Ep. 218: The Fundraising Advice I’d Ignore Before Year-End
EPISODE 218
The Fundraising Advice I’d Ignore Before Year-End
About the Episode:
Between now and December 31, you’ll get more fundraising advice than at any other time of year: from your board, your inbox, LinkedIn, and that one org that raised $50K and wants to tell you how. Most of it sounds smart, but some of it will quietly cost you momentum, money, and time.
In this episode, I walk through six pieces of year-end fundraising advice I’d ignore. One sounds like the most responsible thing you could do. Another is something I love, and I’d still tell most of you to skip it this year. I explain why adding a new tactic can hurt a campaign that’s already working. I also explain why “quality over quantity” is a false choice for your year-end emails (one executive director sent 33 emails and raised 80% more in two weeks). Plus: why you shouldn’t stop asking donors who already gave, and why neither Giving Tuesday nor monthly giving should carry your whole year-end. I also share the one question to ask before you add any new idea: Is this solving a revenue problem or soothing our anxiety?
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Why the biggest threat to your year-end campaign might be a good idea
The year-end advice that sounds the most responsible, and what it can quietly cost you
What 33 emails and 80% more raised in two weeks reveal about donor fatigue
The “kind” fundraising habit that may be costing you major gifts
Where Giving Tuesday really fits in your year-end strategy
The strategy I love that I’d still tell most nonprofits to skip this year
The one question to ask before adding anything new to your year-end plan
It’s not your stories—it’s how you’re telling them. If your amazing work isn’t getting the attention (and donations) it deserves, it’s time for a messaging shift. The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide guide gives you 10 done-for-you donor prompts to make your message impossible to ignore. Get it for free here! https://christinaedwards.krtra.com/t/xKuLs6tOiPZa
Christina’s Favorite Takeaways:
“A better question to ask and evaluate before you jump on a new tactic is: What can we squeeze out of what's already working?”
“A new tactic can't rescue a campaign no one cares about.”
“Good emails in small quantity will not get you to where you want to be.”
“You need to have stronger emails because if you have better emails but not enough of them, you're missing donations.”
“More communication is the heart of the relationship.”
“When and if donors choose to support your cause.”
“Optimize for year-end, and Giving Tuesday is a part of that.”
“Your December revenue is being built right now, today”
“A good idea and a good strategy are not the same thing.”
Episode Resources:
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Christina Edwards 1:20
The biggest threat to your year-end campaign right now isn't a bad idea; it might just be a good one. So think about it: between now and December 31, you're going to get, whether you ask for it or not, more fundraising advice than any other time of year from your board, from your ED, from your inbox, from LinkedIn, from Instagram, from some well-meaning volunteer donor, best friend, neighbor, a webinar, that one org that raised 50k and wants to tell you how they did it. Advice is everywhere, and most of it will sound smart. Most of it will sound like a good idea. Some of it is smart. It is. They are good ideas, and yet it can quietly cost you a lot of momentum, a lot of money, and a lot of time. So today, I'm walking through the year-end advice that I'd ignore. One of them sounds like the most responsible thing that you could do. One of them is actually something I really, really love, and I'll tell most of you not to do it this year and why. So right now, your most valuable resource isn't another idea; it's your attention. So we're gonna protect it today. All right. So the first piece of advice I want you to ignore: you need another tactic. Now the advice doesn't show up exactly like that. It doesn't say, "Here is another tactic you try. this one shows up throughout this season in really subtle, sneaky ways, and it might show up outside of you and your organization, or you might have you might catch yourself doing this to yourself without even knowing and recognizing it. So inside my coaching program, the club, I had a client recently come to a coaching call with a list of things to add to year end. Now, there our online campaign already has a proven strategy to it. This is something we've ran before. We know the audience. We already have a strong message, strong story, urgency. All of those components baked in. And their last campaign, they exceeded the goal. Now, just a few weeks away from launching this particular campaign, they started to wonder if they should add a mini event on top, a little something, a little, a little not quite a gala, but a mini event. Why? It felt like they should be doing more. There was this pressure, like, okay, this is kind of an interesting thing that happens when you build a process and create a process to raise money online and to do it again and again and again, it's not that I want you to just get in the habit of rinsing and repeating and never ever adding to it or never innovating and never having any creativity. That's not what I'm saying. But instead, what. Feels like is because you're like, can it be this simple? Could it be possible? We'll hit our goal without adding more. Then from that place, you add pressure. Let's just do a little in person something something. So instead, what we did is number one, we called that out. You know, I showed them that they were solving for a problem that didn't exist, and instead we tightened the campaign they were working towards instead of running away from, sharpening what was already working instead of splitting their attention. Now listen, I get it. When something was working, it almost feels irresponsible to just keep doing it. Right? Like I got to do more, pile on more, it feels uncomfortable. So you start looking for the next thing, and usually the money is on the table, sitting inside of the thing that's already working. It's about doubling down. That's why I call it sprinting. It's like we sprint until the end. We sprint until the finish line. Think about it like this: it's like finding the one fishing spot where the fish are biting, and then packing up and going to a new lake because you're like, it's all so easy, it's all so simple, right?
