The nonprofit fundraising calendar for maximizing EOY donations

We believe strongly that the best marketing happens all year round. That’s because marketing is at its core about building relationships. And real relationships don’t take a summer vacation.

But we also know that the end-of-year season is uniquely strategic for nonprofits. GivingTuesday and those last few weeks of the year tend to play an outsized role when it comes to reaching goals.

We want to congratulate you on getting to another year-end season — that’s a feat in itself these days. But we also want to work side-by-side with you, building a game plan that brings your nonprofit its greatest EOY results ever. 

Introducing our nonprofit fundraising calendar template 

If you haven’t downloaded your copy of the year-end planning template above, you should start by just going for it. But if you’re looking for a brief flyover of what to expect, look no further!

September

September is all about laying the groundwork for your end-of-year fundraising campaigns. 

If you think of Q4 as the game, then September is time to warm up and get limber. At Feathr, we love our flight analogies, so we like to think of September as building a flight plan and getting clearance for takeoff!

The big thing is to get tracking code on your website. Feathr has its own tracking code that we call the Super Pixel, which has already helped hundreds of nonprofits learn about the people who are interested enough in their mission to make it to their website.

Outside of preparing your website to gather the critical data for your upcoming campaigns, you also want to set realistic and concrete goals for these fast-approaching campaigns. By setting expectations and choosing the direction you want to go, you’re going to have a better sense of success than if you simply wing it.

October

If September is all about the setup, October is where the follow through begins. Now it's time to build your content. From videos to social posts, you want to be ready to drop your posts or blogs on the right days to best connect with the unique members of your community.

And a well-timed email isn’t a bad way to kick things off. Even sending a heads-up email back in September works, but keep the pace a little slow as you ramp up expectations. You don’t want them to be tired before the sprint really begins in November and December.

That being said, we always recommend more emails over not enough emails. If someone has shared their email address with you, then it’s your responsibility to share incredible content with them.
 
They cared enough about your organization to share a way for you to follow up, so don’t miss your chance worrying about who will open what. Let your community decide and focus on building great content!

As October comes to a close, give yourself a little space to double check everything. From the website to the social post creatives, make sure everything is ready to roll. You don’t want to spend a minute second-guessing the plan after things have kicked off.

November

As November begins, it’s time to lock in your email campaigns, especially for Giving Tuesday. No more back and forth with those obsessive content creators. It’s go time!

And remember to focus especially on your audience segmentation. The best marketing campaign in the world won’t work on the wrong audience. 

Make sure that your community feels listened to and that you’re sending the right kind of content to the unique groups within your community. Volunteers are likely interested in different things than your major donors, and the same is true between your board members and your first-time donors. 

Make sure you aren’t mixing up the signals. If marketing is all about getting the right message to land at the right time, everything still hinges on the who. 

One important email not to miss is automated thank-you emails. This is a make or break email for nonprofits as your donor — from the smallest to the biggest — deserves to be thanked for their gift. Think about the last heartfelt thank-you you’ve received (even if it was automated). The small things add up!

December

We’re almost there! Can’t believe another year is coming to a wrap. But don’t let up on the gas yet. 

Zooming into today

If you’ve looked ahead at your next couple months, it’s time to zoom in on today. Right now, download your free calendar. Don’t miss the most important dates to make an impact this end of year.

And remember, we’re rooting for you because the work you do every day makes the world we live in just a little bit better!