This is the first post in an ongoing blog series about optimizing the performance of your fall fundraising campaigns by increasing the personalization of your donor experiences. To read ahead and get the complete checklist of optimization tactics, download the full guide: 5 Fundraising Personalization Tactics to Wow Your Donors and Smash Your Fall Fundraising Goals.

The final months of the year are hugely important for both nonprofits and donors; for many organizations, up to 50% of annual revenue is raised in December. From digital acquisition campaigns on Giving Tuesday to Year-End direct mail appeals, this is the time to go big.

Going big doesn't just mean contacting every supporter. To really smash your fundraising goals this fall, you'll want to make the right ask of every donor, whether that is becoming a monthly giver, giving their largest gift yet, or even making their first ever donation. One-size-fits-all ask strategies are out, AI-powered personalization is in - and the fundraising results speak for themselves.

Providing personalized experiences to each of your donors starts with a strong foundation of actionable data. You'll need to be able to understand the different donor experiences and preferences represented in your database, and plan specifically targeted outreach for different groups of donors. Traditional segmentation methods, typically based on metrics like recency, frequency, and monetary value of a donor's past giving, can give you a good idea of who your most loyal donors are and a ballpark figure of how much to ask them for - but they only tell a fraction of the story.

‍Donors who would likely give if asked are often missed by broad segmentation criteria. Before your finalize your campaign lists, make sure that you've included these key audiences!

1. Donor retention (LYBUNT)

Year-End is a great chance to talk to any annual donors who haven't yet given this year (your LYBUNT, or "last year, but not this year" audience). Don't forget to remind them of the impact that their gift has each year.  

2. Regular Year-End givers

You likely have some donors that give in December every year, or at least most years. Thank them for their loyalty and make sure you give them the opportunity to keep up the pattern!

3. Donor anniversary celebrators

Are there donors on your list who gave for the very first time through a previous Giving Tuesday or Year-End campaign? Take the opportunity to celebrate your time together and the impact that they've been a part of.

4. New donors

All of the new donors your organization has acquired this year are about to experience their first Year-End with you. This is a great chance to remind them why they got involved and show the impact of their gift.

5. Potential first-time donors

You've been nurturing your email subscribers over time, and some of them are likely ready to take the next step and become donors to your organization. AI models like Dataro's First Gift model can identify these individuals who are ready to make their first gift, so that you can give them a little extra love this fall.

6. Likely direct mail donors

Direct mail AI models can identify the donors in your CRM who have the highest likelihood of responding to a direct mail appeal. By comparing your existing mailing lists against these high-propensity individuals, you can easily increase the overall revenue of your campaign.

7. Lapsed donors ready to return

When it comes to donors who haven't given to your organization in over two years, you might start to wonder if they're gone for good. Not all of them will be worth your time and effort, but AI can help you identify those lapsed donors most likely to give again and prioritize your outreach to them.

8. Donors who are ready to make large gifts

Year-End is a great time to engage your major and mid-level giving prospects. When possible, exclude these donors from mass marketing campaigns and reach out with an extra personalized touch.

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Download the full guide to personalizing your Year-End campaign here!

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