7 End-of-Year Fundraising Campaigns We Love

As the end of the calendar year approaches, your nonprofit is probably preparing for its annual end-of-year appeal. We want to help! So we looked through a bunch of our favorite end-of-year fundraising campaigns from 2020 and put together eight examples to inspire you! These examples are from Qgiv clients and use our online donation forms and peer-to-peer fundraising software. 

Interested in seeing how we can help you design the perfect donor experience for your end-of-year appeal? Request a demo. 

1. Brother Wolf Animal Rescue’s Matching Gift Holiday Campaign 

Who they are

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue was founded in 2007 to enhance the lives of companion animals and the people who love them. They work across county lines with the goal of saving the greatest number of lives possible through strategic, creative, and impactful programming. 

Through adoption and pet retention programs, a low-cost mobile spay and neuter clinic, lifesaving shelter transfer partnerships, extensive volunteer and foster networks, and a trap-neuter-return program for community cats, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue impacts the lives of thousands of animals each year in the Western North Carolina region. 

Why we love their campaign 

At Qgiv, we love a good matching gift, and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is great at using matching gift pledges in end-of-year fundraising campaigns to encourage their donors to give to their cause. That’s just what they did for their 2020 year-end campaign.  

Their year-end campaign needed to raise at least $50,000 to take full advantage of the available gift match. They used a matching gift to get there. As a result, donors delivered and raised an additional $3,000 over goal. Why? Because their gift’s impact went farther with the match.  

Additionally, who doesn’t love a donation form with cute, adoptable dogs and cats on it? 

2. Family Care Network’s Give Joy Campaign 

Who they are

Family Care Network is a nonprofit medical practice that was started to provide the best possible primary healthcare for families in Northwest Washington, as well as to give their physicians the resources and support they need to succeed.  

They are passionate about their community’s well-being and take the time to build strong, long-term relationships with their patients. Their goal is optimal health through all ages and stages of life, from pregnancy through adulthood. 

Why we love their campaign 

Their Give Joy campaign encouraged supporters of Family Care Network to fundraise on behalf of the nonprofit as part of their year-end appeal. DIY fundraising was an exciting addition to traditional end-of-year fundraising campaigns. Visitors to their end-of-year campaign page were asked to either donate or raise funds for Family Care Network. 

As a result of empowering supporters to raise additional funds over the holidays, the nonprofit provided an additional avenue for people to contribute to their cause. The best part? It worked! By encouraging peer-to-peer fundraising, Family Care Network raised more than 253% of their fundraising goal! 

Additionally, they used a holiday theme for their campaign that featured impact statements with cute graphics that showed donors how their gifts would make a difference. Talk about getting people in the giving spirit! 

3. Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education’s End-of-Year Appeal 

Who they are

Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the success of all children and youth in their school communities. Their mission is to be the catalyst for the meaningful and successful inclusion of all students in their neighborhood schools. 

They accomplish this by providing individual student planning, professional learning and technical assistance, and school and system-wide transformation to make sure schools are for everyone. 

Why we love their campaign 

Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education kept their year-end donation form simple. Sometimes a simple approach produces the best results for end-of-year fundraising campaigns. They used Qgiv’s multi-step donation form to break giving down into small, manageable chunks. Chunking makes the task of completing a donation feel faster event if it has the same number of fields as a single-step form. 

Additionally, they invited supporters to get to know them on social media so they can be up-to-date on the work that the coalition is doing. Their two primary social media accounts, Facebook and X, were provided via direct feed on the year-end donation form. This empowered new supporters to get to know Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education better before making the gift. 

4. Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Chatanooga’s Last Chance to Help Campaign 

Who they are

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga provides families with the care and resources they need when their child is sick and supports programs and services that directly improve the health and well-being of children. 

With the help of their local community and a strong network of chapters to share best practices, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga is able to carry out its mission by providing the best possible resources, facilities, and services benefiting children and their families at a time of need or medical crisis. 

