Category: Year-End Giving

Kick Off Your Year-End Fundraising Drive With a Thank You-2

Kick Off Your Year-End Fundraising Drive With a Thank You

By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA Your year-end drive likely features written and email appeals delivered between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. That’s good … but … Before you make your appeals, you have an important opportunity to say “thank you” — and to do so in a way that is fresh and vibrant. Thanksgiving offers you a perfect hook for kicking off your year-end drive through a Thank-A-Thon — a “Thanks Bonanza” that you can start preparing for now. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of thanking donors and doing so in ways that do not come attached

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Giving Tuesday vs. Donor Advised Funds

Giving Tuesday vs. Donor Advised Funds

By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA As Giving Tuesday comes around on November 30, I am asking you to think deeply before you commit to promoting it. My annual struggle over whether to include Giving Tuesday (GT) in my year-end fundraising plan is in full swing. This year, I am distracted by the gargantuan untapped revenue that you can access from those donors with Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) — upwards of $140 billion. I am asking myself if instead of focusing on Giving Tuesday, would it be more lucrative for me to focus on cultivating and soliciting those donors with Donor Advised Funds? Your

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Why Donors Stop Giving to You

Why Donors Stop Giving to You 

As year-end giving is now upon us, discovering why donors stop giving will provide you a keen understanding of what you need to improve on to get higher fundraising returns.

A new Bank of America report found that 28% of wealthy donors stop giving to a nonprofit that they supported in the previous year.

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What’s New in Year-End Giving

What’s New in Year-End Giving?

Three new realities distinguish 2021 year-end giving. Engaging these new realities can significantly increase your year-end giving drive. They are…. You can now add a “donate” button to your Zoom events. Donor-advised funds have grown to gargantuan levels. Engaging giving circles should be a part of your strategy. While the fundamentals of year-end giving still apply, and I describe them in great detail here, 2021 also brings us three unique approaches for you to capitalize on, literally. Zoom Donate Button The new Zoom donate button is similar to Facebook’s donate button—but with a key difference. If donors give their permission,

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#GivingTuesday You Have A Decision to Make

#GivingTuesday: You Have A Decision to Make

Just six weeks away, #GivingTuesday (GT) will take place on Tuesday Dec. 1st. This day of global giving has grown into an impressive movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. The average online gift was $111.

It may be an opportunity for you to leverage your community giving, but you will have to decide if it’s worth your attention.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Your Year-End Drive

The most lucrative fundraising months of the year are now upon us: September through year-end. The heat is on. Are you ready? Two year-end appeal letters are required, not just one. The donor should receive the first appeal on the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the second on December 26th. The second letter is sent exclusively to those donors who have not yet replied to the first appeal. Allow me to explain. With the fast pace of the holidays, if you don’t give your donors a few gentle reminders, your appeal is likely to get overlooked. One of the top reasons

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Your Thanksgiving Thank-A-Thon

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart The optimal time to do your Thank-A-Thon is a few days before – you guessed it –Thanksgiving. You should consider “Thanks Bonanza” to be the official kickoff of your entire year-end drive, and your preparation should begin now. You can either do it the old fashion way, by making phone calls, or by using a texting message service. I prefer the latter, but there’s merit to the former. Both methods are intended for donors who have at least one gift

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It’s Permanent: Does Your Year-End Fundraising Drive Include IRA Owners Over Age 70.5?

With the new tax reform law in place, the ability of your donors age 70.5 and older to donate the distribution from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) to charity has been made permanent. This is good news. Previously the provision was tenuous and had to be renewed every year. Let me explain.   Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) The donor’s required minimum distribution is the minimum amount that he or she must withdraw from their account each year. The IRA holder generally must start taking withdrawals from their IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or retirement plan account when age 70.5 is

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You Will Love This Year-End Appeal Idea

The Thanksgiving holiday is an excellent time to extend gratitude to your donors, do you agree? Before mailing a single year-end fundraising appeal though, you can catch supporters off-guard with a positive Thanksgiving message full of gratitude. Don’t ask for a thing— not volunteer support, not links to social media, not their time, and certainly not their money. Don’t refer to the upcoming year-end appeal or include a donor reply envelope. Don’t mention previous donations. Just tell supporters that, on this Thanksgiving holiday, your nonprofit is thankful for them and why. A nice personal card is in order, or even

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