If you have a favorite cause or are passionate about a charitable organization and its mission, now is the time to collect donations in support of it.
Professional fundraisers know the day after Thanksgiving through December 31st is a prime time to ask for and receive charitable contributions. According to Network for Good, “40 percent of online donors make their gifts in December, and 40 to 60 percent of those donors will give on December 30th or 31st.”
The holidays are a time when we want to do good deeds and for giving. Donors also want to take advantage of tax deductions they’ll receive before the year closes. Savvy donors expect to receive year-end solicitations and actually look for opportunities to support a worthwhile cause.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that every single nonprofit out there is vying for year-end contributions. You’re going to have a lot of competition. To compete for year-end donations, you’ll need to think and act like a professional fundraiser.
Here’s where the marketing aspect of fundraising comes into play. Ideally, you want to: Get the right message to the right people at the right time. We already know the right time is now. So let’s talk about the right message to the right people.
Be specific. Identify how much money you intend to raise. If you’ve already raised a portion of your target dollar amount, let prospective donors how much. Inform your prospective donors exactly how their contributions will be used, who will benefit, and why the funds are needed.
Tell your prospective donors why you’re inspired to support this cause. What motives you to lend your time, talent and money? Don’t be afraid to let your passion for the project or organization shine through. In fact, I encourage you to do so.
Let your prospective donors know you’ve already made a donation. It’s up to you whether you want to divulge the dollar amount, although a very effective method of fundraising is the match approach. Challenge your friends, family and colleagues to match your contribution. “Won’t you join me in contributing $25 to the XYZ Organization?” President Obama successfully raised tens of millions of dollars prior to being elected by having his contributors ask their social networks to match contributions.
Tell a story. Stories are compelling, interesting and can be very powerful. Tell the story of how the organization has used funding in the past to change lives, enhance the community, or provide a much-needed service to those in need. If you don’t feel confident about your writing, use photos to tell the story.
Ask for the donation. This may seem intuitive, but you’d be surprised at how many fundraisers fail to ask for the donation. Experienced fundraisers sometimes tend to hem and haw around the issue of actually asking for the donation. People won’t contribute if they are not asked.
Keep the message positive, uplifting. Even if your cause is depressing or dire, send a message of hope and resurgence. Casting a gloomy or hopeless slant to your cause is detrimental to any fundraising effort, especially during the holidays.
Create a video and put it on your Facebook page and YouTube. This is a relatively new trend in fundraising and a very effective way of reaching large audiences. You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment. Simply tell your story or a story about why the cause is worth supporting and what inspires you. Make certain you include contact information about how and where people can make a contribution.
An extraordinary (and fun) example of an effective YouTube video can be found here. Admittedly, the Wake County (Raleigh, NC) SPCA had professional help putting together their video and ran into problems when lawyers had them remove the Abba song they’d used. But, ingenuity won out. The video is now synched with a video of Abba singing Take a Chance on Me, and the result is brilliant. The original video received 65,000 hits, and the SPCA’s uplifting message was heard around the world.
Send emails to your personal contact list. People give to people. You may think donors contribute to an organization. They don’t. They contribute in response to the people who manage (or volunteer with) an organization. That’s why your personal contact list is the best place to start your year-end appeal efforts. These people know and trust you and will make a contribution based on your recommendation.
Send several fundraising emails the last week of December, including on December 31st. This is the critical week in terms of year-end fundraising, yet it’s a busy week for many people. Help them by reminding them of all the good work your cause has accomplished and why you feel the cause deserves their (and your) support.
Ask your contacts to forward your message to their contacts. Expect to reciprocate when your friends ask you to spread their fundraising messages to your list, but look at it as your opportunity to help spread the message about worthy causes near and dear to those near and dear to you.
If you are collecting donations for a 501(c)(3) organization and offering tax deductions to your donors, here are a few things you need to know. IRS Publication 1771 states “A donor must have a bank record or written communication from a charity for any monetary contribution before the donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal income tax return. A donor is responsible for obtaining a written acknowledgment from a charity for any single contribution of $250 or more before the donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal tax return.”
Record the donor’s name, mailing address, and phone number. Provide this information to the organization so they can send the donor an acknowledgment. Provide your donors with the organization’s phone number and the name of your contact at the organization.
Most importantly, remember to tell your donors, “Thank you.”
