With 2023 right around the corner, it’s important that every nonprofit begin preparing for a new fundraising season. With the right preparation, nonprofits can hit the ground running and make more impact than ever before.
In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to a few nonprofit fundraising tips for the new year.
Audit your past work
One of the most crucial steps to new year fundraising is to audit your past work. An internal audit, which covers both the pitfalls and successes of the last year, will help you determine a course for the future.
In conducting your audit, focus on the impact of your initiatives and programs, your campaign expenditure, and your fundraising practices. Consider what worked and what didn’t. Not only will this help you avoid making the same mistakes, but it will also allow you to capitalize on your biggest successes thus far.
When gathering information for your annual report, comb through relevant pieces of data.
Commit to measurable goals
Once you’ve committed to auditing your organization’s previous work, set measurable, tangible goals. When determining your objectives for the next year, make sure your goals are specific and detailed (vs. vague and lofty).
For example, a vague, unmeasurable goal might look like this:
“I want to improve our fundraising technique next year.”
Alternatively, a specific, measurable goal might look like this:
“I want to improve our fundraising by 30% within the first 6 months of the new year.”
The latter goal is tied to both a numeric measurement and a time frame which makes it a much more realistic and tangible goal.
Try out some testing
Another great strategy for preparing for new year fundraising is A/B testing. Whether you’d like to test your marketing funnel or your donation solicitation strategy, A/B testing allows your nonprofit to experiment with new solutions.
In preparation for the new year, start small! Tweak some of your campaign language or donation CTAs and measure the impact. Did your changes improve your conversion rate?
Once you’ve tested several small changes, your nonprofit will have a better sense of how to move forward in the future.
Focus on long-term solutions
Because nonprofits are incredibly busy—especially during year-end giving—it can be easy to seek short-term solutions instead of long-term ones. During chaotic moments and stressful seasons, it can be easier to lean towards quick fixes rather than long-term solutions.
But, long-term solutions are usually much more helpful for your nonprofit. Implementing foundational practices can make your organization much more efficient. Consider investing in free nonprofit software to help streamline the creation of marketing assets and annual reports. Or, consider whether your volunteers or board members are in need of management software. Each of these investments will set your nonprofit up for long-term success.