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It's the most wonderful time of the year! Time to engage those who respond well to an End of Year Ask. 

Our theme this year is: Easy as P.I.E. - Plan, Invite, Engage.

With these three steps, we believe you can easily and thoughtfully create an appeal that will be impactful and fruitful! 


What is an End-of-Year Ask?Why is it important?Who should I invite? Do I wait until the end of the year to invite?

A special invitation to a ministry giving opportunity at the end of the calendar year.

Statistics indicate:

  • 31% of ALL CHARITABLE GIVING happens at year-end.
  • 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year.  
This appeal speaks to a different type of donor than your monthly one. It attracts irregular givers, those who only give when asked and those who tend to be higher capacity and customarily give at year end. Nope! The earlier the better! 


October: PLAN IT OUT

Seek the Lord's Direction

  • Jesus, put my heart in the right place when it comes to this appeal. What do I need to surrender to You?
  • Help me to be generous and a cheerful giver as I am also inviting donors to do the same. 
  • What is the vision or need you want me to present? 
  • Who do you want me to invite to give?
  • Is there anyone I need to be reminded of that I don't normally ask? 
  • How much are You directing me to raise?
  • Will You give me the capacity/ bravery/ diligence to ask individuals and faithfully follow up with them? 

Scripture to reflect on:

  • Matt 6:19-21
  • 2 Corinthians 9:7
  • Hebrews 13:16

Determine an amount

Hint: It's not about the money. It's about giving people an opportunity to invest in something they care about.

Take your monthly shortfall (support goal - promises) x 15 + backpay  OR  $10,000; whichever you feel better about setting as your goal.

Make it known. 

If your account balance is healthy, you may be wondering if you should still do an end of year appeal. Ellis Goldstein, MTD Specialist at CRU, advises, “You build in times of strength to help in the lean times.” Think of the wisdom of Joseph in keeping storehouses of grain in preparation for the years of famine. Consider a goal of raising $10,000 in this end of year appeal. 

Can't decide? Try starting with a $10,000 goal. 

Gather your names

Since the year-end appeal resonates with a different type of giver than your normal monthly donor, you'll need to pull some reports to discover who would be strategic to invite into this opportunity. 

Those you want to invite to give at year-end include:

  • Irregular givers
  • Those who usually give only when asked
  • Higher capacity donors
  • Those who tend to give at year-end

This type of appeal is usually not for: 

  • Those who have received an increase ask or special gift ask from you within the last 6-9 months
  • Those who have joined your team in the last 6-9 months

Run reports and build your list: 

  • Search Toolbox for special gift donors who gave $500< in a single gift within the last 3 yrs. 
    • How to find special gift history with Toolbox. 
    • If all the people in this report give this year the same amount they gave previously, how much does that add up to? Is that close to meeting your year-end ask goal? If not, you might want to change your search parameters and also ask the Lord to show you who else to add to your contact list. 
  • Look at your Mail Chimp engagement. Add to your list the people who are reading your prayer letters but not currently giving. *If you don’t have Mail Chimp, just look at your prayer letter list and consider including those who have never given. 

Choose your method

Choose 20-40 people to engage one-on-one.

The one-on-one, personal invitation to give is the key component to an effective year-end appeal. 

  1. Personally invite them to give. Phone call, Zoom or in-person. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
  2. Snail-mail something. It can be an "I'm thankful for you" card around Thanksgiving, your year-end appeal letter, a prayer magnet, etc. 
    1. If you'd prefer a relational primer before inviting them to give, send the snail-mail first during the week before Thanksgiving. 
  3. Personally follow-up with a call/ text.  
  4. Send an electronic reminder on Giving Tuesday. This could be a simple text, an emailed copy of your year-end appeal, a Merry Christmas gif, a text asking how you can pray for them in the coming year, etc. 
  5. Around December 15th - follow-up
  6. Around December 25th - Merry Christmas message
  7. Around December 30th - follow-up

This aligns most with the philosophy of the End of Year Appeal; that this appeal speaks to a different type of donor than your monthly one. It attracts irregular givers, those who only give when asked and those who tend to be higher capacity and customarily give at year end. 

Elements: *Pick what you want. Arrange in any order you wish.