Christina Edwards 11:07
So the next time you realize or you hear or you're enticed by a shiny new tactic, I want you to think about it first. Every tactic has a cost, right? So, like, let's decide. Let's say you're like, ooh, SMS texting. Let's start texting, right? Then you go down a rabbit hole. I got to pick a platform. I got to compare vendors. I got to look at pricing. I got to do a demo. I got to talk to my board. I got to integrate it, import contacts. What about compliance? Opt in, opt out. I got to write the text. You're 20-30, hours into a new channel while your actual campaign isn't finished, and you're like, I don't have time for this. Why did I do this in the first place? You did it because well-meaning advice. So the better way to think about this, the better question to ask and evaluate before you jump on a new tactic is: What can we squeeze out of what's already working? If we're doing direct mail, how do we five exit? If we're doing email, are you using and capturing conversions from the full size of your list? Probably not. Are you running an online campaign? Where are the leaks? Fix those before you add another shiny thing.
And if you're running an online campaign, I want you to think about this: for somebody to go from prospect, not yet donor, to actual checkout on the page, they've got to hear about your organization, hear learn about your case for giving. You have to message them, ask, weave in urgency, multiple channels, that donation page, that checkout experience, that thank you, that follow up, that retention plan. So before you add a new tactic, make sure that those are locked in, because a new tactic can't rescue a campaign no one cares about. A campaign that's not converting. So expansion should come from strategy, not a response to anxiety.
Now, number two, this one sounds really smart. Prioritize quality over quantity in your year-end emails. Right? It makes sense. Don't just blast and spam your people. You've probably heard it. You might have said it or thought it. Here's why I'd ignore that advice. It sounds strategic, but it's a false choice. Meaning, you need good emails, and you need enough of them. Good emails in small quantity will not get you to where you want to be. Now, I'm speaking to you as if you don't want to plateau this year. I'm speaking to you if a 3% increase year over year is not what you're after. And if that's the case, then don't do this. Don't follow this bad advice.
Now, this isn't about sending more weak emails. It's not just about just sending more emails for email's sake. You need to have stronger emails because if you have better emails but not enough of them, you're missing donations. You hear me? So better emails, but not enough of them. You're missing donations. That frequency matters because not everyone is reading everything, opening everything. Remember, year end is also holiday season. We're busy. Everyone's busy. Now, next after, they're one of my favorites for doing these deep dives and data studies, this is a really compelling one.
