It’s Not Too Late For a Record Breaking Year End Campaign
Hundreds of millions of dollars were raised for nonprofits around the world last week during #GivingTuesday. Your organization didn’t get what you’d hoped for last Tuesday? Don’t let that get you down. According to a benchmark study by Next After, only 3.8% of online calendar year-end revenue comes in on #GivingTuesday. That means there are a LOT of online donations still to be captured this year! In fact, 31% of total annual online giving happens in December – and nearly 50% of that is given after Christmas in the last week of the year.
Make your list and check it twice to be sure you’ve got the best online fundraising campaign in place to capture your share of year-end giving.
•Send multiple e-appeals the last week of the year. The average nonprofit sends four e-appeals in December and many send 10 or more. 20% of online year-end revenue comes in on New Year’s Eve and most of that can be tracked back to an e-appeal. If you don’t have an email (or three) in your donor’s inbox, you stand to miss out on their year-end giving. The best donors are going to give – make sure your organization is top of mind!
•Boost your search results. You won’t reach everyone through email so be sure your organization is easy to find online. If you’re like most nonprofits, your website doesn’t rank at the top of the organic search results, so paid ads are a way to capture more attention. And with $10k available each month through the Google Grants program, it doesn’t have to cost a lot to get started.
•Target non-converting site visitors. An ad campaign that re-targets visitors to your website who left without making a donation can effectively re-engage them and capture their year-end gift. As with any advertising, it takes multiple impressions to break through the clutter and get attention. Assuming you have relevant ad content, don’t be afraid to put your ad in front of your target up to 9x in the last week of the year.
•Ensure a mobile-friendly, optimized website. A growing number of online donations are made from a mobile device rather than a desktop computer. You’re driving a lot of traffic to your site, so you want to make sure you’re effectively capturing the donations. If your website isn’t responsive, consider setting up a year-end donation page that formats itself according to the type of device your visitor is using. And run a quick usability test to make sure the donation form is as easy to use as possible.
•Take over your homepage. When people visit your website, many want to know how they can best help your organization. A generous year-end donation is the answer the last week of the year. Make it clear, and make it easy to do. No need to look for a donation button when your whole home page is a click-able “ad” to give!
If you want to make sure your nonprofit is poised and ready for a record-breaking year-end campaign, send us an email at info@meyerpartners.com