Increase End-of-Year Donations With Handwritten Letters
The end-of-the-year giving season is the biggest fundraising opportunity of the year for nonprofits. Whether it’s from the year-end tax benefits from donations or just because they’re in the giving spirit from the holidays, 30% of annual giving occurs in December, and 10% happens in the last 3 days of the year. In 2024, $3.6 billion was donated on Giving Tuesday alone.
Organizations know this is the time to ask for donations, so even though there is a lot of donating, it can be hard to stand out. Most nonprofit organizations send the same mass-produced year-end appeal each year, which often goes unnoticed. And while it may be the giving season, if you want donors to support your cause, they have to notice you first.
That’s where the power of handwritten direct mail comes in. By sending handwritten letters to your donors, you can create an end-of-year fundraising campaign that stands out, gets opened and is acted on.
In this article, we’ll share how sending handwritten letters can increase your nonprofit’s end-of-year charitable giving donations, share end-of-year giving campaign examples and templates you can use, and how Scribe’s direct mail automation process can make this personalized outreach possible for you this year.
Contact Scribe today to learn more about how to start your own direct handwritten mail campaign for this end-of-year giving season to increase donations to your nonprofit.
Using Handwritten Direct Mail for Holiday Donations
During the busiest fundraising time of the year, donors are overwhelmed with requests for support. Their email inboxes are flooded, and their mailboxes are filled with the same mass-produced end-of-year donation requests they’ve seen every year. In that moment, they’re trying to decide where to give their end-of-year donations.
A handwritten letter changes that. It stands out, feels personal, and creates a genuine moment of connection, making the donor more likely to choose your organization. Here are a few reasons why handwritten notes are so successful with end-of-the-year giving campaigns.
Appeals For Fundraising That Actually Get Opened
We all have opened our inboxes, seen the generic flyers, and thrown them out. But if you received a handwritten note, you’d probably open it, right? That’s why handwritten direct mail is one of the few fundraising appeals that consistently get opened.
With a 99% open rate, 7x higher response rate, and 48% increase in conversions, handwritten notes stand out because they’re uncommon but also because they feel genuinely personal. At a time when donors are flooded with generic requests, a handwritten note shows you care.
Year-End Letters To Donors That Boost Year-End Donations
When donors see their name written by hand, along with a personal message tailored to them, it feels thoughtful and shows that effort was put into the message. That level of perceived effort strengthens the emotional relationship between the donor and your organization and naturally inspires people to donate.
On average, Scribe customers who use handwritten letters see a 49% increase in customer purchases. For nonprofit organizations, that means higher donations.
Personalization & Segmentation That Drives Retention
The ability to personalize handwritten letters with Scribe goes far beyond adding a donor’s name. With Scribe’s API integrations that sync directly with your CRM and marketing workflows, you can segment donors into groups like active donors, lapsed donors, major donors, and first-time supporters. This makes it easy to tailor each message to their level of involvement.
When donors receive end-of-year donor letters that are relevant to their relationship with your organization, it deepens their connection and increases their loyalty and retention.
End-of-Year Giving Campaign Ideas
There are endless ways to leverage the power of handwritten letters in your non-profit (both year-round and at the end of the year). Some year-end giving campaign ideas include:
Year-End Fundraising Updates
One effective end-of-year letter to donors you can send is a fundraising update. In this letter, you can share what your organization has accomplished over the year and highlight how their donations made those accomplishments possible. When donors can see the impact their donations have made, they feel more involved and are more likely to give again. You can gently encourage them to make another donation by sharing your goals for the upcoming year and the fundraising targets needed to achieve them.
An example of this end-of-year appeal could look like:
Dear [Donor Name],
I wanted to personally reach out and thank you for your generous donation of [donated amount] this year. Because of your support, we were able to [insert accomplishment donation went toward and the impact it had]. Your support has helped make all of this possible, and we cannot thank you enough!
