Ok gang! Last big push for you and your organization to rock the end of your 2021!
Nearly 10% of all nonprofit donations come in during the last 3 days of the calendar year.
Which means, if you are reading this, you have less than 36 hours to harness the momentum (and possibly feel the rush of procrastinating) of those who love what you do, and want to help.
Time to pick up that phone, start speed dialing through your biggest fans, biggest donors and biggest missing supporters and recap the year, say thanks and yes, give them one last chance to get those gifts in before the ball drops in Time Square.
This encouragement for actively asking at the end of the year comes with a GIANT BUT:
Your end of the year is not the be all / end all of your fundraising success.
No organization I’ve ever worked with, worked for or known of, has ever collapsed or burnt to the ground on January 1st of any given year if they didn’t receive “x” amount of donations by midnight.
Sure, it’s good for the 4 people who still itemize their taxes.
Sure, it looks good on the budget recap the board so meticulously looks at 3 minutes before the meeting starts in a few weeks if you see in influx of cash.
Sure, it feels like you’ve accomplished a super-important thing and you made it home before turning back into a pumpkin, BUT…
…it’s ok if you pick up your laptop and go home too.
Fundraisers have the financial weight of the organizations on their back, and after 363 days – you probably deserve to take a few days to recover. Because like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, come Monday morning, you’ll wake up, your alarm playing Sonny & Cher’s “I’ve Got You Babe” is gonna be blaring on the radio, and your yearly fundraising campaigns begin all over again.
So you might deserve an extra day off.
Take some time to reflect on wins, on challenges and on some goals for next year. Don’t put too much stress on yourself to achieve them in the first 30 days. Don’t worry about what other organizations are doing or have done. Do Good. Be Awesome. Have fun making an impact this year, and rather than stressing over perfection, just concentrate on doing.
You’ve freaking got this!