Did you know that 30% of all annual giving to nonprofits occurs in December? On top of that, roughly 10% of donations come in during the last three days of the calendar year. The same goes for crypto donations. We found that 29% of all crypto donations in 2021 were made in December. With year-end fundraising efforts being so critical, crypto-enabled nonprofits should start planning as early as possible to maximize campaign results. Use these seven end of year giving campaign ideas to boost visibility in digital spaces where crypto donors are found.
1. Launch Your Year-End Campaign with a “Thank You” Video
Looking for that extra boost in engagement? Studies show that investing in video pays off for a majority of brands—even if your team has limited resources or a tight budget.
Cisco recently forecasted that internet traffic from videos would make up more than 80% of consumer web traffic in 2022. Along similar lines, tweets with video were found to be 10 times more popular than those without video, according to Twitter Business.
Could video become your nonprofit’s best marketing tactic? Don’t wait until January 1st to find out. Showing gratitude with a campaign launch video can demonstrate your appreciation for your supporters. Plus, it can help attract others to donate to your cause.
Your nonprofit’s “thank you” video serves multiple purposes, as it can help your donors:
- Feel appreciated by your organization, especially if they haven’t heard from you lately
- Understand the overall impact of their contributions on your mission or cause area
- Become primed for the eventual year-end appeal you’ll make later in the campaign
If your nonprofit has a high annual revenue, consider developing a video with professional-quality production values. Otherwise, a simple approach that captures into your team’s ethos and authenticity will do the trick.
The video below, made by Scotland-based nonprofit Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home, places their mission at the front and center, with members of their fundraising team holding a rescue kitten. While they prepped talking points ahead of time to celebrate the impact of a recent cryptocurrency donation, the video didn’t require fancy lighting, music or backdrops to effectively connect with their audience.
Hello @pawthereum community! We have some very special and very exciting news to share with you all... #pawthereum #pawth @TheGivingBlock pic.twitter.com/8U0iYtcl5m
— Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (@EdinDogCatHome) November 15, 2021
Bottom line? A truly compelling video doesn’t need to be high-budget to inspire your supporters and convince them that they should give (or give again).
2. Leverage Popular Digital Charity Campaigns
Aligning your communications with popular campaigns empowers your supporters to feel like their generosity is a part of something bigger than themselves.
“Giving is an important metric of civic participation, a way to build the kind of society we want to live in,” says Asha Curran, co-founder and CEO of Giving Tuesday.
Giving Tuesday is maybe the most well-known and successful year-end fundraising campaign—and any nonprofit can get in on the action. Donors gave a record-setting $2.7 Billion to charitable organizations on Giving Tuesday in 2021, a 6% increase from the prior year.
As you prepare for Giving Tuesday, be sure to consider using some of the following elements to help create the biggest single-day fundraising outcomes for your organization:
- Graphic assets to share on social media or rebrand your platform
- A dedicated landing page or donation form for Giving Tuesday
- Hashtags to reach new audiences and inspire sharing among your supporters
Bookmark These Year-End Nonprofit Crypto Campaigns
There are countless ways to tap into the grassroots effect of Giving Tuesday, but you might not be aware of these other popular online giving campaigns, specifically for meant to encourage cryptocurrency donations:
Bag Season
A crypto-specific year-end giving initiative created by The Giving Block to highlight the visibility of nonprofits that accept digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
#CryptoGivingTuesday
The single biggest day of the year for cryptocurrency donations, which raised over $2.3 million for charities in 2021.
#NFTuesday
A daylong celebration of the NFT community’s generosity that happens in early December, and features charity auctions and other exciting events that drive donations back to important causes.
No matter which campaign(s) you choose to join, plan out your social media campaign and start messaging ahead of time to prepare your donors for the occasion.
3. Activate a Matching Gift Donation Drive
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like to have their donation doubled? Matching gifts are a powerful way to grab your supporters’ attention and create a sense of urgency. Of course, securing matching funds takes advance planning and stewardship of your major donors—so leave your team plenty of time to work on the details.
Not sure if matching drives actually work? Consider these findings from nonprofit and donor surveys:
- An estimated $4 to $7 Billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year.
- 84% of donors report a higher likelihood of giving if the donation is matched.
- 1 in 3 donors indicate that they would give more if a match is applied to their donation.
When launching a gift match campaign, there’s no such thing as over-communicating. Here are three of the best ways to make the most of your matching drive during the giving season:
Leverage Corporate Partnerships
If you work with a corporate partner, ask them if they will turn their annual gift into a matching campaign. Doing so is a highly-efficient way to generate excitement around a matching drive without needing to secure new funds.
Turn Your Matching Donor into a Brand Ambassador
Put a face on your campaign! If your donor is comfortable with appearing in videos or writing appeal emails, this is a perfect way for supporters to make a more authentic connection to your campaign.
Ask Your Supporters to Use Their Employer Match
If you don’t have a match donor, there are other options for your organization. Many companies offer donation matching programs to their employees. Collecting these matching donations for your nonprofit is as simple as messaging your supporter base and asking them to activate this opportunity when they give to your cause.
4. Fine-Tune Your Appeal for the Crypto Donor Demographic
Most successful year-end campaigns tailor unique variations of the campaign message for each audience segment. What works best for some audiences will not for others. Knowing how crypto donors differ from other groups can help your team translate your message and year-end fundraising ask to this unique demographic.
Understanding the Generational Donor Divide
People raised in different eras tend to have different views of the world. Here are a few general guidelines for several key generations of donors:
The “Silent” Generation
This group gives most generously, with an average annual gift size of over $1,300. Many large gifts come from this demographic, often via checks sent in the mail. They also tend to support multiple causes each year, and have probably given to the same organizations previously.
