10 New Year’s Resolutions for Organisations and Supporters
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to re-evaluate your organisation’s fundraising strategy and goals for the upcoming year. And if you’re a committed or aspiring charitable donor, now is the time to make a plan for how you’re going to support your favourite causes in 2024. To help you along the way, we’re sharing 10 resolutions that both organisations and their supporters can make to have a greater impact in the coming year.
For Organisations
1. Focus on creating impact-driven, relationship-based communication with your supporters
This year, make a plan to check in with your donors regularly. Good donor communication and stewardship is vital to long-term fundraising success - think ‘friend-raising’ over ‘fundraising’. Your donor communication should not only be sent out only when you have a fundraising appeal or campaign; outreach and supporter engagement outside of appeals is important too. Demonstrate your impact by including recent success stories and more information about your organisation’s achievements. This is a great way to give your supporters a chance to know your organisation better, and most importantly THANK them for making everything you do possible. There are lots of ways you can communicate with your donors and build a lasting relationship:
Survey donors/stakeholders or organise one-to-one review meetings.
Take the time this January to make a phone call and check in with your supporters.
Host in-person or virtual events to hear your supporters’ voices.
2. Refresh your Fundraising Strategy
A lot has changed in the fundraising environment in the last few years. If you're working on a multi-year strategy, you may need to refresh your plans given the current economic climate.
Consider the following as you make your fundraising plans:
The impact of the increased cost of living on lower-level once-off and regular donors.
The fact that major donor investments continued to grow in most major markets over 21-22, despite economic challenges.
2035 - 2050 will see the largest global transfer of wealth - this is your window of opportunity for building an inter-generational family engagement plan and also to consider the scope for legacy giving.
The new corporate focus on Sustainability & ESG (Environmental Social & Governance) and how you can align your work and corporate engagement with these values
Increased Trust & Foundation giving in Ireland but mounting competition – are you a ‘fit’ for institutional philanthropy?
3. Get your organisational Case for Support down on paper
A Case for Support is a piece of communication collateral that helps prospective donors understand why they should support your organisation. The rationale for preparing and using a Case for Support is so that every member of your organisation has clear and consistent messaging around why funding is needed, and the impact it can make. It is rarely used in its entirety but rather becomes the go-to source for information and messages that may be tailored for diverse donor groups. Most organisations develop their case for support as a well-written and well-designed document and then either print it and/or share it electronically as a PDF. Some also choose other creative formats, such as video cases or interactive web pages. You could also look at creating an audio Case - as a form of 'Case' podcast - some people find it easier to listen than read and it means they can hear your Case on the go! If your organisation hasn’t yet put your Case down on paper, make this the year that you do it and make it a compelling Call to Action!
4. Prioritise the digital channels that suit your needs and your audience
Remember, you cannot be all things to all people, and with limited resources, you might struggle to actively engage on the multitude of social platforms out there. Analyse your supporters and audiences (review your data!), choose the channels where your stakeholders and donors are engaging with you most actively and focus on that. And remember that email is still an incredibly effective way to build a committed supporter base, nurture donor relationships, and reach your fundraising goals. Whatever you decide to prioritise, make sure that you’re consistent with it – digital communication is a great way to build not only awareness of your work but also trust in your organisation. You can maintain this consistency through regularly posting on social media, monthly/weekly newsletters, and emails sharing impact, success stories, and notes of appreciation. Make a plan, schedule your posts in advance, and stick to it.
5. Get Your Board on Board
This is a resolution we think every organisation should make! Your Board members should be your leading advocates, connectors and ambassadors. Take some time at the start of the year to make a plan about how they can support your fundraising ambitions. Set some time at your first Board meeting of the year to ensure Fundraising is on the agenda, and make sure it stays on the agenda for every Board meeting this year!
For the Supporters: Donors and Volunteers
1. Share your Support
If you are passionate and believe in the work of a certain cause, don’t keep it to yourself - share their impact and why what they do is important to you with your network of friends, family and colleagues. Bringing the organisation up in conversations, sharing their campaigns on social media, and simply letting people know that you support a particular cause is a simple and effective way to multiply the impact of your support.
2. Get Involved
There are plenty of ways to support charitable causes in addition to donating. If there’s a cause that you already support or whose work you admire, check out their website to see how you can get involved with them. Donating your time and talents is a wonderful way to contribute to the efforts of your favourite cause, as well as providing a sense of accomplishment - there’s nothing like feeling like you’ve really made a difference.
3. Make Charitable Giving a Good Habit
Beyond a one-time donation, setting up a recurring monthly donation this year can have a big impact on your favourite cause. Regular donors provide organisations with a steady, predictable source of income that they can factor into their planning. In most cases you can simply set it up once on the charity’s website or contact them to ask about the regular donor programme and then let it automatically process each month - and if you donate €21 per month/€250 per annum, this is worth €363 with tax relief for registered charities with CHY 2 status.
4. Make it a Community Effort
Encourage your friends, family, and even colleagues to join you in supporting a cause in a fun way. This could include organising community clean-up initiatives, volunteering together, taking part in a race for a particular charity, or working together to hold a fundraising event to benefit your chosen charity. By fostering a sense of community around your cause, you can amplify the impact of your collective efforts.
5. Start with Learning
With so much going on in the world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like you don’t know where to start when it comes to making a difference. Our advice? Start slow. Follow some causes that interest you on social media, subscribe to their newsletters, and check out their blogs. This is a simple and easy way to learn more about the work that they’re doing, so that you can make an informed decision about where and how you want to give your time and money.
There you have it! 10 simple, practical and effective resolutions for an impactful 2024, whether you’re an organisation or a supporter.
At OKC, we’re here to help you turn your fundraising resolutions into real results and tangible impact. Through workshops, trainings, and bespoke consultancy, we work with not-for-profits to initiate and grow strategic fundraising portfolios and multi-channel donor engagement programmes, and will give you the tools, guidance and support you need to succeed. Check out our services here, and if you want to have an initial chat, get in touch today.