By Chelsey Souza, CFRE

Did you know that about 30% of all giving happens in December? If you haven’t begun planning your year-end fundraising campaign yet, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Here are some recommendations for getting started today:

  1. Create realistic goals and timeline for campaign execution. Use last year’s results and timing as a starting point. What worked well, and what didn’t?
  2. Define strategies for engaging board members and other volunteers in the campaign. Yes, it’s time consuming, but involving these constituencies is sure to increase the amount raised (and help build upon a culture of philanthropy).
  3. Be sure to manage competing campaigns, including major giving programs. You’ll want to pull this segment of appeal recipients and carefully review each household in order to personalize communications thoughtfully.
  4. Strategize on stewardship. Have a plan for promptly thanking every donor and letting them know how their gift was used (especially if restricted). Be accountable and use integrity at all levels of gift processing.