THE ANNUAL APPEAL

WHAT IS AN ANNUAL APPEAL AND WHY DO IT?

  • Generally, an annual appeal asks for unrestricted support for the library from the community.  
  • Generally conducted in October, November December.  But don’t be afraid to be bold, some campaigns have been successful in January. 
  • It is not a membership appeal.  If you have a Friends Group that solicits members – be sure you coordinate your campaigns.  Beware of confusing your patrons.  Your Annual Appeal and a Friends membership drive are two distinct campaigns. 

Why do it?  Keeps donors loyal, invested and engaged.  Can be a recurring source of unrestricted funds.  Encourages “upgraded” gifts and legacy giving. 

Like most things, good planning will help you be successful. It is important to develop your campaign strategy, timeline and develop your compelling story.  

Here are some things you might want to consider:  

  • What are your compelling stories? Collect stories that are more than testimonials that demonstrate your impact in the community.  
  • Who is the letter going to be from?  Will you have an honorary “Campaign Chair” – someone in the community who can be your spokesperson?  Sometimes having the letter come from someone respected in the community has greater resonance and is more compelling.  
  • Will it be signed by the Chair? the Board President? Executive Director?  
  • Email or Snail Mail? Both? There are many compelling reasons to do mail today and statistics show that direct response letters are effective.  See additional resources on using a mail house to help facilitate your annual appeal letter, it can be very cost effective to work with a respected mail house.  
  • What kind of response will be included?  Donation website?  return envelope? Will you offer multiple giving categories?   Many recommend you do both.
  • Decide on frequency of the appeal letter.  Whether you opt for digital or mail or both – will you send multiple letters to those who don’t respond?  How often and will you alter the mailing? (This will require you to have a good donor data base to this efficiently).
  • Be sure to have a plan for acknowledgements and follow-up strategies including database input. 

HERE ARE SOME RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BUILD A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

LOCAL CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS

Check out these websites not only for services but for some good general information on current trends in fundraising and campaign strategy.  These resources can help you in making the case for engaging a consultant.

DIRECT MAIL

A mail house can do so much more than stuff your envelopes! Set up a meeting to discuss your mailing needs as part of your campaign planning. Here are just a few that nonprofits in Westchester have used, they also have some good resources and/or samples of their work with Westchester nonprofits:

SOME ONLINE RESOURCES

gailperrygroup.com Check out anything by Gail Perry – her books, blog and website will offer cutting-edge fundraising strategies and new tools to make fundraising more successful and more fun. Link to annual appeal best practices: https://gailperrygroup.com/category/annual-giving-best-practices/. Link: How to write solicitation letters. https://gailperrygroup.com/write-soliciation-fundraising-letter-donation/

Annual Appeal Resources and More

Slide deck from WLS Lunch & Learn Sessions:

October 9, 2024 Updated Annual Appeal – 8 Tips

Revised and updated 2024  Annual Appeal Basics

A great resource to better understand what a direct mail house can do for you and different styles of direct mail appeals. Prices are outdated, but strategy is current. Jump-Start-Your-Annual-Appeal (1)

These are great examples of an annual appeal package.  Note the personalization of the letter, the bullets to call out why my donation is needed and its impact – also the use of color to help it standout.  There is a lot here, but it is formatted with lots of white space.  The response card also gets an A+ , lots of options to give, including securities and monthly.  And note that they even remind me when I last gave and how much I donated. That is a nice reminder and an opportunity to make the donor feel seen. UWWP Annual appeal letter 2024   

 UWWP Response card 2024