In case you are wondering…YES…there is still time to make a year-end appeal. Why would you bother? Because there is no other time of the year when mass numbers of people are looking for a place to make a contribution. (Reality check: If your church doesn’t make this appeal, you lose and you help fund other well-meaning, good-intentioned organizations…but not YOUR church.)

Here is a sample mailing schedule and description of the “call to action” to include in each piece:

1. First week after Thanksgiving (yep, that’s NOW) – Mail a letter from the pastor that includes the instructions: “Gifts must be postmarked by December 31 to receive the tax benefit in the current tax year.”

2. The week before Christmas - Mail a letter from the pastor that includes the instructions: “Gifts must be postmarked by December 31 to receive the tax benefit in the current tax year.”

3. The FINAL week of the year - Mail/E-mail a letter from the pastor that includes the instructions: “Gifts must be postmarked by December 31 to receive the tax benefit in the current tax year.”

4. On December 30 – Send an e-mail reminder that time is running out. Be sure to link directly to your online giving tool in the response section of the e-mail.

I realize that all four steps above include the same call to action. That was intentional. This is, perhaps, the simplest appeal you will make this year. This transaction-based appeal resonates with EVERYBODY at the end of the year. At no other time do you have mass numbers of people responding with a great sense of urgency to such a simple, one-dimensional call to action.

For many organizations (including churches), the final week of two of the year have a HUGE impact on funding their budgets. Choosing to ignore this opportunity will cost you money. (But maybe you already have so much that it just doesn’t matter.)

P.S. In case you are wondering if you will annoy your membership with so much communication about year-end giving, the answer is no. There really is a magic to the season. No other time during the year will your membership interpret your diligence as a thoughtful, helpful, personal reminder. They will sense your concern for them not to miss out on a tax benefit. (Tax benefits, admittedly, are one of the worst motivators to give outside of year-end giving even though most taxpayers don’t itemize their return to receive the tax benefit. Nonetheless, it is the very reason they will “say” they are making a last minute, year-end gift.)

P.S.S. Don’t forget to use first-class postage. If your appeal arrives in January, you’re TOO LATE!