How the Year-End Craze Can Kickstart Your Mid-Level Program

Year-end may not seem like the best time to start focusing on mid-level. There are donors to thank, gifts to ask for, mailing after mailing to send out, events to host — the list goes on and on. 

That said, year-end is an incredible opportunity to connect with your donors when they are most engaged. And it’s an underutilized time of year for its potential to fast-track relationships with your mid-level donors while also qualifying more of them for major gifts. 

Now, why is this such an opportune time of year to connect with donors? 

Well, even though your donors are busy with the holidays, just like you are, they are clearly feeling a deep connection to your organization. Out of all the commotion and appeals they’ve received, they chose to give to you. That means your organization is on the donor’s mind and your work is a priority for them. 

And after they experience the joy of giving, they also feel a stronger connection to a mission they are passionate about. This is great because when a donor is in this headspace, they are often more willing to connect, hear from you and engage. 

So, how can you tap into this mindset and the influx of donors giving at a mid-level range? 

Use Thank-You Calls to Expedite the Qualification Process

When you reach out to thank a donor for their gift, this is a great time to emphasize how you value them as a partner and share the impact they’ve made with this gift (and their other giving, if appropriate). If the call is going well and the donor seems receptive to staying on the call, you can consider asking the donor if you can learn more about them. (“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions to learn more about why you started giving and what programs you’re most passionate about?”) 

However, it’s important to be really tuned into your donor. Donors are very wary of fundraisers calling at year-end and are almost expecting you to ask for another gift. Remember, your purpose is to connect with the donor and start to build a long-lasting partnership with them. You may want to start the call off right away by saying, “I want to assure you, I am not calling to ask for a gift.” 

If you have a donor with whom you’re trying to connect, a two-way interaction like this would count as qualifying the donor in my book and would mean you could confidently move that donor to major gifts during the next caseload refresh and handoff. 

Learn More About Your Caseload Donors

This is similar to the first point, but I want to speak to the incredible opportunity you have at year-end to connect with your donors and learn more about them. Your donors are most receptive to hearing from you and connecting with you right now. Use this season to bring in personalized touch points (as appropriate by tier) to show your donor that you know them and to deepen your understanding of their interests. 

Perhaps you follow up on your December newsletter to see if your donor had a chance to read a particular story that you thought they might like. Or you share an article that you think would connect personally with the donor, along with a quick note that you’re thinking about them. 

This is also a space where there’s an opportunity to bring a little bit of yourself into the relationship, too. It’s important to not make it about you or the organization, but if you’re asking your donors to be open and vulnerable, there are ways where you can do that in return. (I know one fundraiser who is a big believer in this idea and shared his family holiday card with some key donors. It was incredibly well-received, and he got several holiday cards back in response.) 

Finally, when you do have opportunities to connect with donors, especially by phone or in-person, you can keep using permission-based asking to explore their passions and interests more. Maybe you could say to a donor you’ve connected with in the past: 

• “You know, Alejandro, I’ve never actually heard what inspired you to start giving to our organization. Would you mind sharing what experience motivated you to start giving?” 
• “I know you’ve shared in the past about how your father’s experience as a veteran motivated you to start giving. Would you be willing to tell me more about his service, and what about it sparked this passion for you?” 

Start Building Your Pool

If you don’t have a mid-level program yet at all, year-end can give you an influx of donors who are recent givers that meet that mid-level criteria. Once the books close in January, start the process of checking your mid-level donor pool to see how many donors meet your criteria and would be good candidates for a caseload. And if you do have a relational mid-level program already, January is a great time to consider a caseload refresh and start the introduction series process with new donors from your pool that may have come in at year-end. 

I know year-end is such a busy time of year for you, but I hope you’ll keep your eye on potential growth for your mid-level program as you engage and connect with your donors. 

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.