Nonprofit
Fundraising Tip: “It’s Too Late” is Not True
Your yearend fundraising appeal can mail as soon as you can write it; but you need to write it.
I met with a client, a new client, this week. They had been referred by a long-term client.
They needed to get their yearend appeal out.
Many were telling them it was too late.
“I know it’s too late” was even said to me.
OK, in a perfect world I like my yearend appeal to land with the donor the first or second week of November.
That’s now.
In a perfect world I start thinking about the yearend appeal in July. I share ideas with the team and get feedback from program folks.
The printer has me on their schedule.
Then all I have to do is write.
That’s all in a perfect scenario.
Many don’t have the time or capacity to do all of this that far ahead.
Telling people it’s too late, or “so” late, isn’t helpful. It’s not like the organization shouldn’t send a yearend ask to give if they haven’t mailed it by a certain date.
