For Cape nonprofits, donations and fundraising peak at the holidays
It's a busy time of year for Stephanie Ellis, executive director of Wild Care Cape Cod, — and it has little to do with the holidays.
Ellis is working through peak fundraising season for the Eastham-based nonprofit that cares for and rehabilitates wildlife. The bulk of its donations come in at the end of the year. Ellis coordinates one of her two annual mailings to coincide with the season of holiday gift-giving.
“People have come to expect it,” she said of the mailings that request donations. “They reserve funds for the end of year.”
The fall appeal for the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis runs from Nov. 22 through the end of January, generating between 60 to 70% of its annual donations, according to museum director Benton Jones.
"We recognize the end of the year is a big time for families to make their annual donations," he said. "The vast majority come in this time of year."
Jones said he is hoping the community can donate $50,000 so the museum can get a $50,000 matching grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The money is earmarked for a new HVAC system.
"It would keep the permanent collection permanent," Jones said.
According to a 2014 report by Charity Navigator, 31% of annual giving occurred in the month of December. And 12% of annual giving occurred in just the last three days of the year.
The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum is a little unusual in that regard. It receives donations throughout the year, according to executive director Wendy Northcross. "But we do participate in #GivingTuesday (Nov. 30 this year) and send an annual request for unrestricted donations," she wrote in an email.
Because of COVID-19, the museum sent out one mailing announcing the reopening of the museum as well as Northcross' appointment. A larger mailing that targeted donors from the last three years went out in November, outlining the museum's plans for the next 30 years.
Email newsletters promoted a special membership package for families as a holiday gift idea. Another email campaign promoting #GivingTuesday asked for donations to fund scholarships for local high school students, Northcross said.
Wild Care dropped from three annual mailings to two.
"With the apocalypse happening, I didn’t want to push people,” Ellis said referring to the pandemic. There was a silver lining. “We realized we were saving thousands in printing and postage.”
Mailings, even targeted mailings with bulk-rate charges, are pricey. The Cape Cod Museum of Art has a database of people who have donated in the last two to three years. The museum reaches out to them twice a year.
"The nonprofit (postage) rate is still very expensive," Jones said.
Charity Navigator, GuideStar provide financial information on nonprofits
Charity Navigator rates nearly 200,000 charities on a variety of categories, giving potential donors a picture of how organizations handle their money. That information can be key for anyone wishing to end the year on a generous note.
Kevin Scally, chief relationship officer of Charity Navigator, was quoted in a Forbes article as saying, “Donors should give with their hearts, but also with their heads.”
That’s where Charity Navigator, and GuideStar, a database with information on 2.7 million nonprofits, can help. The two rate nonprofits on their leadership, transparency, financial health, and the effectiveness of their programs. But the ratings are only as good as the information gleaned from forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service, and their self-reporting surveys. Not all nonprofits can be found on their databases.
Jeannette Kerr, marketing and communications coordinator at the Mass Audubon Society Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, said the reason everyone does end-of-the-year appeals is that they work.
Kerr couldn’t talk about fundraising strategies. But according to Charity Navigator, the Massachusetts Audubon Society has a four-star rating, scoring high on transparency, accountability and financials.
A good score, coupled with a passion for birds, or the educational programs sponsored by the organization, or support for the disappearing open space on the Cape, and Audubon might be the perfect fit for a year-end donation.
Or someone might want to support a food bank, an educational nonprofit, an organization that provides services to veterans. There are worthy local, national and international organizations, and making informed decisions can be a comfort for those wary of fundraising campaigns.
When COVID-19 hit and public events and fundraisers, which used to bring in about 40% of Wild Care donations, had to be canceled. Ellis started giving virtual talks. Viewers from California, Connecticut, Florida, New York and Virginia started tuning in for Facebook Live events.
It opened up a whole new world of opportunity, she said. Ellis posted on Facebook, held virtual events and sent out email blasts using Constant Contact, an online marketing company. Wild Care gained an audience that stretched from Florida to California and up to Canada. Donations even increased.
“We’ve stayed alive,” Ellis said.
After a "bomb cyclone" nor'easter hit the Cape in October, Wild Care cared for eight injured gannets. Ellis put out a call for donations and got $1,059 in less than 24 hours. The money paid for Pedialyte, critical care formula, vitamins and minerals, fish and even salt for a therapy pool.
#GivingTuesday spurs donations
On #GivingTuesday, a day set aside for donating to nonprofits, Wild Care received $6,400. The facility plans to purchase fans, iPads for staff, and also use the donations to renovate a songbird aviary and owl shed, Ellis said.
The JFK Hyannis Museum will use their #GivingTuesday donations for student scholarships, Northcross said.
While the end of the year is the peak season for giving, the demand for donations runs year-round.
Wild Care staff never know what animals will come through the door. Audubon volunteers greet visitors to their sanctuaries, but also collect fees from non-members. And while the JFK Museum hosts special events and exhibits, they welcome donations all year long.
"Supporting nonprofits supports the fabric of the community," Jones said.
Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod nonprofits: Donations, fundraising peak during the holidays
