ARTICLE
End-of-Year Fundraising Problems (And How To Solve Them)
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End-of-year fundraising is like our version of the Superbowl. With many nonprofits raising as much as 50% of their budget in December alone, there’s a lot at stake — and a lot of end-of-year fundraising problems to overcome.
To help you ride this massive wave of generosity, I’m answering your burning questions
Q: How much email is too much email?
A: The #1 thing I see that makes fundraisers feel cringey is the fear that they’re oversaturating their list with email. That fear is based on a mistaken belief that everyone on your list is actually READING your emails. They aren’t! Don’t believe me? Open your email platform and tell me what your open rate is. If you’re like most nonprofits, it’s around 30-40%. That means for every email you send, as many as 70% of your readers never see it. The solution?
- Send more emails.
- Write great subject lines.
- Email your list frequently with compelling and helpful content.
- Clean your list frequently by unsubscribing (not deleting) subscribers who aren’t opening your emails, because sending to them hurts your deliverability.
Q: How do I overcome writer’s block?
A: We all find ourselves staring at that blinking cursor with no idea what to write.
Here’s some stellar advice on what to think about before you start writing your appeal from fundraising expert Claire Axelrad:
- A compelling story.
- A photo that reinforces your story. Ideally, this is a close-up of one person (or animal) looking straight at the camera. Use a caption under your photo.
- A narrator. This could be a current or former client, a graduate, a parent, your founder, or an inanimate object, such as a can of food at the food bank, a sick kidney, or an animal you are trying to protect.
- A compelling opening line. You have 2 seconds to get their attention and get them to read on, so use it wisely by opening with something powerful, surprising, or starting in the middle of the action or story.
- Your ask. This is the problem your donors can solve. What are you asking donors to support? Is it believable? (If you suggest that my $100 gift will end hunger, I won’t believe you. If you tell me it will buy 300 meals for a hungry person, that’s something I can comprehend.) How will it make a difference? Why is their support needed now?
Q: What is a reasonable response rate?
A: Response rates differ by channel, for example, direct mail vs. email. Despite what you might hear, direct mail still reigns over email, but results will always vary by audience, for example, current donors vs. a cold list and audience size.
Generally speaking, a reasonable response rate for a direct mail appeal to a warm list could be 3-6%. Why the range? Generally speaking, smaller lists will outperform larger lists. The average response rate on cold acquisitional direct mail is 0.6%, and a record-setting success would be a 1% response rate.
Q: How can I stand out in a sea of solicitations?
A: For email:
You need a subject line that stands out. You can use personalization, flattery, curiosity, humor, or brevity. My favorite tool for testing email subject lines is sendcheckit.com because, on top of rating your subject line, it gives you advice on how to improve it.
For direct mail:
Direct mail is all about your outer envelope. Think about what makes you open the mail you get. A blank outer envelope with no branding, so you tear it open to see who it’s from? Lots of stamps, or was it sent by priority mail? A cute, curious, or compelling image you can’t resist?
Q: I know I need a tangible offer in my appeal, but does that limit my ability to use it for our general fund?”
A: Not if you clarify it. Here are several examples to help you:
- Add this phrase somewhere in your appeal: “Your gift will not only help this project, but all our work at X.”
- Somewhere in your reply device affirmation statement, add the phrase “and other places” or “and other projects” or “and other work.” For example, “Please use my gift to help endangered polar bears in Antarctica and other endangered wildlife” or “Please rush my gift below to save Arctic foxes and other endangered species.”
- Create a policy around the use of funds, for example: “In the case that funds exceed the project described, we’ll redirect the funds where they’re needed most,” and add that policy as a footnote in your reply device.
Q: What is segmenting, and why should I do it?
A: It might seem like a hassle to build segments for appeals, but the numbers show that organizations that take the time to segment receive more gifts, bigger gifts, and more frequent gifts. Segmenting enables you to tailor your messaging, ask amounts, and communication strategies to increase your donors’ interest in and support for your organization. Segmenting is especially critical during the busy rush of year-end fundraising because we don’t want to bombard a donor who gives a gift to us in the early hours of GivingTuesday with a flurry of more emails asking them to give.
Why does all this matter? One of the greatest gifts we can give our donors is the gift of being known by us. Most donors won’t make a second gift (87%). But a donor who gives two gifts is over twice as likely to remain loyal to you. Bump it up to three or more, and the likelihood of retaining that donor can go as high as 60%!
Q: How do I personalize?
A: Personalizing your communications—whether email or direct mail—has a huge impact on your donors’ feeling known, seen, and appreciated by you. If a direct mail piece arrives at my home—and it’s addressed to me—I should not open it and read the salutation, “Dear friend.” You know my name, use it. Using your recipient’s first name in the subject line, pre-text, or body of your email appeal can dramatically boost your open and click-through rates, as well as donations.
Q: My boss keeps trying to edit my appeal and turn it into a snooze fest ‘report card’ of all the great things the organization has done this year. What do I do?
A: If you have a boss who thinks they can do a better job writing their own appeal or rewriting your appeal, I invite you to do a split A/B test to see whose appeal performs best. The results will speak for themselves! I love this approach because it shows your bravery to stand for your principles and willingness to take risks. If you hit it out of the park, you could get the respect and latitude to move ahead freely.
Turning donors into lifelong champions
Year-end fundraising is about more than just meeting a goal. It’s about making donors feel like they’re part of something bigger—something they want to support. Every interaction, from a well-timed email to a thoughtful message, helps build trust and loyalty. When donors know that they’re appreciated, they’re not just giving—they’re joining a movement. This season, the real win isn’t just in dollars raised, but in creating champions who will stick with you for the long haul. That’s where the magic happens.
What end-of-year fundraising problems are you dealing with? Let us know in the comments.
Download our year-end guide today and get started on your path to success!
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