4 Simple Adjustments to Skyrocket Your Year-End Fundraising

It’s that time of year—leaves have fallen, the days are getting shorter, and the year-end fundraising season is fast approaching. Nonprofits everywhere are planning their final campaigns to tap into the spirit of giving and reach their annual fundraising goals. It’s an exciting time, but it can also be one of the most hectic periods for your organization. 

If you’re feeling the pressure, take a moment to consider some simple things you can do that will make a big difference. Whether you joined in on the GivingTuesday movement or plan to host festive holiday fundraisers, you're on your way. Here are a few more easy adjustments can help you raise more:

1. Simplify your online donation page.
2. Turn emails into eCards.
3. Incorporate storytelling.
4. Mention matching gifts.

Year-end fundraisers are vital for sustaining your nonprofit’s work and retaining donors for next year, so it’s worth taking the time to make these small adjustments before you dive in. Let’s get started!

1.  Simplify Your Online Donation Page

Before you make changes to your fundraising strategy or the content of your year-end appeals, ensure that your donation page is in tip-top shape. Even the most effective fundraising strategy can fall flat if donors get confused or frustrated by your website at the moment of giving. 

To avoid losing out on potential funds and give donors a better online donation experience.

Take these steps to simplify your donation page:

1. Remove distractions. If someone’s on your donation page, they’ve likely already made the decision to give. That means you don’t need to convince them with multiple images and long paragraphs of text. Your donation page should be as straightforward and distraction-free as possible, so remove any aspects that aren’t necessary. 
2. Improve accessibility. Make your donation page more accessible to all donors by adding alt text for any images. Help ensure all check-out questions are easy to understand. Additionally, check that the page loads quickly on both desktop and mobile using Google’s Lighthouse tool. If it loads slowly, removing large images will help speed it up. 
3. Limit form fields. Stick to the essentials on your donation form, like contact and payment information. If you have other questions that aren’t necessary for making a donation but are still valuable for your nonprofit to know, consider sending a post-donation survey.
4. Include suggested donation amounts. Suggesting a few gift amounts on your donation page can make it easier for donors to give quickly and even convince them to give more. Pair them with tangible impacts, such as “a $50 donation feeds two families in need” or “a $100 gift provides new textbooks for a first-generation college student.”

After taking these steps, you’ll have a streamlined donation page that keeps more users on the page and drives more donations to completion. Plus, you can make all of these adjustments in one day without any help from technical experts!

2. Turn Emails into eCards

Once your donation page is good to go, you can move on to adjusting your year-end communication and marketing strategy. An easy way to boost engagement with your emails and raise more funds is to turn them into creative, eye-catching eCards.

eCards are digital greeting cards that you can customize and send to supporters for any occasion, but they’re especially perfect for the holiday season. According to eCardWidget’s guide to charity eCards, nonprofits can use eCards in a variety of ways at the end of the year, including:

• Holiday messages to donors. Send all donors a “Happy Hannukah” or “Merry Christmas” greeting card to celebrate the holidays with them and keep your nonprofit in their minds when they’re feeling most generous.
• Holiday messages from donors to friends. Turn eCards into an easy fundraiser where donors can send eCards to friends and family in exchange for a small donation. For example, if a donor gives $10, they can send a “Happy New Year” eCard to a friend. 
• Event invitations. Spice up invitations to year-end fundraising events by designing a special eCard for each event. Then, add a personal message to make it really stand out.
• Tribute donations. Did a donor give in someone’s honor or make a donation on a friend’s behalf instead of sending them a Christmas gift? Let them send an eCard notifying their friend of the donation! 

To see these different types of eCards in action, look at donation eCard examples from other organizations. Their unique designs can also inspire your team to create visually compelling eCards that align with your nonprofit’s brand. 

3. Incorporate Storytelling

If you’re not already using storytelling strategies in your fundraising appeals and marketing content, this is a simple and highly beneficial adjustment you can make. Storytelling makes it easier for donors to emotionally connect with your nonprofit and gives them real examples of your nonprofit’s impact. When done well, telling stories can lead to more donations for your organization’s cause.

As you write your year-end fundraising appeals, incorporate storytelling with these tips:

• Highlight real, genuine stories from beneficiaries, donors, or volunteers.
• Present your nonprofit’s work as the solution to a problem or challenge.
• Center the donor’s role in the story and how they can make an impact.
• Include details like first names and numbers that showcase clear impact. 
• Use language that evokes positive emotions in the reader.

You can even boost fundraising and recognize donors at the same time by telling stories that highlight the impact donors have made throughout the year. For example, you might include a story like this in your year-end appeals:

Cheryl has devoted her life to the study and practice of medicine, and she’s seen firsthand the devastating consequences of overcrowded hospitals. This year, she knew she had to do something about it. That’s why she contributed a major donation to help us build a brand-new hospital in the heart of Toronto. With the help of Cheryl and donors like you, this hospital will be able to serve 750 people in need at once. Help us make Cheryl’s dream a reality by donating today.

4. Mention Matching Gifts 

Corporate matching gift programs present a unique opportunity for your nonprofit to boost its fundraising potential without putting any added pressure on your donors. Through these programs, companies will match their employees’ donations to eligible nonprofits with a donation of their own, often at a 1:1 ratio. For example, if a donor gives $100, their employer would also give $100, totaling $200 in donations to your nonprofit. 

According to Double the Donation, just mentioning matching gift opportunities in fundraising appeals can boost response rates by 71% and average donation amounts by 51%.

Matching gifts can easily skyrocket your year-end fundraising potential;, and all your nonprofit has to do is mention them in your appeals! Just craft your fundraising appeal as usual, add a line about how donors can double their impact with matching gifts, and include a link they can access to learn more. 

Along with making these adjustments, don’t forget to thank donors and celebrate! It’s the end of a successful year for your nonprofit, and you couldn’t have done it without the generous contributions of your donors, volunteers, and community. Make recognition an integral part of your year-end fundraising strategy, and you’ll increase the chances that supporters will stick around next year.

Written by Tim Badolato - CEO at eCardWidget

Tim Badolato is the CEO of eCardWidget.com an innovative platform for digital employee recognition, donor acknowledgment, business marketing, and nonprofit marketing. He has a passion for using technology to drive positive outcomes for mission-driven businesses and nonprofits.