Nonprofit

5 Year-end Tips for the Nonprofit Fundraising Professional

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

Author at an event talking about year-end fundraising. Photo credit: Author

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

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 Thanksgiving dinner will be at your house this year and to support the fight against climate change it will be vegan.

Can you relate to any of this?

I have always liked to begin my year-end fundraising campaign in mid-October. I like to have the plan finished by August. I start writing about it in July, earlier if I have had an incredible idea.

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 to do Thanks for Giving Day on November 16th. This supports your campaign, and from you only requires a list of all donors who gave in the last year. Your board chair or…