8 Year-End Messaging Examples to Connect with Donors and Inspire Action

Year-end fundraising offers nonprofit organizations a chance to strengthen connections with new and existing donors while progressing toward their fundraising campaign goals. Ensuring your year-end messaging has language such as “thank you,” “without you,” and “because of you” is crucial to capturing the impact donors have had and encouraging future giving. 

While the focus of year-end communication should always be on the donor, nonprofits can have fun with how they package messages and present supporters with new information and opportunities. 

We’ve collected eight examples that emphasize outreach techniques to inspire your supporter communications this giving season.

1. Drive action with impact tiles

Nonprofits using Classy Studio can leverage impact tiles on their donation forms to highlight suggested giving amounts and demonstrate what each gift empowers your nonprofit to do. By including impact tiles in your communications, you can educate donors on the direct outcome of their generosity during the giving process, hopefully inspiring action.

See the technique in action 

God’s Love We Deliver is on a mission to improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. In its year-end campaign, the organization emphasized how far each donation could go in providing meals to the community it serves. By showcasing three distinct impact levels at the bottom of their email, they empowered donors to make informed decisions about their contributions. The clear presentation encouraged donors to consider increasing their gift size by illustrating how just $50 could help feed multiple people.

These impact tiles, paired with a time-limited match opportunity for its Giving Tuesday campaign, make it easy for donors to get involved.

2. Connect through social media posts

Nonprofits can use various communication channels to deliver year-end messaging. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are great vehicles to meet stakeholders where they are.

See the technique in action

To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. The organization does an excellent job of bringing its message to a wider audience through social media. As part of the nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday campaign, it shared an Instagram carousel post highlighting specific giving amounts with what each would help TWLOHA accomplish.

The caption highlighted how no gift or action is too small, leveraging Instagram to capture the power of every donor.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0MTqv3OhSN/

3. Create urgency with a power hour

Fostering a sense of urgency can prompt donors to give now instead of waiting and potentially forgetting about your ask. Use time limits and language like “last chance” or “give now” in your year-end messaging to inspire action.

See the technique in action

Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit that works to ensure people have access to quality affordable housing in safe, vibrant neighborhoods. To meet its year-end fundraising goals, the nonprofit highlighted a last-minute donation match opportunity that would only last one hour. This power hour communicated a strong call to action for donors to double their impact and meet the nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday goal.

The email campaign incorporated multiple customized donation buttons throughout the message to amplify the time-limited opportunity: “Your $125 Gift Becomes $250.”

4. Encourage donations through e-card gifts

The end of the year coincides with the holiday season when many donors look for gifts for their loved ones. A fun way to encourage donor engagement is through e-card templates that supporters can send as presents.

See the technique in action

Concern Worldwide US is an international nonprofit working to end extreme poverty with sustainable, community-driven programs. As part of its year-end giving campaign, the nonprofit promoted an opportunity for supporters to personalize a meaningful e-card by selecting its “dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone” option when choosing the gift.

The e-card campaign ran before Cyber Monday and highlighted the chance to get ahead on holiday shopping while also helping jump-start Concern Worldwide US’ upcoming Giving Tuesday effort.

5. Express gratitude while highlighting recurring donations

Year-end messaging provides the chance to highlight everything donors helped you accomplish last year while looking forward to the possibilities in the new year. Expressing appreciation for your supporters is a crucial stewardship action to improve donor retention.

See the technique in action

Feed My Starving Children is a nonprofit that works with food distribution partners across the globe to bring nutritious meals to hungry children. As part of its year-end messaging, the nonprofit sent a simple thank-you email with a photo of some of its beneficiaries at the top holding a “thank you” sign. By keeping the message short and sweet, the nonprofit keeps donors focused on the meaningful impact they’ve had.

The thank-you email also included three call-to-action buttons at the bottom for donors inspired by the message. They can give a one-time donation, volunteer, or join the monthly giving program. The option to become a recurring donor is at the center and larger than the other two buttons, drawing attention to the opportunity.

6. Send a save the date for Giving Tuesday

Many nonprofits consider Giving Tuesday one of the most important days of the year. To ensure the date doesn’t slip donors’ minds, consider creating a calendar event to invite supporters to celebrate the day with you.

See the technique in action

Crisis Text Line is a nonprofit that offers people struggling with mental health free, 24/7 support when they need it most. To prepare supporters for its upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign, the nonprofit sent out a save-the-date email two weeks before the event. It included easy links to add a reminder to an Outlook or a Google Calendar.

In a short P.S. message, the nonprofit also reminded supporters that if they didn’t want to wait until Giving Tuesday, they could make their donation now.

7. Build momentum with a match and trust signals

Donor trust is crucial for securing donations. With year-end appeals, highlighting a matching opportunity provides social proof that another business, foundation, or individual already trusts your organization with their gift. Additionally, it can help to highlight nonprofit ratings from organizations like Charity Navigator or BBB Wise Giving Alliance on your donation site.

See the technique in action

All Hands and Hearts is a nonprofit that provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief. Its year-end fundraising email highlighted a $100,000 match provided by its board members for Giving Tuesday. Not only do supporters get the chance to double their impact, but they also receive messaging on how committed its nonprofit leaders are by fronting the match amount.

The nonprofit’s Charity Navigator four-star rating badge appears at the bottom of its email to reinforce the message that donors can trust the organization with their gifts.

8. Re-engage after falling short on a Giving Tuesday goal

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may not reach your Giving Tuesday fundraising goal. However, this presents a follow-up opportunity with donors to help your nonprofit prepare for the next year by offering one more chance to push past the finish line.

See the technique in action

buildOn is a nonprofit committed to ending poverty through service and education. When it didn’t meet its Giving Tuesday fundraising goal, it sent a message to supporters with the subject line: “We have $14,000 left to raise…” The nonprofit’s team then acknowledged that their efforts came up short while highlighting a last-minute matching fund to raise the remaining amount by midnight.

The email centers on the time-limited opportunity to drive additional donations quickly and notes that the nonprofit’s hard work doesn’t stop on Giving Tuesday, keeping donors focused on the future.

Leverage year-end messaging campaigns to meet revenue goals and foster community

Successful year-end email marketing expresses gratitude, highlights impact, and offers supporters the chance to fund the future of your mission. Effective outreach through social media, direct mail, and other communication channels increases the likelihood of meeting year-end giving goals. 

In addition to online giving, year-end messaging reminds donors of the crucial role they play in your work and nurtures a sense of community that can help carry their support into the new year.

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien