No year end fundraising campaign? Steal mine!
If you haven’t started your year-end fundraising yet, don’t sweat it. You can still put together a campaign that will raise your organization funds if you start today. Follow my instructions below to get your year-end campaign going right now.
Draft three emails to send out to your current donors. Select a story or accomplishment you are particularly proud of (for this example, we’re going to invent a nonprofit called “School Solutions” that helped a student obtain a scholarship to their dream college, where they just finished their first semester and are thriving).
Here’s the formula. (And for social media, you can take snippets of each email to post to whatever platforms your nonprofit is on, just to make your life easier.)
Send on December 15: Gratitude Email
We’re going to send a first email to our donors to say thank you. That’s it! Nothing else. Introduce the story, and let the donors know that they were a part of your success (or more importantly, your client’s success).
Dear [first name] -
I want you to meet Samantha. Samantha’s family has struggled with homelessness for her entire school career, and she’s changed schools multiple times as her family has sought affordable and sustainable housing options.
When Samantha came to School Solutions her freshman year of high school, she was behind grade level. Worse, she was starting to lose interest in school and was thinking about dropping out. Thanks to generous donors like you, we paired Samantha with a peer mentor and got her into our after-school tutoring program. With a community of support, she got back on track. As she started to succeed, she began to enjoy her studies. She fell in love with math and science, and set her sights on North Carolina State University to study engineering.
[first name], you helped make Samantha’s dream come true. In January, she received early acceptance to NCSU’s engineering program—with a full scholarship! Without the support from generous donors like you, we can’t meet the needs of students like Samantha.
Thank you for making a difference for Samantha and the other 200 students we serve annually.
Regards,
Jane Doe
Executive Director
Send on December 20: Priming Email
Then we’re going to send a priming email that pivots the thanks towards a soft ask.
Dear [first name] -
I wrote to you a few days ago about Samantha, and I want to tell you a little bit more.
Samantha just completed her first semester as a freshman in NCSU’s engineering program. She is thriving, loves her studies, and is already thinking ahead to summer internship programs (which we are helping her to secure).
But there are so many other young people out there like Samantha who need our support. Samantha’s family fell on hard times, and Samantha’s entire future was crumbling. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen. When a family falls on hard times, we need to be there to rally around them and give them support.
Here at School Solutions, we give that support to high school students that need extra support to get their grades back on track. We pair them with peer mentors who give them moral support as they face the tough world of high school. We provide tutoring services in the subjects they may be struggling with to get their grades up. We have trained college counselors that help our clients—many of whom will be the first in their family to even apply to college—navigate the admissions and financial aid process. And we support them through our alumni program as they go through college; we help pair them with paid internships, so they don’t have to choose between their future dreams and supporting their families, and other services to ensure college success.
You are a critical part of the community that surrounds these students. It’s the season of giving, and I have a request for you. Can you make a gift to School Solutions on or before December 31 to help more students like Samantha?
We’re so grateful for your past support. I hope you’ll join us in supporting more students in the coming year.
With Gratitude,
Jane Doe
Executive Director
Send on December 27: Ask Email
Do a super short, punchy email to remind your donors to give.
Dear [first name] -
I think we agree on something important: kids from families that have fallen on tough times should be supported and surrounded by a loving community that gives them a chance to thrive despite their circumstances.
Yes? Great. If you believe that young people deserve every chance to thrive, will you make a special gift to School Solutions today?
A gift of $100 can ensure a high school student has access to a semester’s worth of our tutoring services.
How many students can you help today?
Many thanks,
Jane Doe
Executive Director
Send on December 31: Final Ask Email
On December 31, people are getting a million and one emails from nonprofits. This isn’t the time to be long-winded. This is a time to be visual and brief.
Here’s the best email I’ve ever gotten on Dec. 31, from an organization that supports families of kids with terminal cancer.
[Photo of family in hospital with happy child opening presents]
Dear Kelly,
Cancer is relentless. So are we.
[Donate button]
It hit me in the feels. I donated. :) Give it a shot!
