It's that time. In fact, it's a little past due for that time. You know, the time where you contact your donors and ask them to help you round out your year's budget. Well, not in so many words -- at least I hope not.
Almost every nonprofit organization out there knows the end of year appeal. And they almost all depend on this mailing to bail them out of the red. There are, as you might be expecting me to say, a few problems with this strategy.
Firstly, if your fundraising program is set up properly, you won't ever need to rely on one mailing to bail you out of the red -- no, not ever. That's right. A healthy fundraising program is much like a healthy portfolio: It's diversified -- in medium and in timing. You don't build your entire portfolio in dot com stocks that are expected to all spike at the end of the year (again, I hope not). A healthy fundraising program doesn't build itself on a direct mail appeal that's expected to rake in the dough in the last month of the year.
That was problem number one. Now, for problem number two. A nonprofit organization shouldn't expect its donors to bail it out of the red. Your bookkeeping is your problem.
Donors don't give to nonprofits. They give to missions. They give because they believe in the cause and they like how your organization is making a difference to that cause. So don't ask your donors to bail you out. Ask them to support the cause. You can make a case for your organization, but build it on your mission statement, not on your bookkeeping. You'll be much more successful.
Stay tuned for a sample end of year appeal, to be posted soon on the web site.
Need help putting together a last minute end of year appeal? We can help. Even better, contact us to help you establish a successful, diversified fundraising program so you don't have end up in the red every single year.
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