For many people, September is the start of the school year. While it feels like a new beginning for many, September is the end of the third quarter for those working on a calendar year. For donors, we are headed into Q4 in the United States. Personal finances operate on the tax year and we are quickly approaching the end of 2024. Are you prepared? As we head into Q4, how confident are you that you have effectively informed and engaged your constituents so they have your organization in year-end charitable giving plans?
As I write this my flip flops aren’t too far from my table. It’s still 90 degrees in Florida. I feel like an aggressive department store that skips fall and heads straight to the winter holiday season. While that couldn’t be further from the truth for me personally, approaching and successfully executing end-of-year giving strategies takes some advance work.
Three years ago I was leading the fundraising program at a school where the culture of philanthropy was very new. Many of the constituents were from international backgrounds and educating families on their importance of giving was a critical step in our development strategy. Over the summer, we worked to build an informational piece that would inform our community about the role of philanthropy at an independent school and plant the seed for future conversations. That piece was one of the most fun things I have worked on. You can still see it online today. Our partners at CEH Design spent countless hours collaborating to develop something that addressed a unique problem. While each organization is different, I can see a variation of this being highly useful for anyone trying to build a culture of philanthropy.
One of the most important steps for any nonprofit organization is to explain your “why?” Focusing here allows donors to understand your purpose and align it with their own. Ultimately, the first answer to “why” should be your mission but don’t forget that donors review your materials and are asking the “why” question of themselves. “Why should I support this organization?” If your website, social media feeds, and printed materials don’t answer this question you know where you need to focus.
Organizational promotion exists to share with the world the organization’s mission and how it is striving to achieve it. Key features may include:
- Impact stories
- Program promotion
- Donor highlights
- Business news
- Data
Each element is critically important and provides important information that helps current and potential donors find the answer to their why. Each marketing channel your organization employs offers a unique way to reach your audiences. It is important that you spend time assessing what your audience needs to know and where to find them. We all know that different groups of individuals are more inclined to use different forms of communication. Each form of communication also offers unique opportunities to tell your story in a new way. What works on Facebook isn’t the same on Instagram. The way you communicate on TikTok isn’t the same as what you would put in your annual report. Strategy matters.
It is important for organizations to think through what they want to communicate. Once you do that important work, then focus on understanding the behaviors of your target audiences. It is best if you can study this from your own organizational data but if you are just getting started with this type of analysis, there are trend data publicly available that will help you make informed decisions. You want to understand where your target audiences are in the digital space. How do they communicate? What are their online behaviors? What works better in print? The Guide to Giving Piece that we developed was intended for a specific audience of current families. Other audiences might find the material interesting, but it was intended for current families and we first distributed a hard copy. With new families arriving at the school they were quick to read everything we presented to help get acclimated. The digital version was a secondary distribution strategy.
The creation of this piece helped gift officers have a reason to reach out. They were able to follow up on the start of school, the materials presented, and position themselves as resources to help families transition to a new school environment. This piece was a good conversation starter to explain the role of philanthropy at the school and open the door to a conversation about an individual family’s philanthropic philosophy and behaviors. It was impactful and it went on to win a Silver Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
There are two perspectives that are vitally important when designing any fundraising piece. The organization’s message and the donor’s perspective. Yes, you have information to share but if you aren’t taking into account what your audience needs to know, you might miss the opportunity to engage effectively. As you are thinking about your Q4 strategy, remember what you want to tell your audience but also remember what your audience needs to know.
