Wisdom of WOC: Insights on Giving Tuesday, Year-End Gifts and Donor-Advised Funds from Cynthia Reddrick
The Wisdom of WOC is a weekly advice column where the WOC Community can submit its questions about fundraising and philanthropy, and have them answered by our founder, Yolanda F. Johnson, and special guest editors from the WOC community.
From Our Mailbag
Q: Many nonprofits see Giving Tuesday as a one-day campaign. What advice would you share for organizations looking to make it part of a larger, ongoing donor engagement strategy?
A: If #Giving Tuesday is only leveraged as a one-day campaign, it is a missed opportunity for nonprofits. Your mission deserves much more. Make this #Giving Tuesday (December 2nd) the launch of your year-end giving campaign. Book-end it with a designated Giving Day that you announce to close out your giving season strategy, ideally by mid-January 2026. Even if you only have two weeks’ lead time, my advice is to first take two hours out of your day to plan, then another two hours to strategize and cadence social media messaging. Follow those planning sprints with email blasts to your board and team outlining next steps to execute a #Giving Tuesday content push, particularly on Instagram and LinkedIn, where donors tend to consistently engage with nonprofit-focused content.
Integrate a monthly giving or recurring giving goal into your board and volunteer and/or alumni participation. Have the board lead.
Enroll them as social media ambassadors for the week prior to #GivingTuesday and ask donors to join online amplification efforts.
Notify and engage corporate funders and sponsors; ask them to share your organization’s name as part of their employer matching gifts program, especially among their employee resource groups (ERGs) and affinity groups.
Q: As we approach year-end, what trends or donor behaviors do you think nonprofits should anticipate or prepare for as they plan their 2025 campaigns?
A: I hope that collaborative giving for collective impact will continue to see a resurgence this season. Generosity as a closely-held universal value that emboldens our sense of humanity, compassion, empathy and self-agency is critical to convey. These are donor behaviors we want to always encourage.
More specifically, as they relate to year-end campaign strategy, consider:
In-kind donations and pro bono support from vendors/strategic partners
Employer Matching Gifts from corporate volunteers and individual donors
Quarterly Gift Pledges from annual fund and major donors
Monthly Giving (recurring gifts) from new and existing donors
Q: What are your thoughts on how nonprofits can think outside of the typical “box” and encourage year-end gifts that come from assets rather than income, such as stocks, securities, or other non-cash options?
A: While we are in this precarious economic climate, even donors with considerable means may perceive certain financial constraints. So, it is important to offer as many options as possible relative to the types of gifts that can support the mission, year over year. By making the case for fueling the mission, and highlighting charitable gift vehicles, nonprofits can help donors think more expansively about effective gift strategies.
Q: How can organizations more effectively communicate with donors about their ability to accept Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) grants and Gifts of Appreciated Stock, especially during the year-end giving season?
1st: Optimize your website and social media channels to educate donors.
2nd: Include a DAF widget on their donation portal and Ways to Give page alongside identifying details such as the legal entity name and Employer Identification Number (EIN).
3rd: Use existing (e-newsletters and email blasts) to consistently communicate to donors about the benefits of these gift types.
4th: Share stories about how your organization has used these gifts in the past.
5th: Create a pop-up webpage promoting DAF giving and Gifts of Appreciated Stock to spur consideration of these gifts before 12/31.
6th: Ask board members who have made gifts from these vehicles to share in a quick video or quote for social media, themed: “Why I give and how I give.” These visuals enhance storytelling and can show the simplicity of using these gift types, especially for donors who may have greater capacity, but are accustomed to giving an annual cash gift to support your cause.
Q: Beyond traditional cash donations, what other types of gifts do you recommend nonprofits highlight year-round to sustain giving and deepen donor relationships?
A: Year-round, your nonprofit can highlight the gift option of grants from Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). Be sure to include language on your donation portal or Ways to Give page that highlights your nonprofit’s interest in receiving gifts from DAF accounts, widely considered “charitable checking accounts.” If your organization has previously received a contribution made from a DAF, share that story. Highlighting the DAF gift, even if made anonymously, may encourage other donors to follow the lead and deepen their investment in your mission’s impact. A second type of gift that nonprofits can help amplify is gifts from a giving circle that is dedicated to your cause and comprises a group of major donors. When donors pool their resources to participate in collaborative giving, that is an exciting story to tell and share with your wider community of stakeholders.
Q: Many smaller organizations feel intimidated by non-cash or complex gifts. What would you say to leaders who want to start promoting these opportunities but aren’t sure where to begin?
A: Keep it simple: Start with donor communications across traditional and digital media platforms that highlight your nonprofit’s acceptance of appreciated stock gifts, which are popular as year-end gifts among donors who have capacity to make a blended gift (combined cash and non-cash donation). Be sure to provide details on your website’s donation pages and forms with your nonprofit’s legal name and Employer Identification Number (EIN). Promote this information widely across all marketing vehicles and channels.
Disclaimer: None of the above should be construed as legal or finance advice. Please consult legal counsel, your finance team and/or your board of directors on how best to communicate your organization’s gift acceptance policies.
This Week’s Expert
Cynthia Reddrick
Lead Strategist
FRUITION Consulting for Nonprofits
With a high level of acumen in executing donor relationship-building strategies and growing leadership-level giving programs for civil rights and social advocacy groups in addition to deep knowledge of innovative approaches to women’s philanthropy, Cynthia Reddrick is committed to advising nonprofit sector leaders as they seek professional development and organizational sustainability. Cynthia was most recently affiliated with Cause Effective, where her work from 2017 to 2024 centered on coaching, cohort-building and stabilizing fundraising efforts in partnership with nonprofit staff and board members. In client engagements representing various nonprofit mission areas and types, from arts & cultural institutions to women’s and girls’ causes and national membership organizations to community-based advocacy groups, Cynthia successfully applied her over two decades of experience in fundraising management, communications and marketing within both government and nonprofit sectors.
While at the ACLU Foundation, Cynthia implemented planned giving communication strategies for the Robert W. Wilson Legacy Challenge matching gift campaign, which yielded over $40 million in planned gifts during its two-year renewal period and created a pathway for the success of a 90th anniversary-themed capital campaign, which attracted over $200 million in new gift pledges towards the organization’s comprehensive resource mobilization initiative across the southern United States.
Cynthia’s work at FRUITION Consulting for Nonprofits for more than a decade has centered on support integral to the mission-building of organizations that are committed to advancing the well-being of people as well as our planet, with an emphasis on major gifts, donor stewardship and campaign planning/strategy. She has advised local and regional movement-based entities ranging in size from the Literary Freedom Project and Southern Partners Fund to widely recognized brands like the Environmental Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood Federation of America through this consulting practice. Cynthia holds an MA from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in gender studies and philanthropy and a BA in Journalism from Drake University.
Cynthia’s current professional affiliations include Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP-NYC), the inaugural cohort of the Wealth Organizers Network (WON), the NYC Racial Equity Endowment Fund steering committee, ABFE, A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, Advisors in Philanthropy (AiP), the Nonprofit Professionals of Color Collective (NPPOC), and the Gardenia White Community Fund. Recent memberships and volunteer roles have included board leadership with the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York (PPGGNY) and the Program Committee Chair role within the chapter.
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