162. 10 Must Do’s Before Year-End - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE

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Overview

We're coming up on the final quarter of 2021, so let's ensure your year-end finale has a dang plan that builds incredible community (as well as dollars!) around your mission. Jon and Becky are breaking it all down in this Friday's episode: 10 Must Do's Before Year-End. And when you consider nearly 1/3 of annual giving happens in December plus 12% of all annual giving occurs in the last three days of December, we just want to ensure you have all the right tools in the toolbox.

Nearly a third of all annual giving happens in December. We have to level up our game and make sure we have a solid plan that is going to diversify our revenue.
— Becky Endicott, CFRE, Co-Founder and Chief Storyteller, We Are For Good

Episode Transcript

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Episode Overview

Powerful quotes

“We wanted to carve out a Friday to get really clear about what to do the next 3 months.” -Jon

“Nearly a third of all annual giving happens in December. We have to level up our game and make sure we have a solid plan that is going to diversify our revenue.” -Becky

“We’re talking community building, fundraising, aligning your marketing, and lots of ways your team can plug into the strategy.” -Jon

“Gone are the days of sending one direct mail letter out." -Becky

“The more that you can expand community, the effect will live well beyond year end.” -Becky

“Don’t just focus on all the grassroots efforts that you miss the opportunity to make a transformational ask.” -Jon

“One of the key strategies to lift your end of year campaign is to segment your donors.” -Jon

“You want your donor to feel like you are speaking directly to them. Re-focus your message, and adapt to the present moment.” -Becky

“I hope you see us as a partner to cheer and guide you through your year end giving.” -Jon

10 Things to Do to Get Ready for Year-End 👇

  1. Did you steward last year’s donors? If not, begin immediately.

  2. Look at last year’s data

    • Analyze last year’s data (compare to previous years): how much was raised? who gave? what percentage upgraded?

    • Quantify that impact. Find a story of impact to share.

  3. Set goals - and not just financial goals.

    • What’s our financial goal?

    • What’s our engagement goal?

    • volunteer activation goal?

    • Consider: unique visits, opens, email address acquired, social media impressions, engagement points -

  4. Time to build a dang plan 🤝

    • Build timelines to follow tactics

      • set dates and sequence your communication

        1. Stewardship from last year’s appeal >Thanksgiving touchpoint > Giving Tuesday > Appeal launch > Email sequence > social media > year end

    • Questions to answer:

      • What is our fundraising focus? Is it on a particular program, piece of equipment, fund, etc?

      • Why is it needed?

      • Why is it needed now?

      • Do we have a story to correlate? photo?

      • Outline

    • PRO TIP: make it multichannel! 🎉

  5. Have some courage - be strategic - and make some major gift requests before year-end.

    • Engage with a donor who aligns with your funding goal

    • Engage corporate or foundation partners

    • Seek out a matching gift or two! Tier it to get to get unlocked when certain goals are reached.

  6. Segment your audiences and determine appropriate platform/messages for each

    • This basically means that you’re separating your audiences based on shared behaviors or traits

      • current, lapsed, prospects

      • giving size

      • passion areas

      • ages/ generation types

    • You want your audience to feel like you’re speaking directly to them and their experience.

      • re-focus your message. Adapt to the now. Be honest and vulnerable.

    • Who makes sense for each platform?

    • Who to include?

    • PRO TIP: for you brave souls - split your appeal into A/B messages and test which one does best 🎉

  7. Is your back-of-shop ready for gifts AND stewardship

    • Pledge forms, online giving pages, appeal codes set, website updated, mobile-friendly, etc.

    • Is everything automated to go to the appropriate person?

    • Do you have reports set up to be pulled easily and shared with the team weekly during year-end season

  8. Embrace social media, and build an intentional engagement strategy to humanize and draw your followers into the story.

  9. Level up your Website

    • Have five volunteers/staff/friends Mystery Shop your website.

    • once your webpage/emails are ready, have your team walk through the process from start to finish. 

    • As they do, have them denote things they like, don’t like, confusion points, things that made them smile or cringe, etc.

    • Benefits: identify issues or gaps and to action plans to resolve the problems.

    • Free Website Workshop!

  10.  Turn up the volume on innovation and try stuff (pick one!)

    1. find a matching donor

    2. pull in corporate partners

    3. mobile giving

    4. crowd funding

    5. PRO TIP: brand it, baby! Get a theme, tie your stewardship to the theme, reference it in key messages and stewardship.

  11. BONUS! Personalize wherever you can! storytelling, photos, thank you notes, group stewardship (volunteers calling!), etc.

    • PRO TIP: use variable data to help a donor feel seen! 🎉

FREE Workshop! Write less and engage more, today!

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Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE, We Are For Good Podcast, 10 Must Dos Before Year End
Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE, We Are For Good Podcast, 10 Must Dos Before Year End
Year End Fundraising - 10 Must Dos
Year End Fundraising - 10 Must Dos
Year End Fundraising - 10 Must Dos
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