[OMS_MANAGERS] Year End Giving Tips

[STUART Sheri * OPRD]

Hi all - I sat in on a great webinar on Year End Giving and wanted to share some of my key "takeaways" in case they are of help to you:


  *   A large percentage of donors give in the period between #GivingTuesday and December 31 (23% of all giving in 2019 was in December and 22% in 2018). An indicator on how mid or major donors contribute is the Dow Jones which is performing pretty well this year so overall giving should be pretty consistent to the past. Average gas prices are the indicator for lower donors so indications are strong that these donors will still be positioned to give this year. My note: This isn't the time of the year many of our main street organizations give so it might be an opportunity.
  *   Year end giving should start earlier this year because uncertainty impacts how donors feel about giving. What this looks like is a multi-tier approach with steps before asking for support:
     *   Show impact made possible by donors
     *   Thank donors and volunteers - communicate they are valuable and are making a difference
     *   Pursue matching gifts - studies show this is a huge motivator and marketing tool

  *   In a study by NextAfter, Cut Through the Clutter, in year end appeals:

4% comes on #GivingTuesday - don't send just 1 email but multiple throughout the day; make heavy use of social media

36% on December 31 - have an aggressive plan to target giving on this day

17% on December 26-30

43% the rest of December

So, the bottom line is that year end campaigns can be successful by kicking off on #GivingTuesday and then followed up throughout December

  *   Words Matter:
     *   In the "from" line in your email; 42% look at who the email is from and 28% open when it is sent from a real person
     *   Subject line show have three components: urgency (deadline), match (extra incentive to give now), and exclusivity (what's exclusive to your organization - e.g., 100% of gift goes to ...)
     *   In the email copy, keep it short, simple and focused on the urgency, matching gift, case for support, and validation
     *   On your landing page - have compelling, well written copy (don't use video for appeal); suggest a gift amount based on your average contributions; include a goal meter (but only post after you have a good chunk of contributions pledged already)
  *   One last word of advice - if your cause was worthy before Covid, it is still important after Covid. And, if you are helping respond to pandemic, your cause is even more important. Note: to me, your main street efforts have been incredibly important to your communities during the pandemic so are needed now more than ever.

[New Picture (1)]


Sheri Stuart (she, her, hers) | Oregon Main Street Coordinator
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Oregon Heritage, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Desk: (503)986-0679 cell: (503)551-3705
www.oregonmainstreet.org<http://www.oregonmainstreet.org>
725 Summer St NE, Ste C
Salem, Oregon 97301

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