Boomers
These donors are highly pragmatic and tend to give to established, reputable organizations. They prefer to receive both digital communications and direct mail. Today, the average donor is 65 years old, which puts them squarely in the Baby Boomer generation.
Gen X
This cohort is willing to go the extra mile by texting, volunteering and fundraising for your cause more than other groups. They tend to value transparency in nonprofits they support. Gen Xers are open to several methods of contact including texts, email and phone calls.
Millennials
Nearly a third of millennials prefer to give via their phones, and a similar percentage like to donate online. While they can be less loyal to specific organizations, they conduct research on nonprofits before giving and like to see the impact of their gift.
Gen Z
This up-and-coming donor demographic is inspired to give by what they see on social media and in the news cycle. By connecting your cause to current events and keeping the message short, you’re more likely to win their support.
Embracing Crypto Donors
Crypto users tend to be young, relatively affluent, and passionate about the causes they care about most. A majority of the world’s 300 million crypto users are Millennials, followed by Gen Z and Gen X.
The average crypto user is 38 years old, nearly half the age of the average nonprofit donor—who is 65, according to a recent Blackbaud report.
The crypto users’ average income is $110,000, larger than the average income of the population of any major city in the United States.
Best of all, they like to donate to charity. A recent study from Fidelity Charitable found that crypto donors are disproportionately generous, compared to their cash-giving peers. The survey found that 45% of crypto users donate at least $1,000 to charity each year, compared to only 33% of the general investor population.
In a short time, the definition of a “crypto donor” has evolved to include more than just individual donors. Today, we see a large donation volume coming from NFT projects and creators as well as crypto companies that are establishing CSR initiatives through crypto charitable giving efforts.
5. Catapult Your Campaign to Success With Strategic Partnerships
Your organization should know its worth when pitching a partnership with a for-profit company. One survey found that 90% of businesses indicated that partnering with reputable nonprofit organizations enhances their brand, and 89% believe partnering leverages their ability to improve the community.
In other words, nonprofits have a lot to offer businesses. When making your case to a prospective partner, mention some of the benefits that partnerships have created for countless other businesses:
- Improving company culture and employee satisfaction
- Providing ample volunteering opportunities for employees
- Strengthening local community ties and reputation
- Helping them establish a “foot in the door” to build a larger CSR program over time
Thinking Beyond Donations
Some partners will want to activate a CSR initiative, such employee gift matches, with your nonprofit. Beyond donations, though, these are just a few of the ways partnerships can boost your organization’s year-end campaign outcomes:
- Providing communications support
- Increasing visibility on social media
- Boosting paid ad spend
- Granting free or discounted platforms for events, contests and more
Above all, ensuring that your values align will put your organization in the best position to maximize the results of any partnership—especially one that is activated during the most critical time of the year for giving.
6. Jumpstart Giving in Real-Time with Live Events
The fundraising potential for live events is twofold. First, attendees know the reason why they’ve been invited is to support your organization, so they’re more prepared to give. Second, these events can create some truly unique experiences that will keep them giving to your cause year after year.
You don’t have to break the bank and host a fancy dinner gala. A little out-of-the-box thinking can result in a memorable and inspiring event:
- Pick a date that resonates with your audience
- Display a donation thermometer or ticker live on a screen
- Organize a 5k or charity walk in your community
- Gather supporters with a potluck dinner
- Live-stream an event with panelists or speakers
Host an Event for the Web3 Community
You don’t have to own real estate in the metaverse to host a great party for the web3 audience. Nonprofits that fundraise crypto have been creating a buzz for their missions in many innovative ways.
Here are just a few examples of successful charitable fundraising events for crypto donors:
- Back in 2019, Coindesk, Gitcoin and The Giving Block used the excitement during its New York Blockchain Week to raise $110,000 for ten nonprofits, mostly in cryptocurrency.
- The team at Audius, a web3 music company, hosted a virtual holiday concert in December 2021 to raise awareness and funds for the charities and nonprofits dedicated to enriching humanity through creative expression.
- Hope for Haiti partnered with NFT marketplace Snowcrash to host an in-person event during the NFT.NYC 2022 conference in NYC, in order to hype up the pre-mint of an NFT collection that would raise money for their disaster relief efforts.
You can tap into these types of events to increase donor interest in your mission during the year-end. These tactics also provide the opportunity to share the message of your year-end appeal to an even wider audience.
7. Fundraise with NFTs
NFT fundraising shows signs of growing exponentially in the coming years. In 2021, nonprofits using The Giving Block received upwards of $12.3 Million dollars in cryptocurrency donations from NFT-related charitable giving initiatives.
These gifts, sent in the form of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, and USDC, can be transformative for charitable organizations. In fact, several nonprofits like OutRight Action International and Trees for the Future have received crypto donations worth hundreds of thousands dollars from NFT donors.
While many nonprofits simply receive donations from NFT creators, the reality is that the world of NFT fundraising is much more complex.
- Direct donations from NFT projects or collectors
- NFT charity auctions for nonprofits
- Perpetual giving methods, enabled via smart contracts
- In-platform donation methods on NFT marketplaces
Get The Giving Block’s free report, The Rise of NFT Fundraising.
NFTs have become one of the most talked-about cultural phenomena in recent years. But your team can use all these end-of-of year giving campaign ideas and best practices to enhance your organization’s year-end strategy. Remember to start crafting your campaign early on and leverage all the campaign tools available to you, such as partnerships, matching gifts, thank-you videos and more.
Crypto End of Year Giving Campaign Ideas for Your Nonprofit
The recent growth of Crypto Philanthropy has created new, innovative ways to engage with crypto supporters. By adding crypto donations to your fundraising strategy, you’ll be taking steps to tap into a young, affluent and passionate demographic during the year-end and beyond.
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