Why you need an end of year appeal
If you could raise a large chunk of your annual budget with just one ask, would you? Of course you would – which is exactly why you need a strong end of year campaign. About 31% of annual giving comes in the month of December alone, with 12% of that during the last three days of the month! It would be a huge missed opportunity not to write an appeal letter. I know, it can be a tedious and time-consuming process, but it is a necessary step of your annual fundraising strategy. Here are a few main points to remember as you craft your letter:
Personalize. The simple act of personalizing a letter can go a long way. We all get enough mail addressed “To whom it may concern,” “Dear friend,” or “Greetings!” Take the extra step and personalize it with the names of those you are asking for help. Can you hand sign them? It makes the connection that this letter is coming from an actual person. Hand write the addresses on the envelopes? Even better. Don’t have time? Find a volunteer. This is an easy task that they can take home to work on while they are listening to the TV.
Keep it donor focused. It’s easy to use language that focuses on the organization and not the donor. But think of the letter as an invitation. An invitation asks them to join with you. Are you using “we” and “us” throughout the letter? Treat them as a partner in the work and adjust your language to reflect this.
Tell a story. Donors want to know about the work you do. Why should they give to you when there are thousands of other nonprofits to choose from? They want to see how their investment is truly making an impact. Remember, they aren’t on the front lines with you every day seeing the work you do, so you need to tell them about it. Instead of throwing out a bunch of facts and figures, relate to them on an emotional level. Get a statement or testimonial from a client or tell a story about how one of your programs made a lasting impact for a client. This is more likely to stick with them and make them motivated to give again.
Share your success. We all want to align ourselves with the winning team, right? The same is true with donors. No one wants to throw money at something that doesn’t seem to be working or doesn’t feel good. Take this time to showcase the great things you have accomplished throughout the year, and your visions for the upcoming year. Give donors some “warm fuzzies” so they want to support your organization and the very important work you are doing!
At the end of it all, just remember that the most important thing is to get an end of year campaign out there. It doesn’t have to be on the fanciest paper or be written by a professional; just be thoughtful and tell your donors why they should give to your cause and those you serve. A snail mail campaign is best, but if your budget is tight or you run out of time, an email campaign can work too. Wishing you a fruitful campaign and success in the year ahead!