Congratulations on wrapping up another year-end campaign! Whether you met your financial goals or not, your campaign results hold a treasure trove of insights. Fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint, and each step offers lessons that can refine your future strategies.

In this post, we'll explore how to dig deeper into your year-end appeal data. We'll focus on the non-financial victories and learn how to leverage these insights to refine your fundraising strategies. From identifying new donors to recognizing re-engaged supporters, every piece of information tells a story that can help you build stronger relationships and more effective campaigns.

A gift acknowledgment is a piece of correspondence that recognizes that a gift was received, and has information (such as the date the gift was received, the organization’s EIN, and the amount received) that the donor can use for tax purposes. It is a box to be checked.

Don’t get me wrong, acknowledgments are important. Timeliness of sending acknowledgements is key as well - donors who receive an acknowledgement that is sent within 48 hours of the organization receiving the gift are 4 times more likely to give again (according to Candid/GuideStar). Having a good system in place for sending acknowledgements is key to retaining donors. I know that when I send a donation to an organization, I am reassured to know that it was seen by a human and put to good use.

Well, okay it is. But not the way you think it is. Many surveys show that the number one reason people don’t give to an organization is that they are not asked. That is very true – although some folks do give completely unsolicited gifts (what you might think of as ‘out of the blue’), it is hard to build a budget around these gifts.

The purpose of fundraising is to bring in revenue that will enhance the services that a nonprofit can offer its beneficiaries. In other words, nonprofits can do more good work with more money in the door.