Everyone in fundraising knows that these final weeks leading up to the end of the financial year are critical.

For this reason, getting your tax appeal right should be a fundamental part of your fundraising strategy.

While many people have lost jobs or suffered income loss this year, most Australians are very aware of the ongoing need to support the most vulnerable in our community. That means your donors care about your cause now as much as ever before, and those in positions to give are willing and ready this June.

And though we’re down to the final weeks, it’s not too late to set meaningful goals and communicate them to your supporters. In fact, it’s the perfect time.

Here’s some recommendations on how to do your tax-time donation appeal right and encourage a wonderful season of generosity from your supporters.

1. Set clear and achievable goals

Not only will setting tax season fundraising goals sharpen your thinking and planning, but it also gives your donors something to aim for too, which you can leverage in updates and last-minute communications.

What is your fundraising target, to the exact dollar? Why do you need that amount now and how will it be spent?

Other measurements to consider can include how many new donors you’re after and whether you want existing donors to give extra gifts (and if so, how much).

2. Define your target audience

Your target audience is the people you’ll be communicating with – prospective givers, existing donors, or both.

Some helpful questions to ask regarding your targets include:

• What demographics are currently engaged in our mission?
• How does that affect this language I use and the medium on which I communicate?
• What demographics might respond more to our message this tax time?

Your direct mail communications will usually be directed toward this audience first, but additional digital elements like social media marketing provide a great opportunity to reach more of your target audience and acquire new donors along the way.

3. Widen your reach on social media

Now it’s time to look at social media outreach, especially in terms of paid advertising.

The world of social media advertising is constantly expanding and adapting as user behaviour changes and platforms adjust their algorithms. Facebook continues to dominate in this space, and there are three ways you can use it to enhance your tax-time appeals:

• Organic posts: regular page posts to your existing community. They should be short, graphic-led, and drive people to donate.
• Boosted posts: page posts sponsored to a wider audience for a relatively low budget.
• Full advertising campaigns: Using Facebook for Business, you can set more specific goals and upload Custom Audiences to skyrocket your ad dollars. Choose to only pay for user actions, like click-throughs or even specific actions on your site using a Facebook Pixel.

Your social media posts should be to-the-point, regardless of the platform you’re using. Remember to let your audience know why it’s important they donate now and include images that do some of the work explaining your mission.

4. Take advantage of partner offers

Our Blackbaud partner community has come together to help you make the most of your fundraising this end-of-financial-year.

Whether you want to save money, grow your average gift, or simply drive your donations through the roof, our partners have the tools and expertise to help you get there.

Some of the partner offers available include three-month licenses for machine learning fundraising with free integration, three free months of phone performance optimisation, 50% off text message marketing plans, and much more!

See all of the amazing tax-time offers from our Partner community.

We wish you a healthy and successful season of giving at tax time, and we’re always available to help you get there.