{"id":143169,"date":"2025-11-25T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/?p=143169"},"modified":"2025-11-19T10:59:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:59:00","slug":"the-year-end-fundraising-secret-nobody-uses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomerang.com\/blog\/the-year-end-fundraising-secret-nobody-uses\/","title":{"rendered":"The year-end fundraising secret nobody uses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u201cnotify first\u201d trick<\/b><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s one move that can turn your ho-hum year-end appeal<\/a> into a home run:\u00a0notify first<\/b>!<\/p>\n

Before you send a single email or stuff a single envelope, reach out to donors\u2014by phone or email\u2014and\u00a0announce <\/i>your campaign is coming.<\/p>\n

This one act can boost your response rate up to five times higher. If you actually reach a donor and they feel connected to your cause, half of them will give. Do it well, and that number can soar to 70%. Incredible.<\/p>\n

But skip the notification and rely only on a generic appeal letter or email? Expect a limp\u00a0response rate of just 1\u20133%. Maybe 5% if you\u2019re lucky. (It\u2019s like brewing coffee without heating the water\u2014you\u2019ll still get something brown, but nobody\u2019s drinking it.)<\/p>\n

Why notification works<\/h2>\n

When you call first, you\u2019re doing two things: making it personal and creating anticipation. You\u2019re saying, \u201cHey, watch for something from me soon.\u201d That simple pre-touch makes donors more likely to respond because it sets a social cue. People rarely ignore someone who took the time to reach out personally\u2014especially when it\u2019s for something they care about.<\/p>\n

Stack the odds in your favor<\/b><\/h3>\n

If your appeal involves a letter, turn it into a little piece of theater:<\/p>\n