Year-End Fundraising Strategies for Your Arts Organization

As the end of the year approaches, it’s the perfect time for nonprofit arts organizations to ramp up their fundraising efforts and connect with patrons on a deeper level. Year-end giving campaigns are not only an opportunity to reach your financial goals but also a chance to build lasting relationships with your patrons. From leveraging matching gift programs to creating personalized experiences for donors, there are countless ways to make your year-end giving campaign stand out. To help, our team has some detailed year-end fundraising strategies to maximize your donations, engage your patrons, and set your organization up for long-term success. 

Most people assume the prime time for these kinds of campaigns is the period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. However, successful organizations know that this period should actually start much earlier. Many theaters and performing arts groups begin their seasons in the fall, and the preparation to turn their ticket buyers into year-end donors should start when they first purchase a ticket. Likewise, while you may stop tracking year-end gifts as the ball drops on January 1st, it’s important to continue to cultivate and steward those year-end donors to keep them involved after the holiday season ends. 

Before we jump in, it’s important to note that if your fiscal year coincides with the calendar year, then October through December is the last window to reach your goals and hit your budget projections. If your fiscal year ends at some other time, your year-end giving strategies can give you a much-needed boost in the middle of your budget cycle. For the nonprofit arts organizations, October through December usually does account for the largest number of gifts received. Because these gifts are tax write-offs for donors, they have to be submitted by December 31st to count on the current year’s tax returns. 

Now, let’s dive into some practical tips to help you connect with your patrons and maximize year-end donations!

Tip #1: Match Your Messaging to Your Supporter Type

The more relevant your messaging is, the more likely your audience will respond to it! Want to maximize your end-of-year giving appeals? Let’s dive into specific year-end fundraising strategies for each type of patron:

Recurring Donors

We usually think of this group as those who already give on a regular basis through monthly or quarterly automatic giving. For your year-end campaign, you’ll want to also include donors who have given at least once every year for the past 2-5 years. These are your true supporters! Most of them will be well-versed in the work that you’re doing and where their money has made an impact.

Use your messaging to genuinely express how grateful you are and how they’re part of the inner circle at your organization. Acknowledge their importance by extending invitations to holiday parties or pre-show events, and take the opportunity to discuss new ways that your organization is planning to make an impact next year. 

Current Donors

These are patrons who have already donated this year, whether through a ticket purchase or membership renewal. However, unlike your recurring donors, these donors have made their very first donation to your organization this year.

Before you ask them for another donation, thank them again for their first one! You don’t have to focus on why they should give to your year-end campaign. Instead, focus on what their earlier gifts have accomplished already. Then, when you do make the ask for a year-end donation, make sure to emphasize that this is a unique gift for a special time of year.

Non-Donors

Most likely, a bulk of those in your CRM software are those who bought tickets to your events but have never given a donation (yet!). The end of the year is a great opportunity to ask for their support in light of the holidays. It’s super low pressure and aligns with what the holiday season is all about!

Focus on smaller asks, like $25, but you can ask slightly more if you target this email to patrons who have attended more than one performance. You’ll want to remind them of the last event they attended and speak about the role of your organization in the community. Take this opportunity to educate this group of the fact that, as a nonprofit, you rely on charitable donations. Many people don’t realize that the cost of tickets alone can never cover your operating expenses, especially if you want to keep ticket prices affordable! 

Lapsed Donors

It might be helpful to segment your lapsed donor list into smaller segments based on the date of their last gift to you, but what you say to them is less important than how you say it. One suggestion is to split this list into two: one group being those who haven’t donated this year and haven’t come to a performance, while the other group is those who haven’t donated but have purchased tickets this year.

To the first group, tell them you miss them! Tell them you hope things are going well and invite them to come to a performance or to make a gift to a holiday-related project at your organization. To the second group, you can try similar messaging as we recommend for non-donors, but make sure to acknowledge that you know they have donated in the past. 

Tip #2: Provide Year-End Giving Options that Offer Donors a Choice 

In your year-end giving campaigns, you’ll want to make it super clear where their donations are going. To best engage your donors in your big ask, here are the two main ways you can showcase the impact their dollars will have on your arts organization.

Annual Budget Support

For patrons who haven’t indicated a distinct program or area of affiliation, it’s best to direct them to contribute to your annual fund or some other unrestricted usage. This is your opportunity to reiterate that your organization exists for the good of the community and that your budgets rely on the charitable gifts from supporters like them. 

Areas of Specific Need

Beyond your organization’s routine lineup of performances or exhibits, there are always more specific areas where donors can help your organization make an impact in the community. Some examples include education, artistic development, and new programming. Gifts to support these areas don’t necessarily have to align with specific projects you’re undertaking, but they can! Most importantly, this gives your patrons the opportunity to lend a helping hand, which signals to you that there’s a soft spot in the way that your donors relate to your organization beyond the stage. 

Tip #3: Use Personalization and Variety in Your Campaign

Customizing your emails and diversifying your marketing approach are two super important pieces of effective year-end campaigns! As you do so, here are two tips to enhance your messaging and maximize your fundraising success.

