Don't push the panic button... yet

It's that time of year when many fundraising professionals start to panic. As the end of the year draws near, there's all that anxiety coming to the surface about how to successfully solicit a new or additional gift prior to January first. After all, don't these donors and prospects want to reduce their tax liability with a year-end gift?

In all my years fundraising, I have yet to hear a donor say to me, "Drew, I'm making a year-end gift for $10,000 because I need a tax write-off." With the recent tax law changes, and so many people taking the standard deduction, tax write-offs are just not a factor anymore. What IS a factor, is philanthropy... or joyful giving.

Let's say you have one donor in your portfolio that made a sizeable five-figure gift back in March, and you've been communicating with that person since, doing a good job stewarding their support. Unless that donor has specifically told you NOT to contact him/her until the following year, you can certainly reach out to ask their permission to consider a year-end donation. However, you must have a compelling reason to approach that person.

It's about connecting their passion with potential impact is where the magic happens. If you have been diligent about stewarding their previous gift, and communicating the impact, then asking permission to ask for a year-end gift is not out of the ordinary. In fact, many donors are expecting it.

One suggestion is to have a challenge from your board. For example, the board will match every year-end gift, up to a certain amount... say $25,000. Your donor will love knowing that the volunteer leadership is actively involved in your fundraising work and they will enjoy knowing their gift is being leveraged to help the cause.