With 2019 coming to a close, nonprofit professionals across all sectors are connecting with supporters to secure vital fundraising dollars for their organizations. Starting in November (or earlier), organizations send out bulk mailings, call and schedule meetings with donors, and tailor messages on websites and social media platforms to engage the general public with its mission and fundraising campaigns. In recent years, Giving Tuesday has been a great global movement to help kick off the charitable giving season. Thirty percent of annual giving happens in the month of December, and 10% of donations are given within the last three days of the year.

How does your organization prepare for year-end giving to meet fundraising goals? At the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, we engaged supporters this past month with our Act for Wildlife! Conservation Fund. We sent out letters, posted about the fund online and in email blasts, and we even partnered with text-to-give platform, Harness, to give guests the option of texting and setting up recurring donations through their mobile device. With the assistance of the Zoo’s marketing team, we have posters hanging around our campus with keywords for guests to text-to-give in support of conservation. Additionally, the Zoo’s frontline staff has been a big help motivating donations from visitors for the Conservation Fund. We have donation boxes placed at registers and cashiers are asking guests to round-up change and add $1.00 (or more) when they checkout. It is inspiring seeing both our constituents and staff members support wildlife, nature, and conservation efforts both at home and around the world.

In 2017, lawmakers passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Act took effect on January 1, 2018. One of its major changes includes an increased standard deduction for taxpayers. Fewer people now collect enough itemized tax deductions to surpass the new standard deduction. Fewer donors are receiving tax benefits for charitable giving. Due to tax reform, donors are examining their charitable giving choices. It is estimated that over the next few years the new tax code will affect middle and lower-class donors the most. With changes to itemized deductions, this group won’t see their donations count like before. Tax reform has been influential for high-end donors. These taxpayers made adjustments to their charitable giving through changing their donation levels, giving to a donor-advised fund, or “bunching” several years’ worth of gifts into a single year. With these adjustments, donors can maximize their contributions and tax savings.

How has tax reform affected fundraising at your organization? Is the new law changing the giving culture at your institution? As I continue to study philanthropy trends, I’m curious how tax reform is influencing either an increase or decrease in giving across different generations of donors. Every year, I personally strive to increase my charitable giving over the previous year. I like receiving year-end mailings and I even save several of these letters as examples for future reference. I also like seeing how creative organizations are with year-end marketing through emails and social media. I save copies of these examples, as well. With one more week to go in 2019, I hope all nonprofits receive a big return from year-end mailings to support active campaigns. I also hope everyone takes a moment to support their favorite charity within the last three days of the year. I look forward to seeing all the giving data and reports for 2019. Happy giving!

Do you have feedback on this topic or want to share your organization’s approach to year-end giving, appeals, and tax form? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or send me an email at rebecca.guest@norfolk.gov. I would love to hear from you!