Why we love their campaign

We all know that December 31^st is the last day to give for the fiscal year, but last year Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga took that sense of urgency and built an effective appeal called the “Last Chance to Help” campaign. The emphasis was placed on helping families in crisis in 2020.  

They took this a step further and included images of the children and families that benefitted from their care in 2020. These recent impact photos reinforce who these gifts benefit and why it’s so important to give. 

An activity feed rounds out the tools that helped this campaign be successful. By seeing who donated to the campaign, donors were provided the social proof that this was a worthy cause worth supporting. 

5. The Station Foundation’s End of Year Transitions Fundraiser 

Who they are

The Station team is comprised of members of the Special Operations Community and amazing professionals fully dedicated to the SOF community. The Station Foundation helps participants navigate the rough terrain of transition and reintegration back to civilian life. They offer experience, strength and hope to individuals as they identify and translate strengths to new arenas. 

 Why we love their campaign 

The Station Foundation posted a video to their year-end giving campaign page. The video explained who they are and why people should give. People give to people so they used real people in their video to emphasize that their gifts support people in their communities. 

Because The Station Foundation also supports spouses and couples with a partner who was in the special operations community, they even created two tabs at the top of the donation page to accept donations for these additional programs.  

6. UrbanPromise Charlotte’s Holiday Campaign 

Who they are

UrbanPromise Charlotte provides children and youth in Charlotte North Carolina with the spiritual, academic, and social development necessary to become Christian leaders determined to restore their communities.  

UrbanPromise’s ultimate goal is to empower a new generation of indigenous Christian leaders that is equipped and determined to make Charlotte a fully integrated city where social, spiritual, and economic capital flow between neighborhoods. They seek this transformation through a three-pronged approach: reach a child, raise a leader, restore community. 

Why we love their campaign

UrbanPromise Charlotte used specific donation amounts and impact statements to raise more funds for their end-of-year campaign. They shared what each gift amount funded. That way, every supporter, regardless of budget, knew they’d make a meaningful difference in the lives of children. 

Gifts provided employment at UrbanPromise for a StreetLeader and after school and summer camp experiences for a student. As a result, donors could donate a year or month of employment or enrichment activities for beneficiaries of UrbanPromise Charlotte. 

The specificity worked and as a result donors gave over $162,000 toward the $100,000 fundraising goal. That’s a lot of after school and summer camp participants! 

7. Communities in Schools Central Texas holiday appeals

Who they are

Communities In Schools Central Texas is the nation’s largest and most effective dropout prevention organization. For more than 40 years, Communities In Schools has been helping students achieve in school, graduate, and go on to bright futures. 

Their school-based staff work directly on 99 elementary, middle, and high school campuses in Central Texas. In addition to providing individual student support, they work to provide whole school supports, helping ensure school environments are safe and inclusive for all students. 

Why we love their campaign

Communities in Schools segmented their supporters. Then they created two end-of-year fundraising campaigns. One for one-time gifts and another for earning recurring gifts. By doing this they garnered more recurring support for their programs that would extend beyond 2020 into 2021.  

Appealing to potential recurring gift donors was smart because recurring donors give more in their lifetime than one-time donors. By encouraging monthly giving, Communities in School gained a more reliable revenue stream. They also will earn more in donations through the lifetime of that donor. 

But to avoid alienating one-time donors, they created a donation form specific to them. This means donors with the intent to make a one-time donation won’t feel pressured to support a recurring giving initiative. 

 That’s not all! They then tailored their impact statements for each giving amount for each campaign! That means no matter what campaign supporters give to, they can see how their gift will make a difference. As a result, their donors could see how donations help before they finished giving.

Final thoughts

From forms made for different appeals, to encouraging DIY fundraising to help you reach your end-of-year fundraising goals, these examples show what’s possible when hosting end-of-year appeals. Want to find similar success? Then consider these key takeaways: include building forms for differing appeals, seek matching gifts, encourage supporters to fundraise for you, and show the impact of year-end gifts. We hope these examples inspire you to make the most of your end-of-year campaign. 

Need more inspiration for end-of-year campaigns? Then check out these five easy fundraising ideas for your end-of-year fundraising push.