your year-end fundraising checklist
TRANSCRIPT
9/16/2015
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@fdncenter #FCLearn
Welcome!
Your Year-End
Fundraising
Checklist
September 17, 2015
11 am-12:30 pm PT | 2-3:30 pm ET
@fdncenter #FCLearn
Sarah Jo Neubauer
Capacity & Leadership
Development Director
Foundation Center
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About Foundation Center Training Foundationcenter.org/training
Center Training Foundationcenter.org/training
9/16/2015
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@fdncenter #FCLearn
Webinar Logistics
TODAY: Download slide deck — upper left corner
Enter your questions — bottom left corner
End of the session — please take our short survey!
Bonus content: Checklist + Resource Guide!
TOMORROW:
Look for an email from Adobe Connect with a
link to the recording!
Year-End Fundraising To-Do’s and Checklists
Make Sure You Don’t
Miss a Trick!
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This is the Giving Season!
From mid November through December 31st many
nonprofits will raise more than 25% of their total annual
campaign goal.
33% of December gifts occur on the 31st of the month!
To-Do: Answer These Questions
1. What pre-conditions must be in place for our appeal to succeed?
2. Once appeal is in mail, what will influence folks to respond - open
it, get over inertia and actually respond to our call to action?
3. When people come to our website, what will compel them to click
donate and complete their gift?
4. How do you give your appeal wings? Wouldn’t you love it to fly off
and get folks other than those on your current mailing lists to notice it?
5. Once call to action is responded to, what will influence others to
follow our donors’ inspirational lead? Could there be ways to get
folks to ask their friends, family, colleagues and networks to join in?
6. Once the gift is received, what will influence subsequent giving?
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Pre-Conditions Elements of Influence (appeal package) Donation Influencers (website) Leverage to Boost Response Ambassador Influencers Next Gift Influencers Clarify your goals, plan and timelines
How to begin engaging folks
Why without good mailing lists your appeal has no purpose
How to assure your messaging sings and is heard
How to incentivize giving with a challenge
How to plan for all your appeal package elements
How to get your donate button and donation page ready
How to do A/B tests for continual improvement
How to leverage your mail appeal through email and social media
When, from whom and how often to send your e-appeals
How to boost your email open rates
How to boost response with follow-up calls
The role of ambassadors to amplify your fundraising
How to begin your ‘next gift’ strategy through killer thank you’s
Learn
Pre-Conditions to Success:
Clarify Your Goals & Plan
1. Determine overall year-
end campaign goals
2. Establish measurable
objectives
3. Put in place strategies
to reach objectives
4. Assign responsibilities
5. Allocate budget
6. Create timelines
$$ to raise
# new emails
# online gifts
# social shares
# at kick-off
Other objectives: # of upgrades; % of
renewals; # of new donors; # of lapsed
renewed; # of upgrades; % of board/staff
giving; average gift; # of gifts, etc.
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Sample Overall Year-End Fundraising Campaign Plan
Courtesy of Salsa
Graphic Courtesy of Salsa
Make your case using e-news
and social media Share our e-news! Please retweet.
Sign the petition! Volunteer. Register
for the tour here!
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Pre-Condition to Success:
Start Engaging Your List
Tweet with link to web page Web page with complete story
Engage with folks prior to
your campaign launch
Sample Mail Appeal TIMELINE
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Without Good Mailing Lists Your Appeal Has No Purpose
80% Building your list
20% Writing copy/Package design
Ask closest to you for names
“Join our list” box on website
Lists of donors to similar causes
Link to sign-up box via social media
“House List” – folks affiliated to you in other ways
Forms at reception; events
Collect business cards using raffles
Trade/rent
Build Polish Segment Mail more often
P
A
R
E
T
O
R
U
L
E
I send a weekly newsletter w/great #fundraising and
#nonprofit #contentmarketing tips. You should subscribe!
http://www.clairification.com/
Pre-Condition to Success:
Without Segmented Lists, Your Appeal May Fall on Deaf Ears
Donors vs prospects
Major vs. non-major
Monthly vs. annual
Affiliated in other
ways vs. non-
affiliated
Connected to
someone who can
add a personal note
Action taker vs.
follower
Don’t send an appeal centered on cats
to someone who’s indicated
they are a dog lover
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Assure Your Messaging Sings the Right Song
Powerful words
Emotional words
Short, punchy sentences
Simple, direct, active
Repeat key words; phrases
Headings; subheads
Underline; boldface; italic
14 point type; serif
White space
Indented, short paragraphs
Bullets
Compelling photo
Pre-Condition to Success:
Give a Reason to Give NOW
Double your money!
