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Fundraising beyond GivingTuesday: 5 tips to maximize year end giving 

Cropped shot of a young woman brainstorming with sticky notes at work

It’s that time of year again. The year-end giving season kicks off with a lot of hype around GivingTuesday, when nonprofits invest significant time, energy, and resources into launching campaigns for the special day. As nonprofit professionals, we wait and hope all day that this is the year our campaign will go viral and bring in millions of dollars in donations. And then the following day, many small, new, or unknown (due to lack of social capital) nonprofits feel defeated because they didn’t get the donations they’d hoped for. Sound familiar? 

If you are feeling the post-GivingTuesday blues and seeking to drive even more donations to your organization, don’t fret. There is still a lot of year-end giving to go around. In fact, up to 31% of online year-end giving happens in December, and according to Giving USA, charitable giving is at an all-time high—reporting that in 2021, Americans gave $484.85 billion to charity, which represents a 4.0% increase over 2020.  

5 ways to get most out of the year-end giving season  

This is good news. Folks are staying consistent or even increasing their giving. But how do you make sure to put this positive news into action for your nonprofit? Here are a few top tips: 

1. Use GivingTuesday as the kickoff to your year-end fundraising campaign.

GivingTuesday should NOT be the only year-end giving option you pursue. Why? Folks are busy, especially as the holiday season approaches, and they often need to be reminded through multiple channels and touches.  
 
So, consider creating a communications calendar from GivingTuesday through December 31st and using email, snail mail, social media, telephone calls, and even SMS messages to connect with donors and remind them to give. For some of your donors, giving on GivingTuesday may not be the right time. To set both yourself and your donors up for success, think about providing multiple and simple ways to give throughout the year-end giving season. Check out some other great tips to maximize your year-end fundraising campaign kick-off from Candid’s recent webinar.  

2. Have a year-end fundraising goal and plan to set yourself up for success.

To get started, it’s helpful to run an analysis on what you raised in the last year (and ideally the last several years if you have that data) to determine which strategies were the most successful.  
 
Once you’ve identified what worked best for you in the past years–like GivingTuesday, appeal letters, email campaigns, peer-to-peer fundraising, events, major gifts, etc.–you can use these insights to inform your year-end giving plan and create a goal for each tactic. For more resources on how to successfully craft a fundraising plan, check out Candid’s knowledge base page on fundraising planning.   

3. Schedule year-end giving communications and touchpoints ahead of time.

We’ve already established that nearly a third of annual giving occurs in December. But did you know that 10% of year-end giving happens on the last three days of the year? To make the most out this year’s giving season, be sure to keep asking folks to give until the very last day of the year. Tapping into this generosity at the end of the year doesn’t mean you need to be working 24/7.   
 
For example, after your appeal letter gets delivered, think about deploying an email and social media campaign with pre-scheduled touchpoints to remind and prompt folks to give until the last day of the year. By scheduling these communications in advance, you can get the best of both worlds: taking full advantage of the year-end giving season while also enjoying some well-deserved time off for the holidays. If you are looking for no-fee tools to help you pre-schedule your year-end giving comms, you can check out Buffer’s free social media publishing tool and HubSpot’s free email solution.   

4. Engage all your stakeholders during the year-end giving season.

While acquiring new donors is important, consider focusing more attention on retaining the ones you already have. Why? It’s easier and more efficient because these people already know you and care about your cause.  
 
Be sure to clean up your mailing and email lists to ensure all your current donors’ contact information is up to date, so they receive your communications. And use the recent Thanksgiving holiday as a way to say thank you to your current donors, board members and volunteers by sharing an impact story of what their support has helped accomplish. In fact, 42% of donors said success stories influenced their decision to give, so don’t forget to share your achievements. Looking for more donor retention strategies? Check this blog out. 

5. Make sure to update your website, donation pages, and Candid nonprofit profile.

Your nonprofit’s online presence is essential year-round, but it’s especially important at the end of the year when folks are making giving decisions. Be sure to share your accomplishments and make it easy for folks to donate and get more involved.  

Want an extra online boost for your nonprofit? Candid’s nonprofit profile automatically sends your updated information to over 200 charitable sites, including AmazonSmile, Facebook, and Network for Good–all of which are important places that donors are visiting during this year’s giving season.  Want to learn more? Consider using this resource for tips on updating your Candid nonprofit profile

To set yourself up for a successful year-end giving season, consider thinking beyond GivingTuesday. There are so many additional year-end fundraising tactics that you can easily plan and put into place to ensure you’re diversifying your organization’s outreach and engaging everyone in this year’s giving season.  
 
Have more tips for year-end giving success? Please share them below! 

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  • Alung Gabriel Ekane says:

    January 24, 2023 9:42 pm

    Krista it's interesting to know that we have been in a war situation now for well over 6 yrs. our community was attacked and several of our villages burnt down leaving our people under trees at the mercy of wildlife and what have you with nobody to help. Let me put it here for now....

