1. I never fail to marvel at the bizarre behavior of many nonprofits when it comes to year-end giving.

Let me explain.

For almost every charity the period between Christmas and New Year’s is a heavy period for giving. For some groups as much as 25% of their annual revenue arrives in those final weeks. Many donors—particularly those giving gifts of appreciated securities, those contributing larger sums, and many a procrastinator wait until the last minute.

UNBELIEVABLY…it is exactly during these final days of the year that all too many nonprofits decide that this is a good time to close the office and give everyone a vacation break.  Wow!

To hell with those donors who may have a last-minute question…who need some information for their broker…who want to discuss your needs.  They’ll just have to wait.  Or, take their giving elsewhere.

Fortunately, when it comes to calling out good and bad practices we can count on our friend and veteran fundraiser Michael Rosen to sound the alarm and offer up some important advice.

In his post,   Will One Charity’s Surprising Year-End Email Make You Look Bad?,  Michael shines his spotlight of approval on at least one organization that has it right. Has its focus on the donor, not staff vacations.

Michael focuses on a rare and splendid email he received from Ted Hart, CEO of the Charities Aid Foundation with the on-point headline “Extended Hours for Year-End Giving.”

In what he labeled a “near perfect email and why you should do something similar before it’s too late” Michael calls out the highlights:

• First, “I’ve never received something like that (“Extended Holiday Hours) from a nonprofit before, so it should stand out.” More importantly, “I was intrigued enough to open the email.”

• Right at the start the email was about the donor (about ‘me’)—not the sender. The sender recognized that this was busy period for “me” and that’s why the CAF was expanding its hours until 8:00 p.m.

• In case those hours didn’t work for the donor, CAF also offered to make specially scheduled appointments available and provided an email address andphone number if the donor had any questions or needed any help.

And the P.S. in the email contains a real winner where donor engagement is concerned:

“As you consider making your charitable gifts this holiday season you can also head over to the CAF America blog for 5 Things to Know this Charitable Giving Season.” Note again the focus on the donor and the importance of giving, whether to CAF or others.

Michael Rosen’s Holiday Gift to You.

Here are some stocking stuffers from Michael’s to us all in the form of year-end questions:

• Have you wished your supporters and potential supporters a Happy Holiday?
• Do you just ask for money, or do you also offer service?
• Have you acknowledged how busy your supporters are? Do they know you appreciate their time as well as their money?
• Are your messages all about your organization (e.g., I, we, our) or are they focused on the recipient (e.g., you, your, yours)?
• Are your messages sent from one person to one person, or are they institutional communications to “all of our supporters”?
• Is your organization shorteningits holiday hours for its own convenience or extending them for the benefit of your donors and prospective donors?
• Are you just asking people for something or do you give them something they will find useful?
• Do you just speak at people or do you give them a chance to engage with you? Do you give them your email address andphone number?
• Can they actually reach a live person on the first try?

Notes Michael: “Your answers to the above questions will tell you whether CAF America is making you look bad. Fortunately, if your organization is falling short, there’s still time.”

Agitator holiday bonuses  go to Michael Rosen and Ted Hart.

Roger