  • 1:1 invitation to give (phone, video call, in person, etc). Aim to do this the week before Thanksgiving.
  • card or any snail mail - no ask, just relational/ I'm thankful for you. Doesn't have to include a pic, but if it does, don't feel like it has to be perfect. Selfie & move on.
  • 1:1 follow up (phone or text)
  • mass letter "spaghetti against the wall" - sometimes will produce new irregular givers with whom you can engage later.
  • mass follow up
  • On Giving Tuesday, follow-up on your giving invitation (personal follow-up for your 20-40)
  • Around December 15th, send a second follow-up
  • Around December 30th, last follow-up (personal follow-up for your 20-40)
  • Bonus points
    • Magnet or small gift (key, bookmark, rock, etc)
    • an extra follow up
  • If you tend to have a hard time inviting people to give at year-end because you feel like you haven’t done a good enough job of cultivation, check out Steps 1& 2 of Revisiting Cultivation

The week before Thanksgiving, send a letter to everyone; anyone who has ever given + prayer partners. See what sticks.

Include a pic in your appeal. Doesn't have to be perfect. Selfie & move on.

Follow-up:

  • On Giving Tuesday
  • Around December 15th
  • Around December 30th

This approach sends an appeal to everyone but engages one-on-one with a select group of 10-40. 

  1. The week before Thanksgiving: Send your appeal to everyone. 
    1. Snail mail or email (anyone who has ever given + prayer partners). Include a pic. Doesn't have to be perfect. Selfie & move on. Snail mail is most effective, with a copy sent a few weeks later via email as a soft follow-up. 
    2. Consider including a ministry magnet in the mailing (for your 20-40)
  2. Engage one-on-one with your select group.
    1. Phone call, Zoom or in-person. 10-40 people. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
  3. Snail-mail something to your select group.
    1. It can be an "I'm thankful for you" card around Thanksgiving, your year-end appeal letter, a prayer magnet, etc. 
    2. If you'd prefer a relational primer before inviting them to give, send the snail-mail first. 
  4. On Giving Tuesday: mass follow-up with everyone. 
  5. ~ December 15th: Personal follow-up with your select group.
    1. This could be a simple text, an emailed copy of your year-end appeal, a Merry Christmas gif, a text asking how you can pray for them in the coming year, etc. 
  6. ~ December 25th - Merry Christmas message
  7. ~ December 30th: Send a reminder


November: INVITE PEOPLE TO GIVE

(before Thanksgiving)

Take a snapshot of your giving

Take a snapshot of your current giving so you can see who gives or increases in the coming months. 

  • From Toolbox, go to MTD Reporting/Received Gifts/filter by recurring. Print or save for your records.

JANUARY: Compare giving to that snapshot to see if anything changed. 


Build your materials

2024 printing/mailing deadlines
Orders from ChalkLine can be paid directly with your Reliant Fund Number. ChalkLine can also drop-ship printed pieces directly to your recipients.

  • Download addresses for all your donors direct from Toolbox: MTD Reporting: Donors: Filter (All, Active, etc. You choose): Tasks: Download CSV 
  • Prayer partners who have never given should be on your prayer letter list. It's ok if you only have email addresses. Just email them. If you have phone numbers, consider texting a heads up, emailing the appeal, then texting a follow-up for a select few people. 


Invite people to give! 

Aim for your invitations to hit the week before Thanksgiving. This puts you ahead of the pack and gives more opportunities for reminders and follow-ups. 

If you'd prefer a relational primer before inviting someone to give, send a snail-mail or email piece. This can be an "I'm thankful for you" card around Thanksgiving, your year-end appeal letter with a hand-written note, a prayer magnet, a postcard, etc.

We've partnered with ChalkLine to make it even easier to create and send your printed pieces. Simply use their templates or create your own, send your mail-merge to ChalkLine, then schedule when you want them to snail-mail it. *We recommend sending the week before Thanksgiving.


December: ENGAGE PERSONALLY


Follow up!

Our MTD efforts are most effective when there's a personal invitation to give, then some follow-up until a decision is made.

Follow-up can include text messages, phone calls, emails, snail-mail letters, greeting cards, postcards, video messages, video calls, and other Creative Ways to Connect.

