End-of-Year Giving – 5 Ways to Engage Your Community

By Lara Gopp
Marketing Manager| Fortify Foundation

At Fortify Foundation, we understand the vital role that Christian education plays in shaping students’ faith, character, and academic success. That’s why our goal is to help Christian schools financially sustain their mission for the long term. One of the most effective ways to ensure the future of your school is by incorporating a long-term investment strategy into your fundraising efforts, especially during the end-of-year giving season. Establishing and growing an endowment fund can be the key to sustaining your school’s mission for generations to come. 

In this article, we’ll explore creative ways to engage your school families and donor community for end-of-year giving while keeping long-term financial sustainability in mind. With Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, Christmas, and the New Year all in close succession, this is a prime time to inspire generosity that has both an immediate and lasting impact on your school. 

1. Thanksgiving Gratitude Campaign: Cultivating a Spirit of Thanks 

Thanksgiving offers a natural moment to reflect on God’s blessings and to express gratitude for the support your school community receives. Use this time to emphasize the importance of both short-term and long-term giving by cultivating a spirit of thankfulness. 

• Thankfulness Wall: Invite school families, students, and staff to share what they are thankful for about the school on a “Thankfulness Wall” (physical or virtual). Highlight the long-term impact your school has on students’ lives and explain how ongoing support can ensure this legacy continues. Share how endowment funds can provide lasting financial stability for the school. 

• Personalized Thank-You Notes: Have students write personalized thank-you notes to donors. These notes are a powerful way to express gratitude and remind donors of the difference their support makes. In these notes, consider mentioning how an endowment can help secure the future of the school’s mission for generations of students to come. 

• Host a Gratitude Dinner: Organize a special Thanksgiving dinner or event, either in person or virtually, for school families and supporters. During the dinner, present a powerful story of how donations have made a difference in students’ lives, while also explaining the importance of building an endowment to sustain the school’s mission long-term. This is an opportunity to introduce the idea of planned giving and encourage attendees to consider leaving a legacy gift that supports the school for years to come. 

2. Giving Tuesday: Harnessing Global Generosity for Long-Term Impact 

Giving Tuesday: Harnessing Global Generosity for Long-Term Impact 

This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 3, making it the perfect opportunity to inspire generosity at the start of the holiday season. As a global day of giving, it’s an ideal time to kick off your year-end campaign and encourage both immediate and long-term contributions that support your school’s mission. 

• Matching Gift Challenge: Launch a matching gift challenge, where a major donor agrees to match donations given on Giving Tuesday. This inspires participation and highlights how gifts can multiply, just like how an endowment fund grows over time. Encourage donors to contribute to the endowment, offering a way for them to make a lasting impact on your school’s future. 

• Online Giving Blitz: Organize a one-day online campaign promoted through email and social media, leading up to December 3. Share engaging content like video testimonials from students and parents, emphasizing how contributions help both this year and into the future through long-term endowment growth. 

• Engage Alumni and Parents: Tailor specific Giving Tuesday messaging to alumni and parents. Explain how their gifts can support future generations of students by contributing to the school’s endowment. Position their donations as an opportunity to create a legacy that ensures the continued success of Christian education at your school. 

3. Christmas Giving: Aligning with the School’s Mission and Future 

The Christmas season is all about giving in the spirit of Christ. It’s also a time when people feel called to give back in a way that aligns with their faith and values. By focusing on the long-term impact of their gifts, you can inspire your community to invest not only in the present but also in the future of your school. 

• Advent Giving Calendar: Create an Advent Giving Calendar for school families, where each day leading up to Christmas has an act of giving or reflection. One of the days could focus on “investing in the future” by contributing to the school’s endowment fund. This calendar can serve as a visual reminder that while we celebrate the birth of Christ, we can also look forward to securing the future of Christian education. 

• Sponsor a Student: Launch a “Sponsor a Student” campaign during the Christmas season, encouraging donors to give a one-time gift or establish a scholarship fund that can support students year after year. Explain how endowment funds work and how a portion of the interest earned can fund scholarships on an ongoing basis, creating a legacy of giving. 

• Christmas Worship Night: Organize a Christmas Worship Night where school families and donors gather for a time of worship and reflection. Use this time to cast a vision for the future of the school and explain how a long-term investment in the school’s endowment fund can sustain its mission for generations. Invite attendees to make a special Christmas gift to the endowment as a way of honoring Christ’s birth and furthering His work through education. 

4. End-of-Year Gifts: Finish Strong and Focus on Sustainability 

As the year ends, it’s important to remind your community that this is their last chance to make tax-deductible gifts for the current year. It’s also a time when people are reflecting on their legacy and long-term financial planning, making it the perfect moment to introduce the concept of endowment giving. 

• Year-End Appeal Letters: Send out year-end appeal letters via email and traditional mail, emphasizing the importance of both short-term and long-term support for the school. Highlight how gifts to the endowment fund can provide lasting financial security for the school’s mission and invite donors to make an immediate impact while also considering a legacy gift. 

• Donor Appreciation Video: Create a video that showcases the impact your donors have had on the school throughout the year. Include stories of students whose lives have been transformed through Christian education and explain how endowment giving can ensure that this transformative experience continues for generations. End with a call to action, inviting donors to give before the year ends and to consider a gift to the school’s endowment fund. 

• New Year’s Blessing Campaign: As the year turns, send a final email thanking donors for their support and inviting them to continue blessing the school into the new year. Encourage donors to start thinking about their long-term legacy and offer information about how they can support the school through an endowment fund, planned gifts, or other long-term giving strategies. (Our team at Fortify Foundation would be happy to help with this!) 

Why Fortify Foundation? 

Fortify Foundation simplifies endowment management for Christian schools. We help schools create sustainable financial strategies that secure their mission for the long term. Whether you’re starting an endowment or growing an existing fund, our team is here to support you. An endowment provides lasting income, ensuring your school’s mission thrives for generations. 

If you’re curious about starting a long-term strategy or need more information, reach out to Fortify Foundation today! Together, we can secure the future of Christian education. 

Contact us for more information.