Thursday December 4- Year end campaign

Hi !

Animal: What’s cookin this week 

In this week’s enews…

• The year-end craziness

• Tips to make it thru December

• How to accept in-kind donations

• Great post: Monthly giving programs to learn from

• What’s happening out there 

The solution to the Triple E (enews easter egg) from last week: The famous “turkey drop” episode of WKRP in Cincinnati. One of the absolute funniest alltime sitcom scenes. I watch it before every Thanksgiving and it always cracks me up.

It’s December. This week’s pain point: Your year-end campaign. Let’s dive in.

Beaker: It’s crazy time 

I’m writing this on Tuesday. Yes, it’s one of my least liked days of the year, Giving Tuesday.

A friend asked what my inbox looks like. Here’s an exact quote of my response:

GIVE US MONEY NOW BECAUSE IT’S URGENT AND THIS IS THE WORST IT HAS EVER BEEN AND WE’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND WE HAVE TO HIT OUR GOAL OR PEOPLE WILL STARVE/DIE.

🙄🙄 🙄 

More on that next week…

As a former ED and fundraiser, I know how stressful and anxiety inducing December is. Some (many?) of you count on year-end donations to meet your annual budgetary needs. I know all too well the feeling of the boss or Board breathing down your neck, asking for updates every ten minutes and being disappointed that you haven’t surpassed your goal.

It’s amazing how much pressure we put on ourselves as a sector in this month. We drive ourselves nuts with Thanksgiving campaigns, local giving day campaigns, Giving Tuesday, year-end campaigns. It’s insane.

The data continues to tell us that year-end is the most “profitable” time of year for fundraising. Of course, if we tried doing campaigns in March for example when it’s more quiet we’d have less competition in the mailbox, an audience not overwhelmed with an overflowing inbox. But end of year continues to be king.

So if that’s the case, I want to share a couple of year-end tips to help you hit and surpass your goals this month.

Statler and Waldorf: How to make year-end successful

I’ve got some simple and easy tips to help ease the year-end messiness.

1️⃣ Lead with gratitude: This applies year round but especially now. Always start with a thank you- gratitude that is heartfelt, warm and genuine. Let supporters know how much you appreciate them, no matter the size of their gift.

Additionally, share stories and impact data. Let people see how their previous gift had an impact. When they feel good about giving they’re more likely to give again. (BONUS: Do you have a gratitude plan?)

2️⃣ Skimmers and scanners: Sending emails this month? Keep in mind the skimmers and scanners. Your readers are just like you- they skim and scan. That means using devices so things stand out:

• Bolded headlines

• Bulleted lists

• Short paragraphs

• Icons/GIF

• Great CTA buttons

Make it easy for readers to understand the problem and what action you want them to take. (BONUS: 50 year-end fundraising email subject lines)

3️⃣ Tax incentive: As I do each year, lemme quote fundraising expert Adam Clevenger.

“Annual reminder: A date is not your case for support. Yes, donors may be thinking about tax incentives this time of year but rarely is that why a donor gives to your organization. Your year-end communication can emphasize the benefit to the donors giving by December 31st, but lead with how their gift makes a difference 365 days a year.”

Please, if your plan was to use end of year tax incentives as the centerpiece of a campaign, don’t. Follow Adam’s advice.

4️⃣ Last 3 days: On December 29, 30 and 31, you should send two emails a day. They should all be fundraising asks.

And I know what a Board member is gonna say: “We can’t do that! We’ll piss off our subscribers. They’ll all unsubscribe.” And the ever popular “I hate getting that many emails from one organization. We shouldn’t bombard people with our emails.”

My response: They won’t all unsubscribe. And you are not the target audience!

The last three days of the year are when the most amount of money is raised. Be present in people’s inboxes. (BONUS: Last minute year-end appeal checklist)

5️⃣ Breathe: This is the hardest one.

Every day is a marathon. Gotta raise more more more.

My suggestion: Breathe. You’re a nonprofit professional.

The Swedish Chef: How to accept in-kind donations

I recently announced the How Do I online conference in January- the conference for staff at GROWING nonprofits (budget below $5 million). I’m using this section to introduce you to one of the conference speakers, nonprofit lawyer Jess Birken.

Jess Birken of Birken Law is one of the smartest nonprofit people I know. She’s a nonprofit lawyer which means she can answer questions related to laws, mergers, starting an organization and much more. But she’s also a smartie when it comes to fundraising, marketing, working with the Board, management and budgeting. Breadth and depth of sector knowledge! Jess is a master problem solver, very pragmatic and a helper. Most important, she’s friendly, a joy to talk to and someone whose judgement I trust and advice I seek out.

At the conference, Jess will be teaching a session titled “How do I accept in-kind donations.” What would happen if someone wanted to donate an airplane, diamond ring, crypto currency or a car to your organization? Know what to do? Jess will teach you all about in-kind donations.

Here is part of what Jess says you’ll walk away with:

• What to know about in-kind gifts over $5,000

• Traps for the unwary with donated real estate

• The best way to avoid unwanted in-kind gifts staff are excited about

Lemme add an extra tip from Jess:

Early bird pricing is on right now! Seats are limited so reserve your tickets today for the How Do I conference. Discounts available for multiple tickets.

Hoping to see you on January 20 and 21 where you’ll learn the steps, get expert tips, best practices, how to and practical advice so you exceed your fundraising goals in 2026 and beyond.

The Newsman: A little of this and that

In this section I’m going to share with you great content I’ve picked out that you can learn from.

1. Examples of monthly giving programs to learn from. MUST READ! (4 A Good Cause)

2. How to tell a story in your grant proposal budget (DH Leonard Consulting)

3. How to follow up incomplete donations (TrueSense)

4. A guide to capital campaigns (Double The Donation)

5. 10 steps to making a major gift ask (Blackbaud)

Dr. Bob: What’s happening out there

I collect articles about the crazy stuff that happens in our world. The silly, the unbelievable, the funny, the what the heck were they thinking.

From time to time I’ll share here some of what I’ve found. A chance for you to smile, laugh and wonder what is wrong with people.

Jennifer Lopez was sued for posting pictures… of herself

Would you drink this flavor of vodka? I might try it.

The longest word in the English language is 189,819 letters long. Seriously. (And I thought memorizing pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolvanoconiosis took awhile!)

Men and medical care. Although Dave Barry is a humor writer and this article is funny, there’s a lot of truth in what he writes.

🎶 Once again I listened to a dance mix of 80s songs while crafting this week’s enews. Something to get the fingers typing and the feet tapping.

I’ll be back in your inbox next Thursday. Have a great weekend!