Year End Giving

Posted by Ben Crook on 11 November 2022

People are generous, festive and jolly during the most wonderful time of the year. But for fundraisers, it can be extremely tiring and stressful if not well-thought-out and planned. That’s why we’ve created this ultimate guide so you don’t need to panic about getting all your ducks in a row before the year ends.

It’s time to target your fundraising efforts

As we’ve already mentioned, people tend to be increasingly generous at the end of the year. It’s the time for giving to those less fortunate. For us, as fundraisers, it’s time for us to maximize that generosity and make the most of everything at our disposal. 17% of donations worldwide happen in the last month of the year. Would you like to see your donations increase by 17%? We thought so!

Take a look at who is already donating to you. Are they male, female, over 40 or under 40? Do they live in State or are they international? By analyzing who is already donating to you, you’ll be able to discover who is the perfect target for this time of year.

By targeting an audience with bespoke information you increase the chances of them donating. It might be stroking their ego by telling them what a hero they are, it might be speaking to their kinder side by telling them how much good their money will do. It could even be an exchange: when they donate they get something of no monetary amount. It could be a personalized GIF or cartoon drawing of their profile picture. It might be an event going on in their favorite part of town that they’re always checking in to online. The deeper you dig with your data the more opportunities you will have to target.

Start your fundraising early

We know that typically the festive season is a week or two at the end of December, but let’s be honest, people are putting up their decorations in November these days! Don’t hesitate on a good idea. If you have something you want to do for your fundraising campaign, start it now! It’s like a good diet, don’t wait around for Monday, any day is as good as the rest.

By starting early, we understand there may be some fear of running out of ideas. However, research shows that that isn’t true. The more fundraising we do, the more events inspire us and therefore the more ideas we generate. All that happens is that you get fun new ideas to test after your original plan of fundraising events ends.

Remember that while some of your fundraisings might be a single event, you can transform others into a series. You can go carol singing each Sunday for a month. Have a #DonateWednesday book club where everyone who is part of a book club donates $1 to the cause. You might have a running total of a target to hit by New Year’s Eve and the promotion you share features the running total.

Reach out to your existing audience

Part of the efforts you should go to during your end-of-year giving is to reach out to your existing audience. No matter how you have engaged with your donors in the past, let them know they are appreciated. Thank them for their previous donation, let them know the good it is doing and then encourage them to make another. You’ll be surprised how many people will happily donate again, just because it’s the festive season.

Remain stress-free with technology

It all sounds like a lot of effort doesn’t it? Extra events, more promotions, increasing donations, it’s been a long tiring year anyway, the last thing you have in you is to increase your efforts by 17%. But what if we said that you don’t need to do all that heavy lifting? There’s so much technology these days that can help you in your fundraising efforts, if you’re not already using it then now is the time. 

Here are just a few ways that fundraising technology platforms like Givergy can help with your year end giving:

• Track ongoing goals and expectations. You don’t need to manually tally up the numbers coming in, just watch the counter tick upwards.
• Communicate with all donors. Enter all your emails into the system and scheduled them to send using the platform. Responses and additional contacts can all be monitored and controlled in the same place.
• Create accessible donations online. By having one simple link people can access and donate through, it means there are fewer barriers to receiving more donations. If people see donating to your cause as easy as buying a pair of jeans from an online store, you’ll quickly see donations shooting up.
• Utilize peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. We’ve created a guide to peer-to-peer fundraising, be sure to check it out. Especially during the festive season, everyone wants to be seen as doing good things for great causes. Make sure yours is one of them.

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.