End-of-year Campaigns

I was not highly aware of end-of-year campaigns when I worked for a very large non-profit theatre. We had such a hearty staff that ran programming and campaigns year-round. Therefore we had less pressure to capitalize on a specific season as a fundraising tool.

But when you work at a smaller organization, like my current one, the end-of-year letter is significant part of annual fundraising. And if you don't have a lot of active programs during this time of year, the "season of giving" at least gives you something to use as an opener.

Next week is Thanksgiving week, which is pretty much the last time to start thinking about an end-of-year campaign. Speed is almost as important as content right now -- you need to get your letter out early enough that it doesn't get lost in all the holiday mail. But organizations that haven't had an end-of-year letter on their schedules all year don't need to call it a loss. Here's the simplest end-of-year letter plan I can devise:

1. Gather your list. You probably don't want to send this letter to people who've donated in the past few months, or those who will soon receive renewal letters. But it's a great letter to send to lapsed donors, non-membership level donors, mid-year upgrade prospects (but personalize these letters!), and non-donors who participate in your organization in other ways. Plan to send a personalized letter to any current donors on your list. For reasons of speediness, it is probably worth considering a "Dear Friend" letter for prospects who have never donated before, rather than personalizing each one.

2. Create an easy response device, if you don't have one pre-made.

3. Gather or create your size-9 return envelopes, if the response device is not printed on a return envelope.

4. Draft your letter. The content is simple: highlight your proudest acheivements from the past year, and thank the reader for being one of the individuals whose participation makes your programming possible. Somewhere on the letter, print "Respond by December 31 to receive a 2009 tax deduction." Also, my personal preference is to ask for a specific gift amount (oftentimes the lowest membership level gift).

5. Get your packet in the mail as soon as possible. Call your volunteers and have a letter stuffing party. Take some home and stuff them while watching television. Time is of the essence.

Good luck and good cheer!