Artists and arts organizations looking to start your next year off strong are probably considering an end-of-year fundraiser. End-of-year fundraising is a chance for you to connect with your current and previous donors, thank them for their support, and ask them to give one last time before the new year. For artists and arts organizations with either 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor, it’s also a time for your donors to make their final tax-deductible donations before the end of the year.
But it can be challenging to figure out exactly how to run an end-of-year fundraiser. When do you have to get started? When should you send out your first email or letter? When should you send out a reminder? What about thank-you’s?
If you’re getting stuck on what to send when, you can use this template below to guide your efforts. It’s just a set of suggestions to get your wheels turning, so take what’s useful and leave the rest. We just know that it’s easier to modify something that exists rather than invent something out of the blue.
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For tips on writing your end-of-year fundraising messages and how to structure your campaign, we’ve got an introduction to the whole idea of end-of-year fundraising and why artists should do it.
Good luck with your end-of-year campaign! We hope you get the support you need to make work that is beautiful, exciting, ambitious, and exactly what you want it to be. We can’t wait to see it.
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