4 Tips For A Successful Year-End Giving Season
By: Julia Archer, Redstart Creative
Fall is almost here (we can’t believe it either) and that means the end of 2016 is getting closer and closer. With fall, comes the holiday season, which is also the season of giving! Did you know nonprofits receive 50% of their donations between October and December? Now is the perfect time to begin planning your end-of-year outreach so you can make the most of these next months.
- Strategize around Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is November 29th, 2016, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The #GivingTuesday hashtag will be used across social media to get individuals and communities across America involved in organizations doing good in the world. Use this day of philanthropy strategically by informing your donors several weeks ahead of time of this day and sending reminders leading up to the event. Set an actionable goal for the day that you can advertise and it will push your audience to donate. Also, there are some great tools on Giving Tuesday’s website including sample social media posts, a press release, sample outreach emails and so much more to get you started on the right track.
- Consider hosting an event. The holiday season is not only a great time for giving, it’s also a great time for hosting events for your nonprofit. An event is a great way to rack up donations while also providing your donors with something fun and entertaining in return. Events also help raise awareness of your cause by increasing your audience. Here are some great event ideas for you to consider:
- A 5K run
- A raffle for a trip or activity
- Fall festival
- Golf Tournament
- Up your communication. During this time of the year, you want to increase your communication between your donors and your organization. This way your mission and goals stay in the forefront of their minds during the holiday season. You want to implement not only an email marketing campaign, but also make use of print outreach as well. Leading up to Giving Tuesday, weekly or bi-weekly email reminders and calls-to-action are needed to keep your audience posted. No matter which outlet you decide to use, you must make sure that you are vividly telling your story with each piece you release. Speak with words that will inspire your readers to act.
- Use social media. Social media can be extremely helpful to your nonprofit, especially during this critical time. Use your social channels to reach out to your existing audience about your goals, while also working to grow your audience with ads and engaging content. Here are some ideas on how to use social media for year-end giving:
- Create a Giving Tuesday event on Facebook and invite your community to join.
- Create Facebook and Instagram ads that will compel viewers to get involved.
- Create a Facebook group for your donor base that will keep them up-to-date on upcoming events, new goals, etc.
- Create a hashtag to use for events and campaigns that your community can use to spread the word about your mission.
- Implement peer-to-peer social share campaigns by asking your community to share your mission on their personal Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts.
If there is ever a time to amp up your outreach and campaigns, year-end is the time to do it. We know that running a nonprofit is extremely challenging and the holiday season is a busy time. Contact us to find out how we can support you in marketing your nonprofit this season of giving.