3 Reasons Why Your Year-End Fundraising Will Fail

Most charities raise more money during the last quarter of the calendar year than any other quarter. However, your year-end fundraising effort will fail to reach its potential unless you avoid the following three mistakes:

1. Failure to Tell Supporters What Their Previous Donations Have Achieved

Donors have choices about where they can give their money. Not surprisingly, they want to know that their giving is having a positive impact. If it’s not, or if they don’t know whether it is, they’ll take their support elsewhere. Chances are that your charity’s mission is not entirely unique. In other words, donors can fulfill their philanthropic aspirations by giving to another organization.

A few years ago, the Charities Aid Foundation conducted a survey that found that 68 percent of respondents said that they feel it is important for them to have evidence about how a charity is having an impact. Unfortunately, many donors still complain that the only time they hear from charities is when they want money. Make sure your charity doesn’t make that mistake.

Make sure supporters and potential supporters know how your nonprofit organization is putting donations to work. Let them know what supporters are achieving. Share impact stories in your organization’s print and electronic newsletters, annual reports, special events, website, and special gratitude mailings.

You should even highlight donor impact in your appeals. Consider this: I tested a straightforward appeal against an appeal that highlighted donor impact before asking for a gift. The impact appeal generated 68 percent more revenue! So, make sure people know that their contribution will make a difference by showing them the positive effect past donations have had and by telling them how their donation will be put to work.

 2. Failure to Ask for Planned Gifts

As the end of the year approaches, your organization is facing fierce competition for an individual’s checkbook. Over the next few months, people will be deluged with charitable-giving requests. Furthermore, people will be spending large sums on holiday gift giving, entertaining, and vacationing.

However, a donor’s checkbook is just one potential resource. Many donors can donate appreciated stock, contribute from a Donor-Advised Fund, and give from their IRA. Virtually anyone can include your charity in their Will or designate your charity as a beneficiary.

Make sure you don’t assume that supporters automatically know all of the various ways they can give. Instead, make sure they know by promoting such giving opportunities. Tell stories of other donors who have given in those ways, and not just the mega-donors. Ask prospective donors to consider such gifts. And make it easy for your donors to engage in planned giving. Provide them with clear instructions on your website and in appeals that highlight a given planned gift opportunity.

To read what the experts, including myself, say about planned giving, checkout Jeff Jowdy’s article in Nonprofit Pro magazine.

An 11-Year-Old Boy Responds to Gun Violence

While the most recent data show that the number of gun-related murders remains well below the 1993 peak, gun violence continues to be a serious problem in the USA, a Pew Research Center report reveals. Over the past several years, as the number of murders has been trending back upward, so have the number of mass shootings.

Ruben Martinez

One such recent mass attack happened in El Paso, Texas where 22 people were killed and dozens wounded. A grand jury formally indicted the suspect on September 12. However, well before the indictments were handed down, just one day after the massacre, Ruben Martinez went into action. With a philanthropic heart, the 11-year-old created and launched the “#ElPasoChallenge.”

Martinez is asking people to commit 22 good deeds, one for each of the deceased victims. He says that acts of kindness can include things such as “mowing someone’s lawn, visiting a nursing home, donating for families in need, taking flowers to the hospital, or writing a letter to someone telling them how great they are.”

Rose Gandarilla tweeted about her son’s #ElPasoChallenge:

My 11 year old came to me with an idea. #elpasoCHALLENGE He challenges ALL El Pasoans to commit 20 Random Acts of Kindness. One for every person that was killed in our city’s mass shooting. Let’s get this done El Paso. @abc7breaking @kels1142 @YsletaISD @EPPOLICE @elpasoisd pic.twitter.com/pvy5Q9G4f6

— Rose (@rgandarilla99) August 5, 2019

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Gandarilla told CNN why her son developed the #ElPasoChallenge:

He was having some trouble dealing with what happened. I explained to him that we could not live in fear and that people in our community are caring and loving. I told him to try and think of something he could do to make El Paso a little better.”

To consider his mom’s suggestion, Martinez went to his room, brainstormed some ideas, and settled on the #ElPasoChallenge. He also came up with an idea for his first act of kindness. He told his mom that he wanted to pick up and deliver dinner to the first responders who were still at the crime scene. That’s exactly what they did.

Martinez’s mom said, “He seems to be doing better and says that hopefully, the world will be a better place with all these random acts of kindness.”

The word “philanthropy” means love of humankind. Ruben Martinez is a true philanthropist.

Philanthropy is a learned behavior. Thanks to good parenting, Martinez learned some valuable lessons:

Congratulations! You Achieved Something Kind of Cool.

You probably don’t know that you’ve achieved something kind of cool. So, let me congratulate you and explain.

Because you read my blog posts and, perhaps, follow me on social media, you’ve managed to have me included on the list of “Top 100 Charity Industry Influencers” that has been compiled by Onalytica using its proprietary technology platform. I’m honored to be ranked number 16!

While I’m certainly pleased to appear on the influencer list, I’m also humbled. The reality is that I would not be on the list without the support, readership, and engagement of thousands of people around the world. If it weren’t for you, I’d just be some solitary guy talking to himself.

You inspire me to strive to be even more relevant. I want to help nonprofit managers and fundraising professionals explore important issues, achieve greater results, and build a better world. To keep me on track, be sure to let me know how I can assist you. Ask questions. Share your challenges and successes. Suggest blog topics. Tell me the issues that are of most concern to you.

But, I’m not the only one here for you. There are 99 other folks on the influencer list. They’re fundraisers, consultants, journalists, donors, and more. I encourage you to checkout the Onalytica list, and consider following some or all of the people you’re not currently following.

Here are five additional things you might consider doing: