Have you weatherized your house yet? I have never had to worry about that for most of my life, as I have lived where cold weather is an oddity rather than a constant reality. Now living in Oklahoma, I’ve already been forced to think about freezing temperatures and weatherizing my house to be winter ready. It’s better to prepare ahead of the cold rather than be forced to fix broken pipes later. Preparation is the key to protecting your house.
The same holds when it comes to an end-of-year giving strategy. Preparation is the key to seeing giving success, and our 13 different giving methods can help you see your best end-of-year giving ever. But you cannot wait until December 1st to start preparing for end-of-year giving. I’ve been receiving end-of-year appeals for months, and so have your members. Nonprofits are fishing in your pond for dollars, and it’s time to get your lure into the water! That brings me back to my question and this post’s title: Are you end-of-year ready?
Why should you be concerned about an end-of-year giving plan? Consider that roughly 30% of nonprofit budgets come in December, with 10% coming in the last three days of the year.1. People tend to be more charitable towards the end of the year, and with a good strategy, you can see a significant increase in giving if you are prepared ahead of time.
To keep my house prepared for whatever elements the weather throws us, I have various tools prepared and ready for use should the need arise. If you wait until it starts snowing to go out and buy a snow shovel, you will probably be out of luck. Before the first flake flies is the time to prepare. The same is true for a successful end-of-year giving strategy. It’s time to get your tools ready.
What tools should you have in place? Over the years coaching churches on end-of-year appeals and helping raise millions of dollars in the final months, here is my list of key tools you need in place now to see successful end-of-year giving.
- Dynamic website - Your website is the first place most people will visit before they ever darken your doors. Your website landing page is like the front porch of your house. If you make it inviting, people will come in. And they will more likely give if they can find your give button, so make it easy to find. Also, ensure your giving page communicates the vision behind why you ask people to give. Make sure giving online is easy to use. Take time now to check the appearance, ease of use, and, most of all, what your page is communicating.
- Robust online giving platform - Much of your end-of-year giving will come through some digital means. People today like multiple options by which they can give. We have found that the easier you make it for people to give, the more likely they will give. Our 13 different giving methods provide donors with amazing convenience. Find out more at (615) 206-4000 or email us at support@onlinegiving.org.
- Social media platform and presence - To hear the message of your end-of-year appeal, you must go where your people are. Today people are spending hours daily pouring through social media posts. By sharing the stories of life change your church is seeing, you can help people see the value of giving to your church. Then by posting your giving page URL, https://brentwoodbaptist.com/stewardship/, people can easily and quickly give to support that life change.
- Postage-prepaid envelopes - I tell clients there is a reason non-profits still use snail mail. It works. It can work for you, too, by inserting envelopes in any snail mail appeals you send. Many members will write a check and send it back to you. Then you can use our check scanning feature, making it easy to post that gift. Find out more in this post, https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/announcing-our-new-check-scanning-capability
- Extensive database of your donors - How up-to-date is your database? Now is the time to clean it up to be prepared for the various mailings, emails, and text messages you will need to send for your end-of-year appeal.
- A mass email platform, such as Constant Contact or MailChimp - There are many platforms to help you send out emails in multiple batches. Find the tool that suits your church database best.
- Weekly platform talks - On-campus or live streaming, it is essential that each offering time has a talk connecting your vision to giving. The two minutes or less you invest in stewardship, encouragement, and education can help increase giving and welcome new givers.
The above are the major tools we use to help churches see huge increases in end-of-year giving. But you need more than just tools to bring success. You need a plan of action. We provide our clients with multiple seasonal action plans, including end-of-year planning.
We just launched our 2022 edition of “The Two Minute Drill: A Winning Plan of Action for End of Year Giving” and “The 2022 #GivingTuesday Playbook.” These playbooks have everything a church needs to build a successful end-of-year appeal. To find out how to get a copy, contact us at (615) 206-4000 or email us at support@onlinegiving.org.
Just as it pays to be prepared for winter weather, it pays to be prepared for end-of-year giving. Now is the time to get ready, and we can help. Let’s get you ready for your best end-of-year giving ever!
The Stewardship Coach
For more information on end-of-year planning, check out this post:
https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/its-time-to-think-about-end-of-year-giving
We want to help you see your best end-of-year giving ever! People tend to be more charitable towards the end of the year, and with a good strategy, you can see a significant increase in giving if you are prepared ahead of time. https://t.co/apOnLJmBr9 pic.twitter.com/3macioIScj
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) October 31, 2022
1. https://doublethedonation.com/nonprofit-fundraising-statistics/
