End-of-Year Giving

From Susan Higgs:

So here it is, the week of New Year's Day. Do you wish you could have done something more to bring in year-end donations? Well, it is not too late.
 
For those of you who have a Click & Pledge donation page, you are all ready for a last minute appeal. (For anyone who does not have an online donation page, contact us. We can set you up quickly.)
 
The end of the year is when most individuals give donations. Your organization may have mailed out an annual campaign, but here are a couple of suggestions to reach your donors and volunteers who may not have given.
 
Send out an end-of-year appeal via email. Succinctly thank your donors for their past support, share a story, and include your organization’s plan for 2009. In the email include a link to your donation page so they can give right from your email.
 
Remind them that their tax-deducible donation must be received by the end of this year to count for 2008 and that receipts are emailed to them immediately when they give using your online donation page.
 
This is also a great time to review your donor database to see if you have larger donors that have not made a contribution in the past year. A more personal contact may be in order. Take a moment to call and thank them personally. A simple contact at the end of the year may remind them to give.