Fundraising Tip: 5 Year-end Tips for the Nonprofit Fundraising Professional

It’s not to late to have an incredible year-end fundraising campaign.

If you’re in nonprofit fundraising, you are hearing a lot about year-end fundraising.

Or perhaps not. After all, it’s only May.

This story is for those in nonprofit fundraising whose year-end is June 30th.

It’s focus is to ensure you’re making at least one last ask of your donors to support your mission before the end of your fiscal year.

You’re already very close to being overwhelmed. The board meeting is coming up, you’re short one or two people on your fundraising team, your fall appeal turned from an annual direct mail piece to a quick e-appeal, and your family has decided that summer vacation will be in June.

Can you relate to any of this?

I have always liked to begin my year-end fundraising campaign a couple of months before year-end.

If you have not started your year-end fundraising, or feel behind, try these five actions to get into the groove:

Tune out any noise that says you are behind. It’s not helpful.

Get your board involved, like doing something similar to Thanks for Giving Day even though it’s typically in November. This supports your campaign, and from you only requires a list of all donors who gave in the last year. Your board chair or devevlopment chair can help.

Start writing the year-end appeal. Spend 15 minutes on the general idea and layout. Call your printer and reserve a spot for it to be printed and mailed (if you do it in-house, make sure you have what you need for it).

Calendar days for you and your executive director to connect with major donors, especially those who gave last year at this time.

Create a plan for the last three days of the fiscal year to reach as many donors as possible who have not donated by that time. Examples could be phone lists of donors to call, one or two e-appeals only to them, and social media posts.

Is this too much to consider right now?

Can you start with just one of these right now?

Starting is key.

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.