Assure the doors stay open
The cold of winter is approaching
Feed everyone a holiday meal
Don’t miss out on a year-end tax deduction
Get this gift
Once you’ve stirred their emotions, don’t let readers put
down your appeal without responding
Pre-Condition to Success:
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Plan a Package; Not Just an Appeal
Get Appeal Opened
Carrier Envelope
Donate Button
E-Appeal Subject Line
Get Appeal Acted On
Reply Envelope with Remit
Device
Donate Landing Page
Set up Next Gift
Thank You Landing Page
Thank You Auto Responder
Thank You Letter
Dress your appeal for success!
Pre-Condition to Success:
Carrier envelopes with teasers
Reply form attached to letter
Reply card to insert in reply envelope
Business reply envelope with “your stamp will help”
Nonprofit indicia
Live stamp
BRE
Mail Appeal Examples
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Take a Body Break!
Take a deep,
cleansing
breath…
S-T-R-E-T-C-H Think about
what you’ve
just learned…
Get Action:
Your Donate Button
Big
Bold
Thoughtful
call-to-
action
language
Linked to
campaign
landing page
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Get Action:
Your Donation Landing Page
Its impact is immense,
determining:
How urgent your campaign’s
case for support comes across.
How much your donor will give.
How inspiring your case
comes across.
How easy it is for your donor to
follow through and complete their
gift.
Get Action:
Donation Page Example
Photo, colors and
typeface match
offline campaign
Call to action is clear
Compelling uses of
gift are spelled out
Choices are offered
for both size and
purpose of gift, but
not too many
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Get Action:
Tweak Your Donation Page
Create a specific year-end
call to action
Use visuals consistent with
your campaign messaging
TIPS:
Ask for higher donation amounts
Secure your donation form
Ask your donor to spread the
word
Test your donation form
They’ve tweaked their regular copy
and added specific language about
the season
A “Take-Over” Light Box or Revised Home Page
Use a great image consistent
with your year-end campaign
Carefully phrase your call-to-
action with a high value
result: “Feed a family of 5
meals for a month”; “Double
your money with a gift
before…”
Make the “X” or “Close
Window” option easy to see
for people who want to skip
the light box
Code your light box to only
pop up once per period per
visitor
• Design in-house
• Outsource
• Use tools like
www.popupdomination.com
http://pippity.com/ to create a pop-up
Get Action:
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Light Box Examples
Chesapeake Bay Foundation shows
off light box and creates urgency
with a matching campaign.
CARE enables people to
easily give right from the
light box, creates urgency
and shows exactly how
gifts will be used.
Light Box Example
United States Holocaust Museum
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Light Box Example
Light Box Alternatives
Charity: Water takes over Home Page with
Holiday Giving Donate Button
ALS takes over Home Page for Ice Bucket Challenge
Feeding America tailors their Home Page with
a Seasonal Giving Message
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A/B Tests for Continual Improvement
Version A has an embedded form
and trust logos
Version B has just a narrative
Enhance Action:
One Big Take-Away Thus Far
Aha! I totally
know what I’m
going to do
differently…
1. Plan
2. Timelines
3. Pre-launch
engagement
4. Mailing lists
5. Messaging that sings
6. Urgency
7. Challenge grant
8. Package with elements
that work together
9. Donate button
10.Donation page
11.Home page (lightbox?)
12.A/B tests for continual
improvement
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How to Boost Response
Leverage with digital
media – email, social
and video
Follow up phone calls
Handwritten notes
Enlist your
ambassador army
Email Drives Online Giving
17.8% of all online giving in 2014 was in December
Boost Response:
Salsa – more giving in last 5 days than other 3 weeks combined
Network for Good – 12% of 2014 online giving happens last 3 days
Blackbaud – 33% of December giving online happens last day.
