Every year, I see so many organizations enter the end of the year with regret.
They didn’t hit their donor numbers. They didn’t hit their marketing goals or some other goal that is super important to their organization. And now they are in a mad rush to do it while every other organization is trying to do the same.
It doesn’t have to be this way. While I don’t think anyone can go into the end of the year relaxed, you don’t have to be manic while trying to do what is basically impossible.
It’s time to get organized and do things different this year. Start now!
Identify your why
The end of year marketing is full of asks. Do all of these organizations deserve to do these asks based on past marketing? The answer is probably not. And the frequency is likely showing the absolute desperation of these organizations to hit numbers. Fans can smell that desperation and it doesn’t end well for anyone.
Make sure you are not one of these organizations by identifying what your why is right now. What makes you different from other organizations? What makes people want to donate to you? Why do people connect with you? What makes your fans travel to your location? Why you instead of your competitors? Whatever the important question is for your business objectives, figure it out now.
It can be more than one of these questions, but don’t take on too many. The more focused you are in your approach, the more likely you are to cut through.
Get your why
When you have that question, then it’s time to demonstrate it. So many organizations are stuck in pushing at their fans. Although that can be an important part of your marketing, there is so much more. If you start demonstrating to your fans your why now, you will see major increases in your end of the year numbers.
Collect stories
Keep your ears open and collect the stories that demonstrate your why. But be more proactive about that.
The social media marketing team connects to the fans directly. But they are not the only department that is so connected. I would send internal emails to the entire organization that you are looking for stories that will demonstrate those questions you are trying to answer for your fans. You will get more and better stories if your entire organization is looking for these moments, and unfortunately, you have to constantly remind everyone that they need to be doing this.
It’s also a great idea to have a submission form on your website. A form is easier for your fans to submit than if you just provide an email address. You shouldn’t expect a ton of unsolicited stories. It’s just a great place to send people when you know they have something to say that you can use.
Get the numbers
Your organization likely makes a difference for your fans in many ways. Start getting the numbers that tell that story.
Knowing what those numbers are now can help you know where you have to go from here to make them better. Maybe something is in the negative right now and needs a little extra attention with increased materials. Or maybe one of your numbers looks spectacular right now and you can let off the gas from it while you get your other numbers looking just as great. Make goals and a plan around these numbers so you can attack them.
Start telling the story now
The number of organizations that I know get to November 1 and say, “Let’s make a plan for Giving Tuesday,” is startling. This is a huge day for nonprofits to raise funds and they’re thinking about it a month out. It’s too late. You will fail.
Why? Because you haven’t been working towards it during this last half of the year or even just the last quarter. If you are spending Giving Tuesday telling people why they should be donating to you through five blog posts in a day, it’s getting lost in all of the other posts from organizations doing the same thing.
Take all the information you have and pepper it in at least weekly. Give your followers and fans the reason why they should be consistently picking you over and over again. So by the time you get to Giving Tuesday or other end-of-the-year events, it’s not about the why. They know that and have already given or know that they are spending their money with you.
And what ends up happening then? You can spend the last month of year in a more celebratory mood. You can have fun with your fans. That means campaigns are focused more on them instead of what you need. In the end, campaigns that are focused on their needs instead of yours tend to be more effective, so your numbers, in the end, will be better. So get that why together now and start telling that story.
How are you preparing for the end of the year?