Five Ways to Prep for Fall Giving Season
It's officially fall, y'all! Grab your scarves and PSLs, and let's start planning for the giving season.
For those who are new here (hello!), 30% of all nonprofit giving happens during the last month of the year, from #GivingTuesday through December 31.
It's a time when donors are in a particularly generous mood, and even the smallest nonprofits have a chance to boost their bottom lines and get the dollars they need to keep functioning.
#GivingTuesday is a little over two months away, and, while that sounds like plenty of time, it will sneak up on you if you're not careful! Below are a few things you can start to build into your daily tasks to ensure you're ahead of the game and ready for November 29.
Review Last Year's Campaigns: First, let's take a look at last year's giving campaigns and figure out what to repurpose for this year and what needs improvement. If a particular tactic performed well, add it to your plan; if there was messaging that resonated with your audience, drop it into a doc to inspire other content creation. Having just a few things already figured out will help you get you in the mindset to think through more ideas.
Also, starting your editorial calendar for your campaign is a significant first step. If you don't already have a template to work from, we got you —save a copy of our easy-peasy editorial calendar template.Clean Up Your Database and Segment Lists: Before you start sending out mass emails, ensure all your records are up-to-date in your database. Don’t just try to Google those emails, either; reach out to donors you haven't heard from and ask them to update their contact information. Taking the time to do this will ensure that your efforts don't fall on deaf ears, and you might have some great conversations in the meantime with people who have supported your work.
Once that database is spick and span, you can start putting together your targeted lists. The more targeted your lists are, the easier it will be to draft personalized emails that are way more likely to result in donations.Involve Your Board Members Early: Your board members can be great advocates for your year-end campaign, so prepare them early and get them involved in your planning so you can prioritize resources. For example, they could:
Contribute messaging or testimonials
Send new contacts to add to this year's list,
Share takeaways from their engagement with donors to help with messaging,
Create donor-focused content like thank you notes,
Submit signatures for inclusion in signed letters, thank you notes, or holiday cards, or
Arrange meet-ups with major donors to champion your year-end campaign!
Craft Your Campaign Message Map: Mapping out messaging themes you want to communicate during your campaign can save you more time than you know. Once you know what to write about, you can begin to schedule a time to do the actual writing… you know, the hardest part!
If you need some ideas to help you get started, ask yourself the following questions:What happened this year that was special or stood out?
Did your organization reach any major milestones worth celebrating?
Who do you serve, and how do you make an impact?
What is in it for your supporters?
How did your supporters help drive impact?
Answering these questions can help you craft a thoughtful, donor-centric message that will drive action and engagement. Our copy makeover guide includes even more writing tips and tricks.
Optimize Your Donation Page: Before your campaign launches, ensure your donation page is as seamless as possible to maximize donations. This might be the most important tip, because a high-quality donation page is essential; if your potential donor doesn’t feel like this page is trustworthy because it’s not functioning or it doesn’t look potential, you could miss out on that donation.
Not sure if your donation page is giving donors a user-friendly experience? Some helpful things to check:
Is your donation page mobile-friendly? Donors may use their smartphones to donate, especially if they click a link within a campaign email. Make sure the page loads well on mobile and is as uncomplicated as possible.
Is your donate button easy to see? This question may sound like a no-brainer, but if you’ve ever finished filling out a form and struggled to find the “submit” button, you know it's infuriating and has the potential to make donors reconsider donating.
Can donors see the impact their contributions will have? Donation tiers with descriptions are an effective way to do this and encourage donors to give more.
