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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

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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

email

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

claire@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

claire@clairification.com

@fdncenter #FCLearn

Thanks for joining us!

Your

Year-End

Fundraising Checklist

We want your feedback!

http://bit.ly/fdncntwebinar

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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