A Dozen Year-End Fundraising Ideas

6. E-mail has certainly evolved as the channel of choice in the last weeks of the year. With e-mail frequency, timing and cadence all evolving, anyone with an e-mail address knows that the last week of the year is popular for sends and resends. 501(c)3s often have a natural urgency — "make a gift by midnight on the 31st and get your 2012 tax deduction." But that doesn't mean others can't take advantage of this natural deadline. Consider starting with a few year-end fundraisers mixed with cultivation e-mails earlier in December before ramping up in the last week. As for integration, how about using a common theme across channels and setting a single fundraising goal for mail, website, e-mail, etc.?