Once Giving Tuesday’s over, your work for the year is done, right? 

Wrong! 

As a nonprofit, your busy season is just ramping up. The last few weeks of the year, between Giving Tuesday and New Year’s Eve, is a critical time period in the life of your organization. You’re likely to see the most donations — for the largest amounts — than you’ll see at any other time. It’s crucial that you give an extra push of energy and enthusiasm behind fundraising and donor development efforts right now. 

Check out these mind-blowing statistics about year-end giving (read even more statistics and info about year-end giving from Neon and Bloomerang):

• Nearly one-third of annual giving occurs in December.
• 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year.
• 28% of nonprofits raise between 26-50% of their annual funds from their year-end ask.
• Consumers donate an estimated $48 billion on average during November and December every year.
• The average person gives 24% of his or her annual donations between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

It should go without saying that your donors and supporters are incredibly distracted this time of year, yet the research says that they are ready and willing to give to your organization. How can you capture their attention and make the most of this opportunity?   

If you don’t yet have a plan in place for a year-end ask, you must do so now. Your appeal should follow all our best practices advice, including telling a compelling story across multiple, integrated channels. Specifically, focus on the tangible outcomes of how donation dollars are used. Most people love giving at the holiday season because it’s an emotional time of year, when we’re naturally drawn to gratitude, generosity, and kindness. When donors understand how their money is used in charitable ways, it’s easy for them to align their goals for the season with yours.

You’ll also need a robust donor data management tool in place to keep track of all your new donors and their information. Begin 2018 with all your donor data housed inside the Donor.com software system. We’d love for you to give it a free trial, so you can see for yourself what a great tool Donor.com is.

Learn more now and make the year’s end a success.