Soapbox Engage Blog

Whether the leaves are already turning and the temperatures are cooling or you’re still blasting the AC, it’s time to acknowledge that we are entering the final season of the year...and we don’t mean back-to-school. September officially kicks off the sprint toward the holiday and end-of-year giving season for nonprofits, which for many organizations begins now with the ever-growing and uber-successful #GivingTuesday (on November 27 this year).

In 2017, the sixth annual #GivingTuesday raised $274 million for nonprofits, a 50% increase over 2016. And in general, one third of annual giving occurs in December, and 11-12% of that happens in the final three days of the year. So it’s pretty clear that this is where the money is at -- and where your focus should be right now.

But whether you’ve got your campaign plan all nailed out or you’re just getting started (it’s okay, many nonprofits don’t even get started planning for EOY until October), we want to know -- how will prioritize your donors? Have you taken a look at your data to determine the best donor prospects that will help you achieve your holiday/EOY goals?

If the answer is “no,” or even “maybe?” then it’s time to figure that out now before you get too much farther. Given how chaotic this time of year can be, and how much effort goes into EOY campaigns, it’s essential that you use your resources effectively, and data is your friend in this case. While we’re not saying that you shouldn’t prepare messaging and campaign materials for your entire supporter list and the general public, we are saying that you should put a considerate amount of research, creativity, and development into crafting the best appeals for your strongest prospects.

What do we mean by this? We’ve outlined a few donor segments to explore within your mind palace, er, database, to help you hone in on the ones most likely to help you get to the finish line by the end of the year.

{loadposition blog-ad-general}

1. Recurring or sustaining donors

We know that folks who are already giving on a regular basis are most likely to keep the good going -- so how do you leverage their goodwill at the end of the year? This could be the time to take a look at donation levels and and ask people to bump up to the next level; if they’re giving $5 a month now, how about changing it to $10? Or if they give quarterly, try asking for bi-monthly or monthly gifts. If you can, segment your recurring donors even more to see where they’ve come on the ladder of engagement so far. If they’ve already made incremental increases at other points of their journey with you, they may be ready for the next step.

Technology tip: Bust out the calculator and do some math to determine an achievable year-over-year gift increase goal for your recurring donors, then use data and reporting tools in Soapbox and Salesforce to segment and select your best prospects.

2. Previous End-of-Year donors

How many donors gave to you for #GivingTuesday or EOY last year? Or the year before, or both? Knowing that data and then setting a goal specifically for that segment of your list is another place to prioritize your campaign efforts. Then, you can ask them to give again but at a higher level, reminding them of the impact they made last year. Perhaps this is also an opportunity to ask one-time EOY donors to become a recurring donor in the new year.

Communication tip: You may have thanked last year’s donors a year ago, but it doesn’t hurt to thank them again, and even find a way to specifically point to how their investment made an impact. It’s a great way to show someone their value before they’ve even made a new gift.

3. One-time or sometime donors ready for the next level

These people aren’t recurring donors, and they’re not donors who specifically gave at EOY last year. Maybe they gave $25 in May, for seemingly no reason at all, or they gave during an emergency appeal in the fall. How can you use #GivingTuesday and EOY campaign communications to bring these donors to the next step in their donor journey? You may think it’s time to ask them to become a recurring donor. Or, you may ask some to increase their $10 gift to $25. Either way, this is an opportunity to make them feel as if they are part of one of the most important moments of the year for your organization, with more to come if they take the next step with you.

Data tip: Again, the numbers are your friend here. You don’t want to use the same appeal for every single person that’s every donated once. Determine your segments, set your goals, and adjust your appeals accordingly.

4. Enthusiastic board members, major donors, and ambassadors

This is often the wild card for nonprofits. You may have a major donor who wants to provide a matching gift of $100,000 for a #GivingTuesday campaign, and a celebrity ambassador who wants to save the day and drop $1 million before the clock hits midnight on December 31. Point is, these VIPs are not to be dismissed during this busy time of year because they can really help drive a lot more buzz and money to your campaign. But, you should spend the time coming up with the right plan for them -- and it will mean more time to coordinate these individual efforts. In the end, it could be a boon for your EOY efforts.

Campaign tip: This is also a chance to be creative and think outside the box. With the kind of money at stake here, your approach should be fun, flexible, and media-friendly (great opportunity for press!).