Christina Edwards 17:05
They did a six-month experiment with existing online donors. Now, one of the groups they sort of A/B tested the groups, and one of the groups got an additional cultivation communications throughout that segment of time. That group that got more cultivation, more emails said simply, generated 41.5% more online revenue from higher conversion to higher gifts. so communicating more with your donors isn't the risk you think it is. More communication is the heart of the relationship. My clients prove this again and again and again to be true. So, we do need quality, but let me tell you, we need quantity. So, Kathy, she's executive director of the Lichensclerosis Support Network, and she came on the podcast and shared that in one of her campaigns, she sent 33 emails. She raised 80% more than the previous campaign, that same campaign the previous year. 80% more raised, and my favorite part in two weeks, less time, more money raised, less time spent. What did it require? Better emails and more of them. That's it. Her unsubscribe rate below 1% So y'all can't say, "Oh my God, everyone's gonna unsubscribe. They didn't. Everyone's scared that email number eight is gonna cause some sort of revolt, but your donors are not keeping score.
All right, number three is one I really want you to question. Don't ask donors who gave already. Don't ask donors who gave recently. It sounds kind. It sounds respectful, but think about what you're actually doing. Someone makes a donation. They feel connection to your cause. So your response is great. Let's make sure we never give them a chance to give again anytime soon. And then, what do you say to me six months later? Donor fatigue, economy, everything slowing down. Okay, well, what was your part in that? So when you say things like they already gave, or you hear that well-meaning advice, it is costing you major donations. So somebody who gave $500 in March, or $500 in August. Do not segment them out, even if you're like, oh, but I don't want to seem too much. You have to let them decide. It is not your job to decide when and if they choose to support your cause. Give. Them the opportunity, give them the invitation, give them the chance. And when you are running campaigns the way we teach inside of the Sprint Method™ and inside of the club, there are different asks, different reasons to give, different decisions, and not every Sprint campaign is going to appeal to every donor. So think about it: the person who wants to give on Giving Tuesday is not necessarily the same donor who's going to give on december 31. Is not necessarily the same donor who's going to give on october 1. Those are different donors, different asks, different whys. Now sometimes they overlap, but do not decide for them. so past giving is that evidence of affinity of connection. Use judgment, segment, steward, nurture, build the relationships, but don't turn stewardship into silence.
All right, number four. This one sounds like one of the most responsible things you could ever do. Save your asks for December. Right? Wait. Wait until Giving Tuesday. Wait until it's December. That's really year end. Wait until people are in a giving mood. Don't bother people early. If you start too soon, you're going to tire people out. No, December matters. And listen, I want you to use December. December is very important. But your December revenue is being built right now, today, whether you realize it or not, whether it's part of your strategy or not, The people who give later are noticing, opening, reading, thinking about it, remembering you now, building connection now. When you wait, you disappear. Then you show up yelling, "We need money, SOS. Then December has to do all the work. That's stressful for you. That's pressure on the donor. That's pressure on the organization. That's pressure on the board. You start making the case when your donors are already flooded, and they're in holiday season and figuring out gifts and teacher gifts and travel and this and that. I want time off. Instead, use year end to start today if you haven't already. Now is the time.
Christina Edwards 22:47
Now you may turn that into Christina saying to raise and ask money for money and run a campaign for three straight months. That is not what I'm saying. We teach there's nuance to this, right? And we teach this inside of my programs, what I am saying is, do not wait until December.
All right, number five. This is the big one. I want to be careful here because some of y'all are doing this. Have this planned. Be careful on making Giving Tuesday your big year-end moment. A lot of advice says now more than ever, Giving Tuesday, Giving Tuesday. Listen, I love Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is one of my favorites, but think of Giving Tuesday as an important, essential ingredient, not the full recipe. Like we need it; it's the chocolate chips and the chocolate chip cookies, but it is not the whole thing, right? It is just chocolate on its own. It's chocolate, which is great, but it's not the whole thing. We don't get cookies from it, so it's great for building in a sprint for that day or the days leading up to Giving Tuesdays, but the problem I see is you're going to scoop up if you do Giving Tuesday right. You're going to scoop up people who love giving on Giving Tuesday. It's their day. It's like such a fun day. You're going to scoop up people who've never heard about Giving Tuesday, who hear about it from a friend, who this is their first Giving Tuesday they participate in. You're going to get those people, and then there is a whole nother group of donors that that's just not their thing. And if you let Giving Tuesday be your. Pull moment. You're only one in December. You are leaving so much revenue on the table because you want to think about what happens before Giving Tuesday. What happens after? What is the bigger goal and message? What happens for the donor? What happens for the person who clicked but didn't give? Right. Those are the pieces that are essential for year end. It doesn't stop on Giving Tuesday. There's absolutely another opportunity, and you should, whether you're using direct mail, digital, one to one, or all of the above, continue fundraising after Giving Tuesday. Don't optimize for Winning Tuesday. I want you to think about it this way: optimize for year end, and Giving Tuesday is a part of that.
Now, number six. This is the one I told you about the beginning of the episode. This is something I love. This is something our clients are winning at. Our clients are getting more and more of these, and it is creating sustainable revenue. It is scaling up their programs. and it is giving their nonprofit the ability to scale without those high highs and those low lows in revenue cycles. Okay. Now, even though this is something I love, I'm still gonna tell like 99% of you not to do this this year. Make monthly giving your year end strategy. Now, I know y'all have probably sat on some webinars. you've read some LinkedIn posts all about monthly giving. I know monthly giving is so essential, and it is something that every single organization listening to this episode should think about building into their 2027 strategy if it's not already. But here's why it won't work and shouldn't work for year end. We're actually going to dig into an entire dedicated episode about monthly giving next week, so make sure you're subscribed to the podcast. You'll get that episode when I drop it. But one of the strongest revenue opportunities for this sector is not monthly giving during year end, and making it your strategy is the wrong play for most nonprofits at year end. So, if part of your Giving Tuesday fundraiser or part of your year-end appeal is to scoop in and invite in new monthly givers. I want you to bookmark next week's episode to listen to why it is a wrong year-end strategy. All right, let's recap for today. Don't add strengthen.
Christina Edwards 28:37
If you have strengthened your campaigns, then you can add. You with me? So if you're like our year-end direct mail piece, our outer envelope, our digital campaign, we have multiple sprints. We've got Giving Tuesday unlock. It is all golden. We're good to go. We built out our street team. We've got peer fundraisers. Then okay, we can talk about strengthening and then adding onto that, we can weave in some extra stuff. But if you do not have your fundraising engine ready to go and have those pieces ready for year end, do not go and start a TikTok. Do not go and find the perfect magical tool for texting or the perfect magical software or acquisition list. You with me? It's going to send you away from the outcome you want. If you have questions about that, I highly recommend going to splendidcourses.com forward slash apply so you can learn more about what it's like to work together. If you're like, we're kind of doing that, or we don't have our stuff in a row, or we've been chasing things, and I don't know what to do. It's not too late to right side your year end. Okay, what else? Don't ration email. Don't decide for donors. Don't wait for December. Don't bet it all on one Tuesday and monthly giving. Dig into next week. So, if you add any idea between now and december 31, I want you to ask: Does this make what we're already doing stronger, or is this just taking us further away? We're already doing. Does this fix a gap we know we already have? Is this solving a problem we know we have. Can we execute it well without sacrificing something really important? Probably my favorite question is this: Is this solving a revenue problem or soothing our anxiety? I'm not telling you to play small. I want you to go big. It's quite the opposite, right? I want you to send more emails. I want you to make more asks. I want you to follow up and follow up again. I want you to improve the story. I want you to grow the audience. I want you to invest where there's leverage. More of what produces revenue, less of what produces effort, less of what produces activity. Those are very different. So pull up your year-end plan. If you don't have one, send me a message and say year-end. Say, oh my gosh, I don't have a year-end plan. Let's talk. Find the piece that's already working. Ask yourself, how do we make this 2x better before we add anything new? How do we squeeze the juice from what we're already doing? So when somebody walks in with a brilliant idea, or you see something on Instagram, and you're like, "Ooh, should we do that? I want you to filter it through this lens. You don't have to do it just because it is a good idea. Bookmark it for later. A good idea and a good strategy are not the same thing. So, if you want someone making these calls with you, supporting you through year end, which ideas to take, which to ignore, which to double down on, where the leverage actually is-that's the work we do in the club. You can go to splendidcourses.com/apply for details. I'll see you next time.