EOY Concept WorkSheet (ORT America)

Hi there,

This looks like a good start but I have a few questions as well.

First, I'm not quite sure what you mean by the 2-part theme. The first theme sounds right on track. I like the concept of "light" especially as it relates to the menorah. That creates a nice visual. I do want to discourage you from focusing on monthly donors for EOY fundraising unless you're sure this is how your donors prefer to give. Typically, monthly donor campaigns are more successful in the new year. But, to be quite frank, monthly donor programs tend to do less well than standard giving campaigns in any giving season. While we certainly will want to include a checkbox so that your donors can optionally make their gift monthly, actively promoting monthly giving instead of a traditional one-time EOY gift may not perform as well as we'd like.

I like your idea of using a combination of challenges and triumphs. This will help your constituents understand both your progress and your needs. I also love that you have some specifics as well as some broader goals and challenges to discuss in your messages. You're right on track here.Think of some ways to weave the "light" theme into your actual campaign copy and this should come out quite nicely.

Premiums are great but fulfillment can get tricky. Be sure that you have a very clear, noticeable cut-off date so that your donors have realistic expectations about when they will receive the recipe book. Now, if the book is electronic, you can just link to the pdf from the donation thank you page. Great idea!

I'm a little concerned about your challenge idea. This sounds more like a housefile building concept. As part of the service module, we aren't building out an eCard campaign or supporting tracking of peer-influenced giving. If this is something you plan to tackle on your own, make sure you start building those pieces out now so you are sure about how best to report/track on the winners. We will, however, include TAF buttons in your messages but they are simply to encourage your readers to spread the word about your EOY campaign.

Your giving levels are superb. They are tangible and easy to understand. They are also compelling and mission-focused. Well done!

Great start here. You have some terrific ideas planned. Just try to keep it simple so that your donors don't get distracted and that you have the staff resources to complete all the moving parts of your campaign. Best of luck! I look forward to seeing it all come together!

rachael