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Year-End Email Series
Content created, tailored to audiences
and approved no later than December 20
Emails queued for sending by
December 20
First email sent on December 26
Check email responses and pull clean
lists on December 29
Second email sent on December 30
Check email responses and pull clean
lists December 31
Send final email on December 31
Thank promptly and warmly on
January 3
•Dec 26 Incredible acts of kindness
•Dec 30 It’s simple
•Dec 31 Do something incredible
•Dec 31 Make your final tax-deductible 2012 gift today
•Dec 26 6 reasons to believe
•Dec 28 BREAKING: New MATCH for children
•Dec 29 The “cold chain” that saves millions
•Dec 30 24 hours left before MATCH expires
•Dec 31 Last hours to save a life
EXAMPLES
December 30th
Personal salutation would be better
Message rewards donor for being
compassionate and part of a caring
community
Specific about what donor’s support
accomplishes
Puts the donor in the picture by using
“Your” and “you” and “together”
Establishes urgency/Sets deadline
Headline draws reader in
Compelling photo with caption
Buttons make it easy to share
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E-News Ask
Lead article tied to
campaign theme
Sidebar serves as
mini-campaign
Upfront ask
Specific purpose
Deadline
Strong call to action
Mirrors campaign
photos
Boost Action:
How to Get Email Appeals Opened 5-point ‘Oh Goody!’ rule
As in “Oh goody! I’m going to open this email
because…”
“It’s from _____. She always has something
interesting to say.”
“I can tell what it’s about and it looks
interesting.”
“It’s easy to read. Whether I open it at work
using Outlook or at home using Gmail, it’s still
good.”
“I know I can read it on my phone, and that
anything I click through to I’ll also be able to read.
1. Sender
2. Subject Line
3. Email Client
4. Preview
Pane
5. Mobile
Optimized
Go to HubSpot’s Device Lab
Sender Subject line Preview pane
Boost Action:
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Leverage Appeal with Social Media
Tweet w/link to Donate Page
Link to video from Facebook
YouTube video
E-news link to Website Video
Boost Action:
Follow-up Phone Calls
Prioritize LYBNT $1K+; $500-999; $250-499
Multi-year giver approaching anniversary
SYBNT $1K+
Gentle reminder
Thank you
Benefits of giving now
Try twice; then leave message
I’m calling because you
usually make your gift before
the end of the calendar year
and I just wanted to make
sure you don’t forget.
We are SO grateful for your
support! I know this can be a
super busy time of year and
it’s easy to overlook stuff. I
wouldn’t want you to miss…
if there’s anything I can do to
make it easier for you, let me
know!!!
Boost Action:
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Handwritten Notes
Consider handwriting address
Enlist an Ambassador Army Engage Board, Staff, Volunteers, Donors and Social Media Peeps
Offline
Assign note writing; phone calls
Consider note writing or calling parties
Holiday cards
Follow-up postcard
Online
Webpages “Tell-a-Friend” box
Timed auto-response reminders
Create social media visuals
Help fans create FB cause pages
Create email signature lines
Help peeps create fundraising emails &
join in crowdfunding
Time to call in the troops!
Boost Action Peer to Peer
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Create Email Signature Lines
Staff
Board
Committees
Volunteers
Proud donors
Video can be tied to
a specific campaign
Slogan can be tied to
a specific campaign
Share buttons
enable enhanced
readership
Could also include a
donate button
Boost Action Peer to Peer:
Personal Fundraising Email
Personal
message
Sent to
volunteer’s
own
contacts
From their
known,
personal
address
Boost Action Peer to Peer:
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Crowdfunding Promotion on Website
It takes a
minute to set it
up; then we’ll
make it easy for
you to share it
and report back
to you when
you get a
donation.
Crowdfunding
Clear Donate Button
Allocation Choices
Share Buttons
Engagement
device
Thermometers
Organizer’s name
Deadline
How $$
Will be
used
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Thank You Landing Page
BENEFITS:
• You received gift
• You’re efficient/trustworthy
• You love your donor
CHECKLIST:
Do you send online donors to a
warm, fuzzy TY Landing Page?
Do you engage them further?
Do you include compelling
photos or video?
