January 2024: My year-end donations unpacked

I hope your year is off to a wonderful start.

The year-end campaigns I helped run in 2023 landed right on the money in terms of hitting our goals and KPIs. Given the downward trend most organizations are reporting, I’m happy with these results!

On the other side of the coin, I donated to four nonprofits in the last two weeks of the year, and my experience was mixed. Here’s what happened:

My year-end donations unpacked:

Quick context: My husband and I do most of our giving in spontaneous fits of charity throughout the year. We also donated monthly to two organizations (one national, one international) throughout 2023. I didn’t have a great experience with either and ended up canceling both.

We wanted to donate a certain % of our income in 2023, so we made four final gifts in December to reach that goal.

1. Endometriosis Foundation of America (donated on 12/15)

I received six fundraising emails from this organization in November, all of which I ignored. They all had very generic subject lines like “Today’s Giving Tuesday!” and “Time is Running Out!” Yick.

Then, I received just one email on 12/12 with the subject line, “My Endometriosis Journey - How Your Generosity Changes Lives.” I left this email unread for two days until I had time to read it. As a woman with endometriosis, I am always compelled to consume others’ personal experiences with the disease.  This email started with a header graphic letting me know about a match:

The email was written in the first person by one of the organization’s ambassadors. It was written simply with lots of white space and bolded lines (easy to skim).

She talked about how 2023 donors funded their new education platform for high schoolers that will prevent women like her (and me) from struggling for 10+ years without a diagnosis. This story email sold me on making a gift.

After donating, I received one automated email with the subject line “Your Donation Receipt” and one email on the 22nd with the subject line “Heartfelt Holiday Wishes to Our Amazing Supporters” that was generic, but nice.

Sadly, I also received solicitation emails on 12/19, 12/27, 12/30, and two on 12/31. None of these emails acknowledged that I had already supported the campaign.

Possibly worst of all, I haven’t received any communication from this organization in these first ten days of the year. How did the campaign go? Did they meet the match? How are they planning to use my money? It’s all a mystery.

2. Center for Reproductive Rights (donated on 12/27)

This organization sends a TON of emails. I received 47 emails from them in November and December. Many of these were advocacy related, but still.

They announced a 5x match on December 12th and promoted it in multiple emails, so this very juicy match was top of mind when we were deciding where to donate on the 27th.  I also received this plain text email from a member of their team on the 26th:

This email wasn't effective because I believed Tyler emailed me personally from his iPhone; it was effective because it was easy to consume (respecting my time) and presented a clear case for support that aligns with my values. I liked this email.

After donating on 12/27, I received a generic thank you email with an upsell to join the Champion for Reproductive Rights monthly giving program. They didn’t make a strong case to join.

I then received four solicitation emails between 12/28 and 12/31 that didn’t acknowledge I had already supported the campaign. Sigh. It seems very few organizations did the work to exclude campaign donors from subsequent asks.

On a positive note, I received a nice email on January 3rd thanking me for supporting the campaign, celebrating that the organization exceeded its goal, and laying out priorities for 2024.

And today, they sent an email with a survey asking me to share my reproductive rights priorities for the year. I love this and have designed similar January surveys for clients because they make supporters feel heard and inform the organization’s messaging for the year ahead.

Caveat: I don’t like how heavy-handed their donation asks are on the website or confirmation email after completing the survey. A light ask is OK, but you don’t want people to feel like the survey is a bait and switch.

3. - 4. SOS Recovery and Haven (donated on 12/27)

Now, for the locals. We donated to two local organizations here in Dover, NH on the 27th—one I found in a local newspaper article, the other I have been volunteering with for a few months.  I made both donations online. From the first, I received a donation receipt from the address weblink.no.reply@softerware.com. So spammy, I was afraid to open it.

From the second, I received nothing.

No confirmation.

Nothing.

But I do see the charge on my credit card, labeled simply “NH.”

I am a new donor to both of these organizations. From the first, I have still received zero communication. From the second, I did get a very nice email today (ten days later) recapping specific 2023 accomplishments and sharing 2024 goals.

In summary:

• I didn't receive any personal thank you emails in addition to standard receipt emails.

• I wasn’t excluded from any fundraising emails after donating.

• I have received updates from just two of the four organizations as of January 10th.

• I have not received a thank you call, text, automated voicemail, or card in the mail from any of them.

• I have not received any high-quality requests to become a monthly donor.

If you made some of these same mistakes at year-end, you’re far from alone. There’s always the next campaign to map out (and test!) a donor journey that will make every donor feel seen, respected, and appreciated.

If you haven’t reached out to your year-end donors yet in January to share in vivid detail where their money will go and what 2024 holds, please do this ASAP.

Right now is also a great time to ask one-time year-end donors to give monthly. I love this framework from my friend Dana Snyder that lays out how to make a strong case for recurring support in just three emails.

Cheers to a new year!