As the end of the year approaches, many nonprofits find themselves in a frantic rush to execute their end-of-year (EOY) campaigns effectively. This period is crucial, as a significant portion (up to 30%) of annual donations often comes in during the last few weeks of the year. 

The pressure at this time of the year is equivalent to accountants during tax season. By starting to plan your campaign now – the planning phase – you can feel at ease knowing that you have something to follow. 

Let’s help you navigate this hectic period with a clear and strategic approach.

The 4 phases of a campaign:

1. The planning phase: September–October 
2. The warm-up phase: November
3. The launch phase: December  3 (Giving Tuesday)
4. The reporting & follow up phase: January   

In this blog, we’ll be talking about the planning phase. 

Before diving into content creation, it’s essential to start with a solid foundation—a campaign brief. 

A campaign brief is a concise document that outlines the overview of your campaign, key dates, channels of deployment, and target audience. This document ensures that everyone on your team is aligned and understands the campaign's objectives and strategies.

Steps to Craft Your Campaign Brief

1. Overview: Describe the campaign’s theme, goal, and timeline. Typically, for EOY campaigns, the primary goal is fundraising.
2. Key Dates: Identify crucial dates such as Giving Tuesday and the last week of December. Plan your content around these peak periods.
3. Target Audience: Define who you are targeting with your campaign. This could include new donors, existing donors, and lapsed donors.
4. Messaging Strategy: Outline the core messages you want to convey in your emails. This can include impact stories, gratitude messages, and straightforward donation asks.
5. Approval Process: Ensure that all key stakeholders review and approve the brief. This includes your CEO and other relevant team members.

Key Resource: Here’s a EOY campaign brief template that you can use to get started.

Do you need new campaign content or a theme? 

One common misconception is that you need entirely new content for your EOY campaign. Instead, you can repurpose and update existing content that has performed well in the past. This not only saves time but also ensures that your messaging resonates with your audience. 

On the other hand, If you have the time and budget then it’s a great time to gather some really strong stories from you beneficiaries to release at EOY, or during the warm-up phase. 

You can (not mandatory) think of a theme to follow. Forward thinking is always best. What are you excited about? Campaigns are not the time to educate your audience or try to teach them something new. It’s a great time to re-cap all that you’ve accomplished and how you have so much more work to do to reach your ultimate vision.

In the next few months, we’re going to work to keep you on track with your campaign planning. 

Each month we will release a new blog post and podcast that will walk you through the 4 phases of running a campaign: Planning, Warm-up, Launch, and Post-launch.

Here’s what you can expect:

1. September - Campaign Kickoff & Planning 
2. October - Project Management & Content Creation
3. November - Designing and Writing Emails 
4. December - Launch
5. January - Reporting + Post Campaign Actions

Happy campaigning!

About KB Digital

KB Digital is a Nonprofit Email Marketing Consultancy that empowers nonprofits to amplify their impact through strategic email and SMS marketing.

About the Author

Katelyn Baughan is a passionate nonprofit email consultant dedicated to empowering organizations to harness the power of email marketing for fundraising success. With a strong background in digital fundraising, Katelyn has managed multi-million dollar campaigns for leading nonprofits, witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of strategic email communications.

Driven by her love for email marketing and its potential to inspire generosity, Katelyn founded her own consultancy, KB Digital, in 2018. This venture has allowed her to collaborate with renowned nonprofit clients such as National Geographic, The Trevor Project, UNHCR, The Cancer Research Institute, and The National Breast Cancer Foundation, while also providing the flexibility to spend more quality time with her family.

Katelyn has a B.A. in Communication from The University of Maryland and a Digital Marketing Certificate from Georgetown University. She also has certifications in email marketing from Mailchimp and Hubspot, is certified in advanced Google Analytics, Adwords, and inbound marketing from HubSpot. Through her work, Katelyn combines her passion for making a difference with her deep understanding of email marketing strategies to help nonprofits maximize their fundraising potential and achieve their missions.