Guide to Omnichannel End-of-Year Fundraising
Posted by [email protected] on Sep. 22, 2025 / Subscribe 0
Guide to Omnichannel End-of-Year Fundraising
Capturing 5-, 6-, and 7-figure donations before December 31 is the dream for many fundraisers, but it’s hard work to cultivate donors and seek new ways to engage and connect. Structuring, planning, and executing your EOY campaign is paramount, and looking toward the end of the year with laser focus is the key. According to Double the Donation, 30% of annual giving happens in December, with 10% occurring in the last three days of the year.
Trillion has worked with dozens of nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia/New Jersey area. Fundraising professionals have turned to us to design and write compelling appeals and capital campaign materials that help raise millions of dollars annually. We’re eager to share with you how to make the most out of this season.
Planning Your Year-End Fundraising
Omnichannel end-of-year fundraising is the cohesive combination of digital and traditional branding, messaging, and touchpoints. We recommend starting these fundraising plans toward the close of summer and into September. Create a marketing/fundraising calendar and work backward from important dates such as December 31 or GivingTuesday; we also recommend including a day during the first week of November. The first week in November is great because the back-to-school rush has calmed and the holiday season craziness hasn’t fully started yet.
Gather mission stories that have happened this year. Achievements and milestones are also important to collect for the benefit of donors. Tell your stories and the impact that donors have made possible. Utilizing these stories in your efforts is crucial to highlight the fruits of your labor and prove that one donor does, and can, make a difference in contributing to your mission.
Getting Your Website Tuned Up for End-of-Year Fundraising Campaign(s)
Your website should be the nucleus for all of your campaign efforts. Everything ties back to your website, and it should serve as the home for communications and fundraising efforts. Email campaigns, social media posts, and even mailed appeals should link back to a specific landing page or video on your website, not just your homepage. Because of its importance, it should present your organization and your campaign efforts in the best possible light. We like utilizing photography and infographics to quickly and visually communicate the impact.
Here are a few key things your website should include so you can best tell your story(ies) and inspire visitors to support your organization:
Communicate the core. All of your mission and values should be clear, concise, and presented in an easy-to-find and easy-to-absorb layout.
Compellingly tell your story. Video is such a great storytelling medium, and your website should utilize it to show what you do and why donors should care.
Confirm all of your content is up to date and accurate. Nothing will turn away opportunities faster—and you’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Utilize photos and language in an impactful way, but use them strategically. Make sure the combination of design, imagery, and language is presented in nugget-sized pieces so skimming is easy and keeps visitors engaged.
Make donating easy-peasy. Streamline your donation process so it can be completed with ease. Many non-profit organizations want to capture WAY too much information from a donor, and that can prevent an individual from completing the process. Take a look and make sure your process is simple.
Design streamlined landing pages for each effort. If you segment your list, create targeted pages on your website that speak directly to the segment. This makes your donors feel more connected to you and the messages relevant to them. These pages are only visible to those who have the link to them.
Spruce Up Your Email Marketing Template(s)
Email marketing is a leading, cost-effective method to communicate with your constituents. The abundance of data that they can provide should allow you to test, analyze, and improve your email marketing campaigns.
Look through your analytics to determine areas for improvement. At the very least, make sure the campaign appears perfectly on mobile devices. According to AudiencePoint, mobile devices account for 50-60% of all email views—so they need to look great. Large images and short-format text can boost conversions and engagement, so refrain from including paragraphs of text in your next email campaign… people just don’t read it all.
You can also personalize your email campaigns more by leveraging dynamic data, or merge data, and tags, so your emails make a better connection. Targeting and segmenting your email list based on past activity or engagement is also worth considering, as well as how you can automate transactions or email campaigns based on any number of engagements. It can get technical, so it’s good to have someone who understands the nuances of your email marketing platform.
Sending Mail to Homes Still Works
Online donations streamline so much about fundraising, but you shouldn’t immediately rule out a printed appeal. Mailings are tactile and can also be personalized like an email campaign can be. Digital printing allows for relevant images and text to be utilized based on a recipient’s preferences or segment.
A mailing can be as simple as a nicely designed postcard or self-mailer and doesn’t need to be a multicomponent match mailing. Invitations and reports are great tools for a mailed campaign and can help support your digital marketing efforts.
GivingTuesday Still has Momentum
Since 2012, GivingTuesday has helped encourage people to do good and support not-for-profit organizations. Starting as a single day of fundraising during the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday has grown into a year-round global movement. However, many not-for-profit organizations still utilize a GivingTuesday campaign to kick off their end-of-year fundraising with sponsored social media posts and digital content.
You can use the days leading up to GivingTuesday to create awareness for the campaign. A matching gift from a top donor is a tried and true method of getting lower-level donors involved and engaged. And Thanksgiving is just a great time of the year to remind individuals and donors of the impact supporting your organization can provide.
GivingTuesday campaigns are ideal for social media. You can utilize a not-yet-crowded social platform to engage with new individuals and established donors. Short video clips or creatively designed graphics (static or animated) can reinforce your end-of-year campaign. Sponsored posts are a great way to expand your footprint to these audiences and are worth allocating budgetary dollars to them.
Fundraising When it Gets Down to the Nitty-Gritty
So much giving happens in the last few days of the year. This December will be no different, so having all of your campaigns situated and scheduled is critical. Email campaigns (linking back to your website, of course) will play a significant role in success. According to M+R, the average EOY fundraising campaign in 2020 consisted of 12 emails! And this statistic does not include GivingTuesday or non-campaign emails. So emails do work, can be very effective, and should be sent to your segments strategically.
Your social media activity will also help support your efforts and keep your organization top-of-mind for all of your prospective end-of-year donors. Engaging and interesting content is a must. Your mission stories, impact statistics, and creative presentation will be what elevate you above other organizations vying for the support of donors.
How can you make thank-you letters more valuable?
Online donation platforms offer automated thank-you notes and receipts, but mailed thank-you letters provide another touchpoint for your organization. Consider including additional stories, photos, or a preliminary report of the year-end fundraising. We like to include small full-color slips or cards to attract attention and support a thank-you letter or receipt. The thank you is just as important as all of the other forms of communication.
The Season Ahead is Full of Possibility
The end-of-year giving season presents a rare and powerful opportunity to connect with donors, drive impact, and position your organization for success in the year ahead. A thoughtful, omnichannel approach—grounded in strategy and fueled by compelling storytelling—can make all the difference.
If your nonprofit would like a free 30-minute consultation with Trillion, reach out to them here or call 908.219.4703.
Lou Leonardis is the Co-founder, Creative Director and a Brand Builder at Trillion. Trillion is proud to be a multi-year AFP GPC sponsor, exhibitor, and presenter at the Leading Philanthropy conference.
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