Pretend this is me cheering you on! (pixabay)
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Hello everyone! Your local cheerleader here. I want to be sure that you are preparing a year-end letter. Know why? To allow your people the opportunity to give.
If you’ve taken a look at your mail box recently, you’re getting inundated with appeal letters. These are apparently from every organization that you have ever given a wink or a nod to so, I’m guessing, you were winking and nodding a lot over the past few years.
Side note: I’m waiting for my box to be filled with real Christmas cards. Seriously, I love getting Christmas cards. I’m waiting. Fingers are tapping on the desk…
Why is this year-end letter so important? Here are the 2021 stats from Neon:
- 31% of annual giving occurs in December (yes, you read that right)
- 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year (astonishing but true)
- 28% of all nonprofits raise between 26%-50% of their annual budget through their year-end ask
- Direct mail (the kind that arrives in your mailbox) is still the most popular medium for asking – followed by an email, your website, or a direct face-to-face ask.
Three weeks ago, I invited you to steal (or borrow) an already-written year-end letter. It’s definitely not important that you use that particular letter or even a version of it. That was just to get you started.
What is important is that you let your people know of your congregational or organizational need so that you can continue your life-changing, transforming work on their behalf.
My offer still stands: send your draft letter to me to look at and provide you with some feedback.
This old cheerleader here is pumped up to say, “You go, go, go!” or even a “Praise the Lord!” if it motivates you to put pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard to get that letter (along with a return envelope) to the people you love and serve. You can do it!
Hip, hip hooray!
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