Give Thanks & Fill Your Piggy Bank: Risk-Savvy Year-End Fundraising Appeals
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Erin Gloeckner
Once again, it’s time to start dreaming of turkey, taters, and cranberry sauce. Soon Thanksgiving will be upon us, which also means it is time for year-end fundraising appeals–an opportunity to give thanks to donors and share a cornucopia of information about your nonprofit’s impact and plans for next year.
We all want a full piggy bank by December 31, and we also want to reconnect with our valued donors whose support helps sustain our missions year after year. Sometimes the holiday rush makes it tough to send out well-crafted year-end appeals, but your gratitude and deep respect for your donors should translate into thoughtfulness and ample time spent on designing fundraising messages.
Before licking the envelope on mail appeals or clicking ‘send’ on email appeals, review some of the fundraising no-nos shared in the 2012 Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “End of Year Appeals: Five Bad Habits to Kick.”
- Don’t tell stories at the expense of sharing data. While emotional appeals can be quite gripping to donors, a better approach is to combine emotional appeals–such as stories about your programs or service recipients–with logical, data-driven appeals. Engage your donors by first tugging at their heartstrings, and then drive your appeal home by sharing solid proof that your programs work. This concept aligns with Aristotle’s beliefs about the three modes of persuasion–ethos, logos, and pathos–which are far more powerful when combined than when used alone.
- Don’t write a novel. Try connecting with donors through videos and infographics rather than just a wordy letter. Remember than your donors likely sift through tons of ‘noise’ that your appeal must compete with. Make your appeal memorable and visual so it stands out from all the other emails and letters hitting your donors’ doorsteps and inboxes.
- Don’t squash a donor’s sense of altruism. Some studies have shown that donors are more likely to give repeatedly or in greater amounts when given a sincere thank you letter after an initial donation. Conversely, some studies show that sending donors gifts can backfire and cause them to feel uncomfortable with donating again. Give genuine thanks to your donors but be sure to choose an appropriate channel and message for your thank yous.
Aside from crafting annual appeals–with tailored messages for specific segments of your donor base–take note that many of the Center’s clients are investing heavily in donor relations and donor retention efforts. Our clients recognize the cost savings to retaining donors and helping them move up the ranks into higher levels of giving and engagement. You can do the same if you vow to care for your existing donors by thanking them appropriately, keeping them informed about key changes to your programs and operations, and responding to their complaints and concerns in a timely, thoughtful manner. You might have read the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) Donor Bill of Rights before, but these simple tenets of donor relations deserve at least an annual review. Be sure that your whole fundraising team is abiding by these tenets before sending your year-end appeals.
Finally, consider the language that you and your staff members use to speak about fundraising initiatives; this language might cause you to approach and speak to donors in a specific manner–sometimes a bad manner. Andrea Kihlstedt’s article, “Have You Hit Anyone Up This Week?” which was featured on GuideStar this week, discusses the way our language shapes our fundraising mindset. If your team members talk about ‘twisting arms’ or ‘bringing out the big guns’ in order to be ‘rolling in dough,’ then they might subconsciously take a more aggressive or negative approach to fundraising. Kihlstedt recommends infusing the workplace with positive and profound language that better represents the mission-moving relationships between solicitors and donors.
For more advice about managing risks related to fundraising, read our RISK eNews articles from last year’s holiday giving season.
- Tis the Season for Nonprofit Fundraising Risk, Part 1
- Tis the Season for Nonprofit Fundraising Risk, Part 2
Erin Gloeckner is the former director of consulting services at the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
— Scott Brown, Mohonk Preserve
“BBYO’s engagement of NRMC to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of NRMC. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
— Sidney Abrams, BBYO
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
— Pamela Mattel, Basics Promesa Systems Inc
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
— Jodi Spataro, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
— Marti Worshtil, Prince George’s Child Resource Center
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The NRMC team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!