We are so proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to continuing that momentum into the New Year! One of our big goals is [mention a milestone, project, or mission their donation would support]. If we achieve this, [share the impact achieving this would have]. If you’d like to donate to support our goal, you can [call to action].
Thank you,
[Name, Title]
[NonProfit Organization]
Invitation To A Year-End Fundraising Event
If your organization is hosting an event to encourage year-end donations, sending a handwritten note is a great way to boost attendance and support. It gives you a chance to thank donors for everything they’ve contributed, invite them to the event, and share why it matters and the impact it will have. And because the invitation is handwritten, it feels more thoughtful and personal, which makes donors more likely to attend or to give even if they can’t make it.
Below is an example of an invitation you could use:
Dear [Donor Name],
On 2026, we are hosting [event] for [event purpose], and I’d love for you to be there. Your support this year has helped us [impact of donations], and we wanted to put together an event to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished and keep building toward our goal of [fundraising goal/mission].
If you’re able to join us, we would love to celebrate with you! And if you are unable to make it, please know how grateful we are for your support and everything you’ve helped make possible this year.
Thank you,
[Name, Title]
[NonProfit Organization]
Encourage Recurring Giving In The New Year
Recurring gifts help nonprofits bring in more support and secure predictable funding throughout the year. A handwritten note lets you reach out in a gentle, personal way and encourage them to increase their support in the new year. You can highlight how easy and flexible recurring giving is, provide a suggested donation amount, and share what their donations would go toward. When donors can see how their contributions make an impact, they are more likely to give.
A sample end-of-year appeal letter you could send could look like:
Dear [Donor Name],
As we wrap up the year, I wanted to personally reach out and share how much we appreciate your support. Because of donors like you, we’ve been able to [impact of their donations].
If you’re considering ways to make an impact next year, becoming a [recurring timefame] donor is a great option and truly makes a big difference in [cause the donation supports]. Even a recurring gift of [suggested amount] can provide [specific impact, like “a week of lunches for a student”) and make a huge difference.
If you’d like to become a [recurring timeframe] donor, [call to action]. And if not, please know how truly grateful we are for any support you give, regardless of the amount or frequency. We couldn’t do this work without you!
Thank you,
[Name, Title]
[NonProfit Organization]
These are just a few examples of the end-of-year appeal letters you can send to your donors. Regardless of what you send, a handwritten note will make any message feel more genuine. And with Scribe, you can send handwritten notes at scale while customizing each one, so every donor on your list receives a thoughtful message without creating extra work for your team.
Handwritten End-of-Year Giving Campaigns at Scale
Handwritten direct mail has always been a powerful way to connect with donors, but the time and cost usually make it hard for nonprofits to use it consistently. Many organizations have small teams and tight budgets, which can make handwritten direct mail inaccessible. Scribe changes that through direct mail automation, which gives you all the benefits of a handwritten note without the time, labor, or high cost.
Scribe’s AI-powered robots write each letter with real pens, creating natural pen strokes and variations that look just like human handwriting. The envelopes are also handwritten and locally postmarked, which makes every piece of mail feel personal and authentic. Because the writing is automated and not outsourced, the cost to produce each letter drops significantly. And with CRM integration, you can personalize messages, segment donors, schedule campaigns, and have the letters delivered automatically, saving you the time and effort typically involved in handwritten letter campaigns.
Traditional handwritten mail can cost $2.95 to $8.95 per piece. With Scribe’s automated handwriting and workflow integrations, the cost averages between $1.69 and $3.49 per piece, making truly handwritten mail affordable and scalable for end-of-year giving campaigns.
Start Your Year-End Giving Campaign with Scribe Handwritten
The work your organization does matters, and the more money you raise, the more impact you can make. Year-end fundraising is one of the best times to capture donations, so it’s important to send an end-of-the-year appeal that grabs attention and encourages donations.
Scribe offers personalized, handwritten direct mail marketing at affordable rates so you can stand out and increase your donations this year. Contact Scribe to learn more about how you can start a handwritten direct mail campaign today for end-of-year giving and get 200 handwritten letters for free.