Year-end fundraising. It happens every year — the type of deep insight you read this blog for, I know — but the importance of it and how organizations can go about it still leaves room for a better understanding. There are many great resources out there, and I link to some below, so here are some key stats, potentially surprising insights, and real experiments to help you and your year-end fundraising.

A Lot of Giving Happens In December (Especially Online)

17.7% of all giving happens in December (Blackbaud)

But 29% of all online giving happens in December and 11% happens in the last 3 days alone (Network for Good)

Giving Tuesday is a thing and growing (Blackbaud)

But still isn’t as crucial as the last week or last day of the year (NextAfter)

But still, 23% more emails were sent on Giving Tuesday than the last day of the year (NextAfter)

Key Takeaway

Make sure you have a good last week, last 3 days, and last day strategy in place before you focus (too much) on Giving Tuesday

Sending Emails, At Good Times, Is Crucial

The average nonprofit sent 4 emails in the month of December (NextAfter)

And very few organizations send emails on the weekend (NextAfter)

Most organizations send emails at the same time (NextAfter)

Which means sending a bit earlier or later could allow your email to stand out

Key Takeaway

Send emails (at least 4) and try to send on weekends and slightly off hours to stand out.

Other Things to Consider

49% of organizations that received a $1,000 to $5,000 donation in the last week of the year either sent nothing or stopped communicating after a month (NextAfter)

Not having a video on a donation page increased conversion by 560% and 203% (NextAfter)

Adding a countdown clock to the end of the year increased donation conversion 61.8% and 11.6% (NextAfter)

The Silent Generation (75+) makes more online donations in a year than any other generation (Dunham + Company)

Key Takeaways

  • Think about your follow-up plan for donors in the new year
  • Think twice about having a video on your donation page
  • Think about adding a countdown clock, or similar, to reinforce the urgency of year-end
  • Think about your digital strategy with seniors (and boomers) in mind

So…

Some year-end fundraising stats and food for thought there but when it comes to more practical tips and advice to make the most of year-end fundraising, here are…

7 Essential Year-End Fundraising Resources

  1. NextAfter’s Cut Through the Clutter. After anyalzing over 17,000 emails, NextAfter created a list of 10 ways can improve their end-of-year solicitations.
  2. NextAfter’s Year-End Fundraising Techniques Proven to Lift Your Revenue. Use NextAfter’s 12 strategies to improve your fundraising in the final months of the year.
  3. 4 Writing Tips For Great Year-End Fundraising. Need help writing the perfect year-end solidification? Check out this list of amazing strategies.
  4. Fundly’s 10 Amazing Year-End Appeal Ideas for Nonprofits. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to raise money for your year-end campaign, check out this list of 10 ideas.
  5. What Is Peer to Peer & How Your Nonprofit Can Rock It This Year End. Using your existing donors is a great way to improve your year end fundraising. Learn how peer-to-peer fundraising can boost your revenue.
  6. 3 Fundraising Strategies For Year End And The Final 3 Days of The Year. Learn how you can make the most out of the last three days of the year with these expert tips.
  7. How Your Year-End Fundraising Can Stand Out. The challenge with year-end fundraising is that you’re competing with every other nonprofit. Learn how you can create a campaign that draws in supporters.