.

To learn more about the science and tools of personalized ask strings, contact AskGenius for a demo today. And if automation opportunities excite you, check out what AutomateGenius can do for your nonprofit fundraising efforts.

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