  • On Giving Tuesday, personally follow-up on your giving invitation 
  • Around December 15th, send a second follow-up
  • Around December 25th, Consider a "Merry Christmas" message (no mention of support)
  • Around December 30th, last follow-up


On Giving Tuesday, personally follow-up on your giving invitation 

Around December 15th, send a second follow-up

Around Christmas, consider a "Merry Christmas" message (no mention of support)

Around December 30th, last follow-up

October

November

December



Additional Resources

6 Comments

  1. Jenni Saniuk

    Keva Ambre Can you read over this email and let me know what we should add or change? I'd like to send something out by the end of this week if we can! If not, we may combine this email with Octobers.

  2. Keva Ambre

    Pop in for MTD Office Hours Wednesdays 2-2:30pm, EDT, starting  Oct 9th

    Our focus for the months of October, November and December will be the End of Year Ask, specifically the “Easy as PIE” model. But feel free to join in with any MTD question. Come regularly if you’re looking for accountability and someone to cheer you on toward your year-end goals.


    Here’s the Zoom link:
    https://reliantmission.zoom.us/j/84654934972?pwd=FoXyBEEsTL5DceFgkH0oRMz4r3Otn4.1

    Meeting ID: 846 5493 4972
    Passcode: 685307

  3. Keva Ambre

    Love this for November: 


    Scientists have recently discovered something Paul the apostle wrote in his letter to the Philippians around AD 62! Researchers have proven that the part of the brain that processes worry is also the same part of the brain that processes thanksgiving. Therefore making it impossible for our brains to worry and be thankful simultaneously.


    Here is what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”


    When you're feeling tempted to worry this month, kick it to the curb with thankfulness!

  4. Keva Ambre

    I actually don’t encourage support-raisers to focus their EOYA on their regular givers. This appeal speaks to a different type of donor than your monthly one. It attracts irregular givers, those who only give when asked and those who tend to be higher capacity and customarily give at year end.


    Here are some categories to think through:  

    • Have given Special Gifts, but don’t give monthly. Here’s how to find those contacts on Toolbox.
    • Read your prayer letters, but don’t give monthly
    • Said no to or shied away from monthly giving in the past.
    • Have a higher financial capacity and don’t give monthly
    • Contacts who have irregular or bonus-based pay. *Doctors, Realtors, anyone in sales, attorneys, real estate investors, owners of construction businesses, etc.


    The year-end appeal is a great opportunity to invite those people into the conversation of joining you on the great adventure by funding Kingdom work. Since monthly giving doesn’t work for everyone, we want to provide opportunities for those types of donors to engage with our ministry. The year-end appeal is an excellent opportunity for you to do just that.


  5. Keva Ambre

    "What is a year-end appeal?" 

    Great question!

    A year-end appeal (End of Year Ask) is a special invitation to a ministry giving opportunity at the end of the calendar year.


    We like to encourage Reliant staff to participate in this appeal because statistics indicate:

    • 31% of ALL CHARITABLE GIVING happens at year-end.
    • 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year.  


    This appeal speaks to a different type of donor than your monthly one. It attracts irregular givers, those who only give when asked and those who tend to be higher capacity and customarily give at year end. So, it’s not really for your monthly donors.


    The year-end appeal is a great opportunity to invite those people into the conversation of joining you on the great adventure by funding Kingdom work. Since monthly giving doesn’t work for everyone, we want to provide opportunities for those types of donors to engage with our ministry. The year-end appeal is an excellent opportunity for you to do just that.


    Here are some donor-types this appeal usually resonates with:   

    • Donors who have given Special Gifts in the past, but don’t give monthly. Here’s how to find those contacts on Toolbox.
    • Contacts who read your prayer letters, but don’t give monthly
    • Contacts who have said no to or shied away from monthly giving in the past.
    • Donors or contacts who have a higher financial capacity and don’t give monthly
    • Donors or contacts who have irregular or bonus-based pay. *Doctors, Realtors, anyone in sales, attorneys, real estate investors, owners of construction businesses, etc.


    Would love to talk with you about this more… and even help you figure out a simple plan to participate in the year-end giving season this year. Would you let me know if you’d like to set up a strategy call? I generally have availability Monday and Wednesday afternoons, EDT.

  6. Keva Ambre

    Jenni's PPT presentation on the EOYA
    End of Year Ask Workshop.pptx