US charities maximised year-end giving reminders

Just days prior to New Year’s Eve, my in box was populated with a multitude of email from US charities reminding me to make one last charitable gift prior to midnight on 31 December. Most charities offered the chance for my gift to be doubled or even tripled by a generous donor at year-end.

For US charities, this is their calendar year-end (as it is ours) and it is also their tax year-end. Nonetheless, I questioned why I received so few emails from Australian charities during the final week of the calendar year. Even those received did not push me for a calendar year-end gift.

I fully understand a year-end push happens the week including 30 June for Australian organisations due to our tax year. But, why is it that charities here do not also use calendar year end as an additional final push? Why not test both “giving seasons”?

While in the US over the holidays, I had a conversation with a man who is particularly philanthropic. He highlighted how many emails and letters he received from charities with offers for gifts to be doubled or tripled by other generous donors. The two of us are likely on hundreds and hundreds of charity lists – some overlapping and others unique. I suspect we have a good representation of what was out there at calendar year end.

As you start to implement your plan for the New Year, think about what you might adopt from others and test this calendar year. Think about whether a calendar year-end push is worth testing for your organisation.

Here are several examples received from US organisations. Happy New Year!