Especially for Nonprofits, Schools and Churches

Holiday and End-of-Year 
Fundraising Appeals

If you're already planning on a year-end appeal, how can you maximize your results? 

If you've never done a year-end appeal, how can you quickly write and get one out by the end of this week?


But Aren't People Tired of Being Asked to Give?

Your donors support you because you are doing something important.  If you have done a good job of showing your gratitude and using their donations wisely, then your supporters expect you to continue asking for help.  

And there are two really good reasons to appeal to people for support at the end of the year.  

FIRST, in the hustle and bustle of planning family gatherings and shopping for presents, many people take a step back and think about the idea behind holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.  These are opportunities to think about family members, neighbors and community members, people we don't know but are in need, and organizations doing good work. 

SECOND, the end of the year is an opportunity to follow through on goals and pledges related to charitable giving.  An added benefit is the tax deduction that comes with a donation to a qualifying organization.  

So, DO NOT feel badly about asking for more support.  People will make their own choice about whether or not to give at the moment.  Offer them the opportunity.  


3 Steps to Maximizing Your Results 

Step #1 - Say thank you and tell them why you're asking for help up front.  

Always begin your letter or email with a big fat THANK YOU for all the support you've already received.  You can't say thank you too many times.  The second sentence should make clear why you are writing again.  

Here's an example: 

• Dear community member, we are so excited about how our first year is going at Tomorrow River Community Charter School!  

• We have so many people to thank for our successful launch - the families who chose our school for their children, our amazing students, volunteers who helped get our classrooms ready and continue to step up for any task we need help with, and community members who are interested in offering hands-on experiences to our children. 

• We welcomed 52 students this fall, and we're in the process of growing our enrollment by more than 30 more students next year, and even more the year after that.  We'll outgrow our space soon, and that's why we're writing.  

Step #2 - Celebrate your successes so your donors know how their past support has made a difference. 

No one knows how hard you're working or the impact you're having if you don't tell them.  People will feel very excited when you share stories with them that help them understand the meaning and impact of their donations.  Take this opportunity to tell them a story that brings your mission to life.  

For example: 

We want to take a moment to share some exciting accomplishments:

• Hands-on learning and field trips.  We're so excited to report that just three months into the school year, our students have been able to take their learning outside of the classroom almost every week through field trips plus hands-on activities.  These opportunities are critical to our unique Waldorf approach.  

• Transportation funding.  For many of our families who come from other school districts, transportation is an obstacle.  We're excited to share that our parent group was able to raise enough money and work with our local bus company to make transportation affordable.

Step #3 - Share your vision and priorities and explain why you're asking for support.  

The last step is to let people know more about what you need help with.  You have expressed gratitude for their support and helped them see how they have already made a difference.  Now it's time to share your new priorities and be specific about what you need to accomplish those.  

For example: 

• Tomorrow River Community Charter School is excited to have opened our doors to 52 students this year, but we will soon outgrow our space.  We plan to build a sustainable, nature-inspired building that is suited to our unique approach.  This new facility will allow us to expand enrollment to eight classes totaling 160 students.  

• The building will blend into the natural surroundings of the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES), which is located on 200 acres of woods bordering beautiful glacial Sunset Lake.  The building will utilize many energy efficiency measures and solar to produce electricity and to heat the building. 

• Our next task is to secure $4,500 to create drawings and a design.  We hope to raise this amount before the end of the year.  

• I know many people that make donations to charities in lieu of receiving gifts for the holidays.  If this sounds like you or someone you know, consider a gift to Tomorrow River Community Charter School for our facilities campaign.  Let us know if you want to make a gift on someone's behalf and we'll be happy to recognize both you and the other person. 

• We're enclosing our professional case statement, which tells you more about our philosophy and approach, as well as our facilities case statement.  Please feel free to pass it along to others to let them know what we're up to.  In the meantime, your donation of $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or other amount will help us achieve this next important step in our facilities plan. 

Get Your Appeal Out Via Mail, Email or Facebook by the End of This Week! 

You've got a small window though to do this.  The end of the year is very busy, and you should try to get it out before December 10th.  As always, let me know how it goes, especially if you've never done this before.  Others can benefit by your experience. 

Deb