"Gave to the Max"—a first look at trends from GTMD23

With Give to the Max Day 2023 in the books, it’s time to recap the highlights, learn from trends, and think about next steps into calendar year-end fundraising and beyond!

Earlier this month, we hosted a RaiseMN Learn-Along with our partners at Mightycause to share the top-level trends and takeaways from GTMD23. In case you missed it, here’s some of the information we covered.

Early analysis of GTMD23 results

$34.2 million raised—the second largest GTMD ever! 
6,615 organizations received support—a new record, and 1,000+ more than 2019!
Donations came from all 87 counties, 50 states, and 39 countries around the world!

So, how does this compare to previous years?

The last four years indicate to us that pre-pandemic fundraising is a new floor, not a ceiling, to possibility. Many of us wondered if giving in 2020 would be simply a one-time spike due to crisis fundraising, but every year since has shown us that donors continue to support causes through GTMD at a rate higher than they had previously. 

To keep that momentum up, it’s critical that nonprofit leaders invest in cultivating their organization’s relationship with its supporters. At GiveMN, we define cultivation as the activities you do and strategies you implement to help you build deeper, stronger, and more authentic relationships with the individuals who care about your work. This may look like a variety of things—hosting events for people to learn more about your impact, meeting with donors one-on-one, sending out a donor survey, and much more.

When you cultivate strong relationships with your audience, that also means you’re more likely to retain your donors year-after-year. This is important because repeated support is a lot easier to generate than investing in a whole new relationship every time. Think of your personal relationships. It’s easier for many of us to get together and catch-up with an old friend we know well rather than try to meet new friends every week. The same goes for your donors!

When it comes to the number of organizations receiving support during GTMD, we’ve also seen a steady increase since 2019. Many donors were mobilized in 2020 to support new causes and help nonprofits weather the economic turbulence that came with COVID.

So why the increase? Anecdotally, we believe that even 15 years in, more organizations continue to join GTMD and take part for the first time as a kick-off to year-end giving. The success of GTMD is dependent on the success of organizations across Minnesota and their continued participation. When you show up and inspire donors to give, our whole state benefits— thank you!

What should organizations do next to build on the momentum?

Bethany Natoli, vice president of community engagement at Mightycause and GiveMN’s project lead since 2018, offered some ways to work smarter, not harder, using GiveMN.org’s free tools.

• Check out your reports! 
  • Make sure to download your donation reports from GiveMN.org to get the full picture of how your GTMD campaign performed.
  • Using your donation report, identify donors who are new to your organization and consider sending them a special communication to thank them for joining your work.
  • Similarly, identify donors who make recurring donations to your organization and consider sending them a special communication as well to recognize their committed support! 
  • Use the Donor Retention report to see who has yet to give this year. This is a really easy way to narrow down a list of donors to contact before the year is over! 
• Engage your audience in different ways
  • Did you know that you have access to peer-to-peer fundraising tools like “Fundraiser” pages on GiveMN.org? If you want to shake things up at year-end, you could ask donors, volunteers, or board members to start a Fundraiser on your behalf and ask their friends and family to donate.
  • During the holiday season, encourage your donors to buy a Giving Card on GiveMN.org for their loved ones! These Giving Cards are just like gift cards and can be used to support your organization.
    
    

Where to start

Not sure where to start? Check out the free calendar-year end workbook we offered to Learn-Along attendees to help you get started!

Want to take it beyond calendar year-end and start 2024 off right? Consider our 2024 Individual Fundraising Plan coaching package! One of our expert fundraising coaches will work with you to create a year-long fundraising strategy unique to your organization’s needs. If you found yourself working last minute during Give to the Max, this is a great opportunity to get a head start this year! 

And remember, you can always reach out to our team at help@givemn.org if you have questions or need assistance with GiveMN.org.

Thank you for making GTMD23 one of the best years yet—our team is rooting for you this year-end as you cross the fundraising finish line for 2023!