The December Giving Bonanza

The giving season is upon us again! According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal,  Americans give away “a third of the quarter-trillion dollars we give away each year” during the month of December. Now more than ever charitable organizations are recognizing this trend, and offering socially-conscious individuals a way to further extend their year-end generosity. From making a donation to a holiday campaign to purchasing a product which donates proceeds to an organization, charitable organizations have greatly expanded upon holiday giving capacities. Through online promotions and giving opportunities it is now easier than ever to give the gift of change this holiday season. Now, it is up to the organization to find how to best appeal to new constituencies and strengthen ties with donors.

Some organizations bring attention to their causes through a year-end campaign. For example, Christian Blind Mission International (CBMI) is doing a 100,000 Miracles campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise enough funds to complete 100,000 sight restoring surgeries to those suffering from preventable blindness. The campaign kicked off in August of this year and culminates in December. Effectiveness of the campaign may not only be attributed to easy online access, but also the low cost. For as little as $35, one can give the miracle of sight. In addition to the 100,000 Miracles campaign, CBMI also offers a charitable gift catalogue, one of the most accessible and effective tools utilized to generate year-end giving.

An increasing number of international and domestic NGOs are appealing to donors this holiday season through convenient gift catalogues. In particular, organizations like World Vision, an international Christian-based relief and development organization, recognize the effectiveness of providing both donors and potential donors with an online gift catalogue. The World Vision catalogue offers opportunities for nearly every type of cause. A list of categories on the website prompts you to find the giving vehicle that interests you most. These include donations for clean water initiatives, providing life-changing livestock to those in need, and even donations for protecting women and girls from sexual exploitation in developing countries.

The year end giving season is not only a time to make use of current donors, but is also the perfect time to extend opportunities to new donors. Corporate holiday campaigns are a great way for non-profits to create and continue partnerships while extending opportunities to new donors. For example, this holiday season, Gucci is launching a holiday campaign partnership with UNICEF. From now until the end of December, Gucci will donate 20% of the sales from the 15 item Flora Joy collection to UNICEF. Proceeds will benefit UNICEF education and health services to children in Mozambique. Items from Gucci’s 2006 holiday collection for UNICEF will be available online and at 200 Gucci boutiques worldwide. The campaign will not only be of direct benefit to UNICEF, but may also extend opportunities for continued giving to a new base of donors.

With so many different causes and price ranges, it would be hard for people to pass up giving the gift of change this season. Year-end giving is not only effective, but incredibly easy for non-profits to take advantage of as well. It’s the season of generosity, people are looking for opportunities to give, and non-profits must recognize this and utilize their resources accordingly.   

Julie Fagnani is an Associate Director in the Fundraising Division of Changing Our World. Julie is also the author of the FLiP post: MySpace and the Nonprofit Sector. 

Comments

[Jacob Smith]

CBMI's 100,000 Miracles campaign is a great example of a year end effort. The United States chapter of the group included some viral elements as well.

What was great about these elements is they were not viral for the sake of being viral, but were closely tied to the mission of CBMI.