1 lesson from me

To maximize your fundraising results from year-end giving, start developing your strategy and plan now. There have never been more fundraising channels at your disposal: direct mail, email, social media, peer-to-peer, virtual, socially-distanced or in-person face-to-face and pop-ups to name a few.

Which channels are best for you, your donor demographic and your budget? What are the current trends and insights to consider? What are the critical elements that can make or break your year-end campaign success?

In this lesson, I share a few must-do's and five strategies to help you create your best year-end campaign ever.

Fundamental year-end campaign MUST DO's:

• Leverage multiple channels
• Schedule a drip campaign
• Use donor-centric language
• Tell the story of one versus many
• Clear, simple, human messaging
• Convey unmet needs (of beneficiaries)
• Use compelling photos and video
• Share stories evoke empathy through shared values
• Create a sense of urgency
• Make it easy for people to give

Here are five strategies to help you increase year-end giving:

1. Anchoring. Anchoring is the psychological tendency to accept and rely on the first piece of information received before making a decision. That first piece of information is the anchor and sets the tone for everything that follows.
2. Segmented Gift Strings. A gift string is a list of suggested gift amounts that appear on a solicitation and are used to help move renewing donors up to the next gift value level.
3. Giving Impact Statements. Impact statements convey the impact a specific gift value could make in the life of your clients, students, patients and/or community.
4. Booster Statements. A booster statement is an identity-based declaration of why a donor gives, ideally in their own words.
5. Match Gifts. A match gift serves as a powerful incentive for donors to make a "stretch" gift, knowing their giving will be matched to double (or triple...) the impact.

In the full, on-demand class, "Planning your year-end giving strategy," that I created for Growth members in my Fundraising Transformers community, I breakdown "all the things" related to helping you create a successful year-end campaign. Including:

• Assessing your donor data, to identify your ideal year-end campaign donor segments
• Determining the preferred channels for ideal donor segments based on demographic research
• Establishing data-informed giving levels and compelling impact statements
• Understanding the concepts of psychological anchoring and donor-centric language
• Taking your storytelling skills to the next level
• Identifying sources for a year-end challenge or match gift
• And I share real-life examples, helpful tools and templates to help you create a successful year-end campaign include: a) a copywriting checklist, b) a list of interview questions to help you create compelling donor stories, and c) an "ask strings" chart.

PLUS, when you become a Growth member in my community, not only will you get immediate access to the entire 60-minute class, "Planning your year-end giving strategy," you'll also get instant access to the following year-end fundraising on-demand classes at no additional cost:

• Three Ways to Increase Year-End Giving
• Top 3 Strategies for Year-End Fundraising Success
• Creating Multichannel Year-End Campaign Success

CFRE Credits: 1.0 

1 quote from someone else

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
– Mahatma Gandhi

1 question for you

As you know, we believe that a high tide raises all boats. (a nod to U.S. President J.F.K.)

To help other fundraising pros who want to achieve greater end-of-year results, what successful year-end fundraising tips can you share?

To share your thoughts and suggestions, reply to this email or tweet me @tammyzonker.

Keep transforming your fundraising,
Tammy Zonker
Fundraising Strategist, Keynote Speaker, & Certified AFP Master Trainer
Recognized as one of America's Top 20 Fundraising Experts
Creator of the Fundraising Transformers Community

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