Preparing for end-of-year giving

Nov. 15, 2022 by

 Diane Kern

Here comes the biggest season of giving. You ready?

As Advent nears a season of giving is also on the horizon. Taking place when Advent’s penitential practice of almsgiving is embraced and the joyful season of Christmastide lingers in hearts, it would seem like a perfect opportunity for others to just give to your organization; however, most still need that invitation for doing so.

It’s easy to create reminders about giving season, but we’ve jotted down ways for making your messages inspiring and included some helpful worksheets to download and use in your own planning.

Here are things to keep in mind as end-of-year giving approaches…

Determine your focus

People are more often inspired to give when there is a need or an occasion/opportunity.

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Giving to a need

• People like to support something specific and know how their gifts will make a difference. What needs does your organization have or want to support?
• Inspiration from witnessing good that is already occurring, creates the desire for others to support a noble cause.

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Giving opportunities

• Giving for tax deductions is a common message, but remember the percentage of people who benefit from this is often smaller than most think.
• “Spirit of the season,” is another popular message even in secular settings; however, the Church also has the message of Advent and Christmas to inspire further.
• Giving Tuesday generates a lot of buzz on social media as people rally behind causes the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. Messages that standout above all the online chatter tend to include powerful imagery or other media.

Keep messages clear & simple

Once you know your focus and inspiration for inviting others to be generous and offer their gifts, consider the way your message can help your cause.

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Avoid lengthy copy

• Stick to why, how, and what good will come from supporting your cause when putting your invitation out there. 
• Support your invitation with pictures, short videos, or unique illustrations to move potential givers.
• Catchy titles or intro questions are a good way to allow givers to place themselves in the position of actually making a difference.
• Share new points or different facts each time you have a chance to ask again like in multiple bulletin or social media post
• Make it easy by including a QR code or simple URL (page alias) to your end-of-year (EOY) fund giving page with each ask.

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Create an experience

• Avoid over formatting with several points or capitalizing bolded words. This can look like shouting. Instead, catch attention with clear interesting titles or pictures (…but not clipart ;) )
• Share more of your story and inspire with news posts on your fund page and homepage. Share compelling angles and experiences around your cause while concluding with a simple ask and link to giving form. Unique stories can also be promoted on social media, in e-newsletters, and as bulletin posts.

Follow a plan

Now you have inspirational copy to share, and you’re ready to think through the steps needed to accomplish your goal. Let’s remember some key points to include in your planning.

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How to share your message

• Bulletins, pulpit, email, and social media are great common places to make sure you have your message, but what about other instances? Consider announcements, half sheet program inserts, or table tents at parish Advent events, donut Sundays, inside news for ministry volunteers. 
• Think about how people engage with messages and make donors feel special by customizing pieces like donation form submission responses as well as the gift confirmation email. 
• Show gratitude and follow up with thank you notes. Even posting public thank yous to “supporters” of your cause or updates on fundraising progress can inspire others to participate and make it happen.
• Remember to talk about it. If it’s something truly important, than remind your staff to actually talk about it in conversation with volunteers or in passing. A simple, “Be sure to read about [fund name] on the website. It’s a great cause to take part in, and one that will really make a difference. Could you please pray for it and consider offering a gift too?” 

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Your webpage and giving form

Your fund’s webpage is the hub of inspiration for your cause.Think about how to use only the best details and imagery to make your page a great experience for your page visitors. Need an example? We created one for you to see and help get creative wheels turning for your own EOY giving page.

Check it out: EOY giving webpage example