It’s the Most Magical Time of the Year... Giving Season
It’s giving season. It is estimated that 1/3 of all giving takes place in November and December.
And, the season of giving is the perfect time to engage your donors, say thank you and connect with new major donors. At this time of year, families often gather together to think through the causes they will support and there is a possibility that some of our public media members may be seeking out new philanthropic opportunities. What does this mean? Your members may be looking to identify a new organization to support in their top tier of giving.
Here are a few ideas to activate this giving season:
Commit a few hours each week to saying THANK YOU
This is also gratitude season, and it’s the perfect time to thank your donors without including an ask. Send short, handwritten thank you notes, make some calls to express your gratitude to new donors, or create a Thanksgiving appreciation postcard to send to everyone in your major giving annual fund program.
Create personalized thank you videos
Think about implementing innovative new tools, such as personalized video thank you messages with our new partnership with Gratavid. By reaching out to say thank you, no ask, you have the opportunity to engage your donors and make longer term, sustainable connections for retention.
Develop gratitude plans
Every donor and member should have a gratitude plan. But perhaps start with pulling a list of all new members in 2022 to date. Or, all donors giving at a level close to your major giving level. Looking for more tips on finding a list of members to thank? Review our recent webinar on DonorSearch.
Another key group to review are your members who give through Donor Advised Funds (DAF). These donors are strategic about their philanthropy and have intentionally organized their giving through a DAF. And, they have already put money aside for their annual philanthropy goals, so fluctuations in the stock market and other economic factors may not affect their budget for philanthropy!
Sponsors of DAFs are anticipating another year of increased giving. Vanguard Charitable predicted another record-breaking year as of August 2022 * This means donors that use DAFs continue to pour money into the funds and have dollars they have put aside to support charitable causes. So, the time is now to reach out, say thank you and make the personal connection.
And remember, keep it simple. It’s the expression of gratitude effort that counts!