Photo courtesy NeonCRM
Did you know that 12% of all annual giving happens during the last 3 days of December?
This video from nonprofitstorytelling.com shares a simple set of 3 emails to use during the last days of December to maximize year-end fundraising.
I’ve modified this idea to take advantage of the relatively quiet (for Jewish camps and their fans) Christmas holiday.
Just remember: the year-end tactic in this video aims to take advantage of the huge surge in giving the last few days of the calendar year. Normally you wouldn’t inundate your donors with so many asks in such a short period of time. But the urgency seems to work for most organizations at that time of the year.
So what four emails should you set up for year-end?
- Christmas Day - Send an email from the Camp Director that is a LONG, personal message full of stories about the impact of camp, highlights from camp told with passion and insight, and honest description of some of the challenges the camp faces. Send on Christmas day (December 25th) at 9:30 am. If possible, include a video from the summer. Research shows that Jews as a whole spend more time online on Christmas day than any other day of the year. It will be opened and closely read.
- December 28th - Send the next email on December 28th at 10 am reminding people of the importance of giving before the end of the year. It should be no more than 4 sentences with a clear link to your online donations page.
- December 30th - Send the third email at 10 am on December 30, reminding them to give before the end of the year. Shorter than the previous message – maybe just two sentences - with a link to your online donations page.
- December 31st - Send the last email at 10 am on the 31st, letting folks know the number of hours remaining to give before the end of the year. Very short – stress the deadline and the link to online giving.
If you send these four emails to everyone on your email list, you will likely raise more money.
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Written by Julia Riseman. Julia is a Mentor with JCamp 180. Julia leads Data2Donors, a program to advance Alumni Outreach, improve camp databases, and raise more major gifts, and Fundraising Fundamentals. Julia has also sparked the creation of many JCamp 180 programs and offerings, including this blog.
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Who we are: JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF). Our goal is to significantly enhance the long-term effectiveness of nonprofit Jewish camps in North America. To meet this goal, we provide affiliated Jewish camps with consulting services, annual conferences, shared resources, professional development, and matching grant opportunities. Find more at www.jcamp180.org.