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Annual Campaigns

What exactly is an Annual Campaign?

An Annual Campaign is a coordinated series of activities, conducted every year over a specific timeframe.  It delivers a cohesive message over multiple communications channels.  All communications (which may include direct mail, e-mail, telephone, in-person visits, websites, and social media) focus on one unified fundraising goal.

Annual campaigns:

  • deliver your message to your donors in the way that works best for them.
  • reach more donors because you are using more than one contact method.
  • are more effective than a stand-alone fundraising appeal.
  • are not just for big organizations!  Small organizations can (and should) incorporate annual campaigns into their individual fundraising as well.

Here’s what an annual campaign is not:

An annual campaign is not one isolated fundraising appeal letter. While a fundraising appeal is of course, a primary component of an annual fundraising campaign, there must be  other components in addition to your letter.

An Annual Campaign IS NOT an annual fundraising program.  Rather, an annual campaign is a key component of your overall annual fundraising program.

When is an Annual Campaign held?

Despite what you might think, you can have more than one annual campaign every year. For example, you might have a year-end campaign that starts in the late fall each year and runs through December 31st.

Additionally you might run another campaign in the spring or summer that targets certain donor segments (lapsed donors; corporate donors, or monthly donor renewal).

Want to learn more?

The 2019 Smarter Year-end Campaigns Online Course

Our 10-module online course to help you produce your best-ever year-end campaign.
Our mid-year session begins in May 2019 and Fall Session begins in early September

Get all the enrollment announcement list here!

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Resources and articles for better annual and year-end fundraising campaign:

Download our FREE Year-end Campaign Timeline

7 ways to involve your board in year-end fundraising

Tips for a successful year-end campaign (podcast)

Wrapping up your year-end campaign

4 part post series: Turning your year-end appeal into a multi-channel, year-end campaign:

Post 1:  Don’t just sit there… follow-up
Post 2:  The step-by-step guide to a phone-a-thon follow-up
Post 3:  How to test your year-end follow-up
Post 4:  Designing an email year-end follow-up

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Have you Read These?

Designing a simple test of your email fundraising campaign

7 Ways to Involve Your Board in Your Year-end Fundraising Campaign

Should I Use a Mail House for My Direct Mail?

Help! I don’t have enough donors for an annual campaign!

The elusive lapsed donor: devise a plan to get them back

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Smart Annual Giving helps small nonprofits harness the power of a well-planned, well-resourced annual giving program.

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Recent Posts

  • Gearing Up for a Successful 2020 Year-end Campaign
  • Caution: Don’t let potential donors slip through the cracks!
  • Spend some time this summer prepping for year-end!

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