The good news is that the end of 2020 is only 3.5 months away.

The bad news is that the end of 2020 is only 3.5 months away.

Planning for year-end communications should have started months ago.

Did yours? Or maybe you were waiting for some certainty about what December would look like?

If only.

Despite the lack of certainty, it’s time to plan, if you haven’t already. This year, more than ever, much is riding on your end-of-year communications.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts.

Do reach out to past and potential donors before you ask them for money. Use all your channels — including, if at all possible, a print newsletter — to share stories of beneficiaries whose lives have improved thanks to donors’ generosity.

Don’t let people hear from you only when you want something.

Do use all your channels. Coordinate direct mail, email, social media, video, texts, personal solicitation, phone banking — everything you’ve got.

Don’t neglect print. Direct mail is still the single most effective fundraising tool.

Do coordinate your campaign. You need a master schedule that lays out every message in every medium, with milestones and people responsible. If you don’t know how to construct a master work-back schedule, contact me.

Don’t put social media in a silo. No channel is an island, but I pick on social media because some nonprofits give the job to an intern and then forget about it until #GivingTuesday. Social should be part of the master plan.

Do try something new. Have you tried text campaigns? Phone calls? Zoom small groups?

Don’t neglect the tried and true. What worked last year or the year before? (If you don’t know, it’s time to do some data collection.) Unless what you did last year is dangerous (bye-bye, gala!), do it again.

Do communicate with other audiences besides donors: program participants/clients/patrons, of course, but also elected officials, neighbors, other organizations in your space, vendors — anyone with whom you can build a relationship.

Don’t forget that nonprofit communication is all about connections.

Above all, do be human.

Planning and implementing a coordinated end-of-year communications campaign can be daunting. If you’ve never done it before, 2020 is not the time to try it alone. Call me.