See “Gratitude Nonprofits Say Thanks” on
https://www.pinterest.com/charityclairity/
Thank you video National Wildlife Federation
on YouTube
Thank you video One Justice on Vimeo
Set up Next Gift:
Plan Ahead for Thank You’s to Supporters
Online thank you email from
EARN reinforces:
YOU did it!
Here’s how much
Here’s how gifts will be
used
We’ll keep you informed
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Plan Ahead to Report Back on Outcomes – Close the Loop
Alert other staff you need to help you create and distribute
stewardship reports (marketing, IT, finance, program)
Your Donor Hugging Program Begins Today
To keep your donors you must hold them close.
Consider a warm, genuine thoughtful thank you as a HUG IN AN ENVELOPE.
Every donor deserves hugs. Donor retention data shows you’re not hugging them enough.
d
o
n
o
r
Riff on cartoon by Hugh Macleod, Gaping Void
Set up Your Next Gifts:
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One Big Take-Away Thus Far
Aha! I totally
know what I’m
going to do
differently… 1. Coordinated email series
2. E-News or blog ask
3. Email elements - subject
line, preview pane and sender
4. Social media links and
visuals
5. Enlist social media
ambassadors
6. Tell-a-Friend box on
donation/advocacy pages
7. Follow-up calls
8. Handwritten notes
9. Handwritten address
10. Email signature line
11. Ambassador emails
12. Crowdfunding
13. Thank you landing page
14. Write thank you’s now
Thank You for Joining Me!
Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE
www.clairification.com
@charityclairity Copyright Clairification 2015 © All Rights Reserved
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Your Year-End Appeal is a Terrible Thing to Waste
www.Clairification.com
@fdncenter #FCLearn
Thanks for joining us!
Your
Year-End
Fundraising Checklist
We want your feedback!
http://bit.ly/fdncntwebinar
9/16/2015
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@fdncenter #FCLearn
Upcoming October Webinar!
Tuesday, October 13
The Future of Fundraising
is Peer-to-Peer
Derrick Feldmann is president of Achieve, and leads the national research team of the Millennial Impact Project, a multi-year study of how the next generation supports causes. Derrick is also the founder of MCON, the nation’s premier event on millennials and social good. Derrick is a co-author of the book Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement and is currently authoring Social Movements for Good.
More Year-End Fundraising Tips to Give Wings to Your Appeal
Your followers on social
networks are much more
likely to take notice of your
fundraising asks if you create
a series of donation impact
graphics. The ideal size for
Facebook/Pinterest/Google+
graphics is 500 x 500 pixels.
The size necessary for
Twitter is 500 x 250 pixels.
Social media impact graphics
stimulate more action and sharing
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Social Media Ambassadors Program
Blog with Campaign Call-Out
Promote your year-end campaign on your blog
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E-News with Campaign Call-Out
Share button at top of email
Describes problem people
can empathize with, that’s
tied to what’s happening in
the news
Choices of giving options in
lead article
Stories about people helped
in lead article
Another way to offer support
by voting on sidebar
Share buttons (twitter, FB,
email) at bottom of sidebar
Email Appeal Example
Great opening line!
Photo gives appeal
credibility
100% matches the appeal
that arrived in the mail
Puts the donor in the letter
Testimonial, both from
author and camper offers
‘social proof’ this is worthy
cause
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Donation Landing Page
Six times more money is raised through custom-branded donate pages than through third-party donate pages.
Scrolls down to make payment
Enable Tribute Giving
Enable
tribute
giving “in
honor” or
“in memory”
both to
incent giving
and to get
donors in
the habit of
giving more
than once.
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Enable Monthly Giving
Below the scroll down
Above the scroll down
Further incents giving
by offering a gift
Includes warm, fuzzy video Can still make one-time gift
Emphasizes site
is secure
Multiple
payment
options
Thank You Landing Page
Thank you landing
pages are an
opportunity to build a
relationship. Too
many are text-only
and lack interesting
or useful content.
Add inspiring video,
ways to get involved
beyond giving
money, and visual
calls-to-action that
motivate donors to
share or take further
action on behalf of
your nonprofit.
Add engagement opportunities, ways
to share and calls to action to Thank
You Landing Page
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Consider if You’ll Incorporate Giving Tuesday into Campaign
Get Social Media Tool Kits and suggested social media postings to be shared with your
networks in weeks leading up to #GivingTuesday