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For EOY, we usually recommend a Top 20 or 30 list. There are some good practices of who should be included on that list
Your database can help you determine this. Run reports from the last 3 years and take a look at your list. Filter by: Gift Type/ Special, Last Gift/ Last 3 Years. |
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There are many options on how to make the Ask for an end of year gift. However, this is the process we recommend and have seen a lot of fruit from.
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When people respond to your opportunity to make an impact through giving, the next step is to thank them. Donors give to multiple causes. An average donor will see 10-20 thank you's a year and promptly forget them all. You want to be the thanks they can't forget. The general standard is a hand-written thank-you card and a phone call. (Other ideas HERE.) A welcome packet sent to a new donor or a small gift for a particularly impactful gift can go a long way! Develop the art of flattery in your thanks. Don't be shy about it! Tell your donor often, loud and clear, in the big type, just how great they are (because they are!) and remind them of the impact they're making. Do not include a financial ask or additional giving opportunity in your thanking process. See Annual Stewardship Plan & Timeline for how to follow-up with donors after the Year-End giving season with a THANK, SHOW, CONNECT, OFFER progression. |
Sample Timeline
September - October | Through prayer, ask the Lord to determine your need and what you will ask for. Usually appeals for one-time gifts (vs monthly support, gifts in kind or service projects) are most effective this time of year. (Sample asks are displayed below.) Begin praying over your donors by name. |
October - Early November | Review your data from the past 3 years. Look for:
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Early - Mid November | ID The Top 20. Through prayer, ask the Lord to help you make a list of the top 20 people you should contact one-on-one with your ask (either face to face or voice to voice). Typically, it's best if this group is made up of different people than those you usually contact with special asks; your regular end-of-year givers being the exception. *However, if anyone falls into all 4 categories above, they should probably be on your Top 20 list. *Who not to ask: Those you've asked for a special gift or increase in regular giving in the past 3-6 months (your discretion). |
Mid-November | Send a paper Thanksgiving card to your Top 20* along with a short, handwritten note about why you’re thankful for them. This should be a meaningful message of gratitude. The goal is to remind donors how valuable they are to you and the impact they are helping to make in the Kingdom. Bonus points for including your picture on or in this card! Please consider hand-addressing the envelope. A simple way to mail a card to your Top 20 is to pick up a pack of cards at the store and print 20 photos (of you or you + the people you minister to) at the photo center. Keep it simple so you're more likely to do it. If you have the time, you can send to more than just your Top 20, but make sure your first priority is reaching your Top 20. |
First week of December | Follow up the Thanksgiving card with an email containing your end-of-year needs info. Encourage your donor to pray about how the Lord may have them respond to this need. Then let them know you'll be calling in a few days. Consider batching the emails in groups so you're not trying to make follow-up calls to 20 people all on the same day. Manageability is key. |
A few days later | Follow up your email with a phone call to make the ask. Remember, your most effective asks are going to be face-to-face (even over a video call). If that can't happen, then the second best is voice-to-voice. An ask in a mass email that's not followed up with a one-on-one ask is the least effective. |
December-January | Thank with a personal touch-base + snail-mail. |
Is this schedule not your flavor? Want to do something different? Go for it! Just be sure you're including best practices into your ask.