Are You Ready for the End-of-Year Fundraising Push?

It's not too early to get ready for your biggest fundraising season of the year. December is so close we can taste it already (or is that wishful thinking from the heat?). And it is the biggest fundraising month of the year. Luckily some folks have mopped their sweating brows, sharpened their pens, filled in their flow charts, and written about how to make the best of the holiday season. Here are some resources that are bound to help you hear those holiday jingle bells. Year-End Fundraising Brings in 40% of Online Donations. Are you Prepared? Allyson Kapin, writing for Frogloop, says it all...the year end season is your best opportunity for making your funding goals. She suggests ways to optimize your home page, how to make the best use of your email, and how to leverage the connections of your supporters. Seven Incredible Hours in December: How to Make the Most of Year-End Giving This post from Network for Good is from last year, <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/index.php"><strong>ed-hardy clothes</strong></a> but it is evergreen. Katya Andresen and Jeff Brooks provide tips that you can use right now to get ahead of the game, from priming the pump to how to keep it simple. Hot Copy to Melt Hearts During the Cold Months This article by Dan Gunerman, at Fundraising Success Magazine, will help you get down to the nitty gritty of writing those end-of-year appeals. These are great writing tips for any time but especially for those crucial yet crowded holiday months when donors are distracted. Six tips to get your campaign rolling Big Duck has already sent out this article in its August newsletter. The Big Duck crew is treating that year-end-campaign like the Super Bowl, which it is of course. They have tips from making a test donation to dusting off that camera for the photos that will make your fundraising appeal look like a football clearing the goal post for that extra point. What Are You Going to Do at Year-End? Jack Doyle, of Amergent, has written a long and thorough overview of end-of-year fundraising, covering everything from who to ask, crafting the offer, designing the package, to the best timing. A full plate of goodies to make your fundraising better. A checklist to <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/index.php"><strong>dsquared pants</strong></a> help supercharge your fundraising appeals I mentioned this one recently in one of my roundups, but it bears repeating. Damian O'Broin, writing at SOFII, has a wonderful checklist for any fundraising appeal. But it is particularly helpful for year-end campaigns just because it is such a crucial time. Use this to make sure everything is just right before mailing that last chance appeal. Year-End Campaign Planning Guide If you don't mind giving up some contact information, you can download this free ebook from Sage Nonprofit Solutions. Yeah, I hate to fill out those forms too, but this ebook is worth it. There is a campaign calendar, email templates, eCard <a href="http://www.theapparelend.com/index.php"><strong>lv fur shoes</strong></a> copy, an end-of-year campaign planning sheet, even a sample campaign using a fictional nonprofit. You won't want to copy any of this, but it might spur your imagination to new heights. Do you have any suggestions from your own year-end campaign experience? Or a resource or two? Let me know in the comments. Photo: Getty Images Follow me on Twitter | Sign up for my Newsletter | Check out my Forum | Like me on Facebook | Join me on Google+