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    January 12, 2023 9:16 am

    For information on finding funding for your nonprofit, a great place to start is our Knowledge Base which has a variety of articles on this topic.

  • Gerald Reid says:

    January 11, 2023 5:37 pm

    Krista!
    The Nevada Chamber Orchestra is in need of fundraising and receiving donations to assist the 2023 concert season.

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 28, 2022 8:29 am

    Candid does not suggest specific funders or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on getting grants and finding donors.

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 28, 2022 8:28 am

    Candid does not suggest specific funders or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on getting grants and finding donors.

  • Babagana galawaji says:

    December 20, 2022 11:21 pm

    Thanks for your support

  • Kuloba Sam Davis says:

    December 20, 2022 12:01 pm

    we are in need of resources to implement our program activities,

    l pray that our interest is put into consideration

    Thanks

  • Monirul Islam Badal says:

    December 20, 2022 10:21 am

    Hello Dear. I am owner a small Nonprofit Organisation name Society For Borshon Bangladesh. Now Emergency Food Masks Milk and help Poor Child Women's Health. I am Working in my Country Bangladesh.help the homeless people. Now stop my Country people COVID 19 Coronavirus. And Stop my All work. Because I am Not have a Found in My Nonprofit Organisation. If any of the Parsons Or Organisation Donate This Time Working Together My Country Bangladesh. And help my Country poor people's, Thanks Monirul Islam Badal Chairman Society for Borshon Bangladesh. Email [email protected] WhatsApp +8801855183343 Contact Number. 01855183343

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 20, 2022 8:42 am

    Candid does not suggest specific funders or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on getting grants and finding donors.

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 20, 2022 8:40 am

    Candid does not suggest specific funders or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on finding donors.

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 20, 2022 8:38 am

    Candid does not give grants/donations, suggest specific funders, or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on getting grants for individuals.

  • Rene Musick Harris says:

    December 19, 2022 3:15 pm

    we are a new 501C 3 organization for community enrichment and empowerment. Namely, The Gift Place Inc. Looking to bring changes to families, children, moms, grand-parents, youth in transition as well as men and women with children in day care wanting to re-turn or venture for the first time in pursuing their visions and dreams furthering their education beyond where they are. Encouraging them, having to stop for a moment to do "life now". Extending programs to middle school through high school students in writing, the arts and theatre , in summer enrichment programs. Preparing them for publishing their story. Presenting their art works, presenting their talent through the performing arts. I would like assistance where you can shed some light on where we are going, it would be well appreciated.

  • Dr. George John says:

    December 17, 2022 12:02 am

    Can someone suggest potential donors for Deepalaya, an NGO based in Delhi, India that works for the underprivileged children. We are a 43 year old NGO.

    We invite you to visit our website https://www.deepalaya.org/

    I will be delighted to hear from you at [email protected]

    Dr. George John
    Chief Executive
    Deepalaya

    (Former Vice Chancellor (President), Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi
    Former Senior Adviser, Ministry of S&T, Govt. of India)

    46, Institutional Area
    D-Block, Janakpuri
    New Delhi-110058
    Website: www.deepalaya.org

  • phabian mbenani says:

    December 16, 2022 3:02 pm

    kindly iam seeking for fund raising expert to raise $56000 ,iam in Tanzania,please assist my email is [email protected]

  • John Babu Chappidi says:

    December 16, 2022 11:59 am

    Greetings to you from John Babu,
    Thank you for your sujjetions, and cooperation.

  • Colleen Jordan says:

    December 15, 2022 4:09 pm

    These are great tips! I would add that if an organization's usual donor pool is aging, ongoing acquisition of new donors is just as essential as retention. New (modern) donor prospects won't be as responsive to traditional outreach methods as the older set; therefore seeking a deep understanding of what's meaningful and acceptable to your new prospects is essential. Experiential, influencer, social and other types of modern marketing may be necessary: It just depends on the desired audience. Regardless, all donors need to be able to find you online, so ensure your website's search is optimized (SEO) as well as all online directories. Ensure all social sites are business (not personal) pages and that you include messaging and posting schedules that adhere to convention (which can change from year to year). All annual appeals are driven by consistent year-round branding campaigns. YES to a well-managed CRM: This is the gold nugget of your organization while your website is the volunteer that works 24/7, so make these investments a priority. And YES! to showcasing to donor, volunteers and newcomers how their dollars help achieve your mutual goals each year!

  • Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid says:

    December 5, 2022 8:58 am

    Candid does not give grants/donations, suggest specific funders, or approach them on your behalf. But we can point you to resources that should help you in your funding search. You can check out our Knowledge Base for information on getting grants for individuals.

  • yeraldin sanabria says:

    December 3, 2022 5:58 pm

    De que forma me ayudarian a recaudar fondos para la cirugía de mi hija que debe ser operada de urgencias