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Three Year-End Communication Tips

Kristin Hammett

Kristin Hammett

November 1, 2019

The cool nip of fall is in the air, the crunch of leaves is underfoot, and the first snow may have already blanketed the ground. These signs, along with our calendars, tell us that the year is drawing to a close. But for those in nonprofit development, the next 60 days make up the busiest (and most important) time of year!

Giving Tuesday is just a month away, with the year-end giving season following on its heels. Hopefully, you’ve already been planning and gearing up for your ministry’s campaign. But if you need a few more tips to help motivate and launch you into it, we’ve got you covered! Here are three tips for your year-end communication.

  1. Personalize. Don’t simply send the same mass email to everyone in your donor database. Segment out donors based on areas of interest, past donations, and other involvement. For major donors, consider a personal phone call or even an in-person ask.
  2. Use Measurable Goals. Put dollar amounts on your asks and show what those dollar amounts can practically do. For example, $40 provides Bibles for 10 people, $300 gives education to a child for a year, etc.
  3. Spotlight Donors’ Impact. Don’t make it all about your organization. Frame the message so it’s about the donor and the difference his donation can make. Help the donor see himself as the hero in the story.

When it comes to year-end giving, it can be easy to stick with our default practices, and we can miss an opportunity to grow. Put intentional time to personalize your communications, create measurable goals, and making donors the hero. Maybe you need to add more depth to your plan? Maybe it’s trying something new? Don’t be afraid to dig deeper into strategy.

Bonus tip: Share the Value. Most nonprofits are concerned about tax law implications. That is a worthy concern, as 2019 is the first year donors are fully aware of the impact of the new automatic deduction. You can’t control whether or not a donor’s gift is valuable for tax purposes. But you can control how you communicate. Tell stories of lives changed. Tell donors their gift matters. It is valuable to those you serve. The benefit to donors may change, but the benefit to those your ministry serves does not. 

About Kristin Hammett

Kristin Hammett

As the Director of Nonprofit Success at The Signatry, Kristin Hammett works to train, consult, and equip nonprofits with fundraising solutions to connect God’s resources with His work

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