Rule of Thumb #1:

“The more they feel like you know them, the more they’ll give.”

Personalization is a powerful way to reach your donors when used correctly. For example, it’s one thing to thank them for their last gift, but it’s better to thank them for the gift they made in October for $50. Likewise, it’s better to thank them for coming to the Mozart Concert in October than just coming to a “recent performance.” Good CRMs will allow you to pull any data point into a mail merge, so that you can leverage the data you have to make the message feel more like it came from a real human.

However, there’s a fine line between demonstrating that you’re familiar with a donor and making it seem like you know too much about them! While you may explicitly thank your regular donors for the specific amount of their latest gift, use personalization more sparingly with those furthest removed from your core group donors. With these less frequent donors, you can still use some personalization though (e.g., their first name and maybe a show they attended).

Rule of Thumb #2:

“The more you vary your interactions, the more they’re reminded and actually listen to what you have to say.”

Year-end fundraising is a busy time for all nonprofits, so your patrons will be receiving multiple appeals in their inboxes from dozens of organizations they’ve interacted with in the past. To make your appeals really stand out, it’s best to branch out from email and use other marketing channels as well. While email should still be the primary focus for your year-end campaigns, you could also try handwritten notes on holiday cards, personal phone calls, and social media posts that share your holiday wishes. You don’t necessarily have to ask for a gift in each piece of outreach; however, asking every time – even in a subtle way – could produce more gifts. 

Since it’s the season of giving, it’s also effective to offer a gift to your patrons as well! Offer a ticket discount or a drink at intermission as a way of saying thank you after the donation has been made, or just because! Receiving a gift prompts the recipient to give something in return.

Tip #4: Take Full Advantage of Year-End Matching Gifts

Many companies offer a limited amount of matching gift dollars per calendar year to each employee, and your year-end fundraising campaign is the perfect time to remind patrons to use it or lose it! Here’s how it works: an employee makes a gift to a nonprofit, shows a receipt of that gift to their employer, and the employer matches all or part of that gift and sends another gift directly to the nonprofit. In many cases, this can double the amount of the original donation!

To generate more matching gifts, you’ll have to follow a two-pronged approach. First, find the companies in your area that offer matching gifts. There are third-party services that will do this research for you, and some of these integrate with online donation forms to allow donors to check if their company offers a program and how to participate. Second, you’ll need to convince your donors to go through the process of submitting their receipt for matching. Since you don’t always know where your patrons work, it’s worth the time to reach out to local businesses and corporations to see if they offer matching gifts, and then find a way to include your organization in materials at those companies that educate local employees that you are a compelling candidate for their gift. 

How Do I Get People Who Donate at the End of the Year to Keep Giving Next Year?

Whether they’re given at the end of the year or any other time, donations are vital to keep your organization going. But even more so, each donation is a step on the path towards building a strong connection with that patron. What you’re really trying to build with your patrons is a relationship based on a shared passion for what you do.

Those relationships are built only through time and consistent outreach! Your organization should have a patron journey strategy that leads first-time ticket buyers on a path to greater engagement with your organization. The more you engage with them (on email, social media, direct mail, etc.), the more time they’re likely to spend at your events and the more they will be motivated to give. 

Then, at some point, many of these donors will want to make a transformational gift. It may not be enough money for a building, but from a donor who has given you $250 each year for a decade, it’s quite possible to receive a five or six figure gift that will support you into the future. Stewarding these patron relationships is key to keeping them on the path.

Looking for specific ways to best engage with the people on your patron journey? Here are a few ideas to try:

Thank You Notes

Every gift should be acknowledged twice: the first as a detailed receipt for their records (it’s tax deductible after all!) and the second as a personalized thank you note from a real human being. An email will do, but consider mailing handwritten notes or making phone calls to donors with higher donation amounts or giving frequencies. They’ll sincerely appreciate it and motivate them to give even more in the future!

Special Updates

While every donor should already be receiving the same regular newsletters and announcements as your ticket buyers, you should provide more specific information about your organization to those who support you financially. Give your loyal donors advance notice of new events before announcing them to the rest of your audience. Share stories of how their donors are empowering your current and upcoming initiatives. Reach out personally to invite them to attend a performance or an exclusive event. The more you interact with them personally, the more you will cultivate these relationships and encourage them to give year after year. 

Exclusive Content

Giving exclusive offers to your patrons is definitely a powerful way to deepen your connections with them. That means doing all you can to make your donors feel like real VIPs. Invite them to private events, like a pre-show reception, an open rehearsal, or a backstage tour. Offer them priority seating, after-parties with your performers, or memorabilia signed by the entire cast of the show. Providing experiences like this is a surefire way to make donors feel valued!

Elevate Your Year-End Giving!

As the curtain closes on another year, nonprofit arts organizations have a unique opportunity to raise more money for their events through strategic year-end fundraising. By tailoring your messaging and being super intentional with your ticket buyers, you can maximize your donations during the holiday season. Remember, each donation is more than just a financial contribution; it’s an investment into the future of your arts community. With thoughtful preparation and targeted efforts, your organization can ensure a successful year-end campaign that sustains your mission and enriches the lives of your patrons!