The Coach’s Playbook for EOY Giving
If you have ever paid attention to football head coaches during a game, you will see they have a sheet of paper with various plays listed for each situation the team might face, including the last few minutes of the game. The following is my list of plays for an end-of-year overview. Not all of what I list might work for you. If followed, this basic plan of action WILL greatly increase your end-of-year giving. I advise…
Social Media Push—Starting in early November, across all communication platforms, you want to focus on your message, heightening awareness. A picture is worth a thousand words. Let’s show the need before we make the “ask!”
Thank you email in early November—We always ask, but we seldom thank. So, send out an email or letter thanking donors for their giving success thus far. This is not an appeal but a cultivation, and it also serves to warm your list.
First Direct Appeal Letter, Week of November 15th—I recommend that your direct appeal end-of-year letter be sent out no later than this date. For ease of use, this letter should have a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope.
December Plan of action: I recommend ramping up information about the “ask ” across all communications platforms. Now, we are specifically asking people to give. Before, we were priming the pump with awareness of need. Now, work to bring home donations to meet that need. Here are my ideas.
Utilize “Giving Tuesday.” The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is being established across the country as a time when charities ask people to give. You should piggyback on this with an email strategy asking for a gift that day.
Special Landing Page on your website – Consider purchasing a special page with a dedicated address. Titles such as Wells4Africa.com can be bought cheaply and forwarded to your giving pages.
Social Media—You want to put a face on the “ask” AND provide direct links to the giving page. I recommend starting with one a day early in the month and increasing the rate as we approach the end of the year.
Offering talks – Plan out sixty-second offering talks for each Sunday in December.
Screen announcements – Have screen announcements about the end-of-year offering that can be utilized before and after services.
Email campaign—I recommend at least two emails. I would send one out on Monday, the 23rd, and another at 2 PM on New Year’s Eve, December 31st.
That is the bare-bones basics of my plans for the end of the year. Take the next few weeks to plan out in each of these points a plan of action that would fit your culture and context. Remember, vision driven “asks” are the most successful in terms of dollars raised. Start working on the message of your vision and how you want to communicate that message across all your platforms. The time you spend now will be repaid on December 31st!