How Nonprofits Can Use PR
to Improve Their
End-of-Year Giving Strategies
The holidays – what many call “the giving season” – are upon us. It is a great time for nonprofit organizations to take advantage of a marketing and PR strategy that can help bring in much-needed funds. The holidays can be a time of chaos and stress for nonprofits. A strategic plan is a great way to help stay on track. Who, when where, and how to ask for donations are just a few factors nonprofits need to consider when trying to increase end-of-the-year donations.
Donor Box states Giving Tuesday (the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving) is considered the start of the giving season and a great date for nonprofits to ensure their final financial goals are in place. Make sure to start planning early. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and many people take off work, giving you more opportunities for them to see your media and social media content. An end-of-year giving strategy has many moving parts, including text-to-give tools and matching gift programs.
One Cause says that about 17% of giving occurs during the last month of the year. That statistic shows how important an end-of-year campaign is when it comes to bringing in final donations. Many nonprofits use end-of-the-year giving to meet their yearly financial goals.
Keep demographics in mind when creating your strategic plan. One Cause also tells us women make more than 60% of donations, so women are a key target for PR and marketing content. Consider the generation (Millennials, Gen-z, Baby boomers, etc.) you want to reach when creating PR or marketing content. Keep in mind that various generations take in information and view content on a variety of platforms and media outlets. Target each generation respectively.
We want our clients to live in the present while planning for the future. Sometimes it can be beneficial to look at the past to see what worked and what didn’t. Bloomerang reminds us that looking at your nonprofit’s performance the previous year can help you understand which PR and marketing tactics you should use again. Data research can also help you learn which tactics to send a coridal goodbye. Who were your largest donors and what public relations tools were used to reach them? What marketing tactics did you use to achieve your campaign goals? These are just a few questions to ask yourself when planning your end-of-year-giving strategy based on past performance.
Putting together a yearly strategic plan for donations can be daunting. Creating a plan for end-of-year capital campaigns can be even harder. If your nonprofit is struggling to figure it all out, Point Taken is here to help. We have a team of experts who have successfully helped dozens of nonprofits meet yearly and end-of-year donation goals and we would love to help your organization see that same success.
Point Taken Communications, a boutique Jacksonville public relations and marketing firm serving brands nationwide, creates engaging campaigns that ignite positive change and move audiences to action. We go above and beyond, ensuring each client gets the best return on its investment. Our team of senior professionals has decades of experience bringing bold, creative ideas to life to help companies and nonprofits grow and evolve. At Point Taken, our clients inspire us to fuel progress for your organization, your industry and our world.