Annual Campaigns

Here, a look at case studies on Stop Hunger Now's Haiti Relief campaign and the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle Drive.

United Way of Greater High Point raised $4,626,000 in its 2011 campaign, an all-time high that exceeded its $4.45 million goal and the $4.4 million it raised in 2010. The campaign also exceeded the $4.5 million it raised in 2007, its previous peak.

Annual funds feed the donor pipeline. They are not about the cash, and they cannot succeed as gap-fillers.

In part one of our three-part series of successful fundraising case studies from the past year, we focus on health-oriented organizations CaringBridge and HealthConnect One.

The Salvation Army says it set a new fundraising record with its 2011 Red Kettle campaign during the holidays, raising $147.6 million across the nation. That record is a 3.4 percent increase over 2010’s campaign, which raised a record $142 million. The Red Kettle campaign is now 120 years old, dating back to its beginnings in 1891 on San Francisco’s wharf. The donations support social services.

More generous donations in the past week from Harford County, Md., area residents, businesses and organizations helped The Aegis Empty Stocking Fund exceed its 2011 fundraising goal.

As of Monday evening, the Empty Stocking Fund has raised $84,048 in donations for needy families, children and senior citizens during the holiday season. This year's fundraising goal was $80,000.

Nancy Eiring, director of acquisition at the Nature Conservancy, talks with FundRaising Success about the organization's 2010 Earth Day campaign.

FundRaising Success spoke with Nancy Eiring, director of acquisition at the Nature Conservancy, about the 2010 Earth Day campaign.

If your organization already has an online holiday campaign underway, congratulations and best of luck this season! If not, hopefully this offers some inspiration for planning a winning holiday campaign next year. Remember, the first step is putting a date on the calendar next summer to plan!

If you haven't gotten your year-end fundraising plans finalized yet, all hope is not lost. Yes, you are behind. And yes, you need to make some serious changes for 2012 (we'll get to that later).