Many ways for board to help with end‐of‐year fundraising

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.31183
• Date: 01 November 2020
• Published date: 01 November 2020

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

View this newsletter online at wileyonlinelibrary.com • DOI: 10.1002/ban

Editor: Nicholas King

Supplement

Many ways for board to help

with end-of-year fundraising

With Giving Tuesday just around the corner,

kicking off the year-end giving season for 2020,

nonprofit boards should find plenty of ways to

support fundraising campaigns to help ensure

the financial health of the organizations they’ve

dedicated their time and effort to throughout the

year.

Many board members—just like the general

public—aren’t aware that charities rely on end-

of-year fundraising for the bulk of their cash do-

nations for the year. In fact, the typical nonprofit

can expect to bring in up to a third of its annual

fundraising revenue just in the month of Decem-

ber alone. Starting with Giving Tuesday, which

takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving,

the final six weeks or so mark a crucial period

for nonprofits, which often have multiple cam-

paigns running, targeting different donor groups

through different channels and mediums, and

each offering different ways board members can

contribute their time, money and connections to

help out the effort.

According to noted international fundraising ex-

pert Gail Perry, board members have a role to play

in most of the typical fundraising strategies chari-

ties use at the end of the year, including:

• Direct mail and/or email campaigns. No

matter the size of the nonprofit, board mem-

bers can help out simply by writing a personal

note to be added to the bottom of a fundraising

appeal, Perry said. But even more important is

their role in seeding the ground, as it were, by

sending out thank-you notes in advance of the

appeal.

“Board members can engage in thank-a-thons

that reference the donor’s past support, letting

them know how much their support has been

appreciated,” Perry said, noting that numerous

studies show that donors are much more likely

to give again if they are reminded of their previ-

ous gifts. Psychologists explain that reminding a

donor that they previously gave to the organiza-

tion helps them to view themselves as a chari-

table person—a “do-gooder”—which leads them

to give more.

Also, it may have been some time—even a

year—since the donor last heard from the orga-

nization. The pre-appeal letter helps to kickstart

the relationship again before the formal fundrais-

ing solicitation arrives. And it’s a simple thing for

board members to help out with.

“This is a very powerful strategy,” Perry said.

Board members can also help out in a simi-

lar fashion by following up with donors after the

appeal has been sent out, she said. Each board

member can take on a portion of the mailing list

and send follow-up emails or letters to those who

did not respond.

“This just reinforces the ask that the staff is

sending out,” she said.

• Peer-to-peer campaigns. When it comes to

peer-to-peer campaigns, board members have a

great resource to draw upon, Perry said—their

social connections.

On a basic level, they should at least spread

the message of the organization and get the word

out about the P2P campaign by sharing it on all

November 2020 Vol. 37, No. 3

continued on page 2