| Private foundations, corporations, and individuals combined donate close to $250 billion dollars annually to non-profit organizations. Individuals give almost 85 percent of these dollars! And they give 50 percent or $125 billion of these dollars during the four week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas – an obviously fertile period of the year in terms of charity giving.
As a non-profit leader you should be spending time RIGHT NOW planning your year- end appeal. Consider the theme, enclosures, and other strategic options you might want to include in this important mailing – and don’t forget the postage!
The following are some ideas that can help you INCREASE your dollars from last year or help you begin a year- end appeal tradition at your organization.
- Be Creative – Don’t send the same boring letter that you’ve sent to the same people for years. Try something completely different that separates your mailing from countless others.
- Personalize – Hand address the envelopes and/or have a board or staff member write a personal message on the direct mail piece.
- Be Specific – People are much savvier these days in terms of accessing information about non-profits. It’s in your best interest to request funding for a specific project, program or need. AND FOLLOW up with your donors to let them know the dollars they donated are going towards that project, program or need.
- Use an emotional hook; tell a story of why your organization is important to support and the difference it has made in the community.
- Use a challenge if possible. Try to get a pool of money from a foundation, group of donors, or your board to leverage the direct mail appeal. This can motivate others to give.
- Try an Incentive – Offer a book, tickets to a lecture, or a tour of your facility to the donors who send donations over a certain amount.
- Call donors to follow up on the direct mail appeal. Have board members call the donors they know. See who can raise the most money with a follow up phone call and reward those that meet and exceed their goals. Offer incentives to those who can bring in the most new donors (dinner at a nice local restaurant or a night at a fancy hotel).
- Be Frugal – You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create an effective year-end appeal. Most organizations have the tools right in their offices to produce quality direct mail pieces.
- Time your piece to arrive immediately after Thanksgiving. And consider sending a print or e-newsletter prior to sending the direct mail appeal so the donor already has your organization in his thoughts.
- If you’re a fledgling organization with very little money to expend on a print direct mail piece, design an email appeal in which you direct people to give via your website or through PayPal. Saves on postage and time.
- Know your Audience – If your donors tend to be senior citizens, DON’T send a direct mail piece in nine point font!
- Call to thank your donors. Have board members make calls to the mid- and high-level donors.
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