Did you know that almost one-third of annual giving happens during the month of December? Even more astounding? Eleven percent of all giving happens on the last three days of the year!
A push for year-end donations is a must. Equally as important is offering an easy, online way for your donors to make those gifts.
The importance of online giving
Providing online giving options meets many of your donors where they are—online. Furthermore, when donors have the opportunity to make quick and easy donations online, they also have the opportunity to share their actions on social media, via email or in texts to family, colleagues and friends.
It’s a lot harder for donors to pass on a giving envelope or solicitation letter to their network of friends and family.
So, how can we ensure that we’re reaching our annual giving goals by ramping up our focus and efforts at the end of the year when many are eager to give?
Make it easy for your donors
Do a little housekeeping to ensure your online giving house – your website and online donation forms – is in order. You want your donors to have an easy time and stress-free experience when they visit your website to give. Ensure that:
- Your website and donation landing pages and forms are responsive (work on all screen types)
- Your donation landing pages are secure with the correct encryption
- You tell an effective story about the importance of giving to your organization (what impact will it make?)
- You create a sense of urgency—they’re already looking to make year-end contributions, tell them why timing and donation amounts matter
- You give multiple giving options—one-time gifts, recurring or monthly gift options, matching gifts
Make it easy for you
There are a lot of tasks that nonprofit leaders are responsible for at the end of the year. Your donors want an easy way to give and you want an easy way to reach your annual goals. Online giving is a cost-effective way to achieve both. Instead of expensive mailers, events and solicitations, you can use digital media—emails, social media, virtual announcements—to tell your story and make that final push for donations.
What’s more? Online giving provides you with real-time results and a trackability that is deeper than traditional giving tactics can be. You can’t be certain that donors receive (or open) ‘snail mail’, but coupling digital efforts with online giving provides you the opportunity to look at email open rates, the number of people who visit your donation page, how people are getting to your website/landing pages, and real-time donation amounts. This can help inform future campaigns, tactics and channels as you assess messaging that works (or doesn’t work) and where the outreach was best served.
More year-end fundraising tips and ideas
We have an array of articles and checklists on our blog to help you with your year-end fundraising efforts. For easy reference, here are a handful of links to get you started as you plan your final fundraising push:
- Year-end email fundraising
- 10 last-minute year-end fundraising tips
- How to craft your year-end fundraising appeal
- Donation page checklist
- 9 steps to help you plan for year-end fundraising
For even more information on how to be successful with your year-end giving, check out our free, on-demand webinar: “Year-End Online Fundraising 101: Success Tips for Small Nonprofits”.
