3 Ways to Use Your Strategy in your Annual Appeal
September 18, 2025 | By David M. Wagner
I know, I know – it sucks to be reminded that annual appeal season is just around the corner.
Now is a great time to be planning for your end-of-year campaign, whether your goal is to raise funds, increase visibility, or just bolster community support for the great work your team has done this year.
I’m not a fundraising or communications expert. Fortunately, my friends over at BrandRaise are, and they’ve put together a helpful end-of-year fundraising guide.
(If you lead a library or other organization that does not rely on fundraising, consider applying the guide to publishing a year-in-review or annual report to bolster community support.)
So while I cannot improve on their fundraising advice, I can spot a few opportunities to use something you (hopefully) already have – your strategy – to improve your appeal and reach your end-of-year goals.
Opportunity #1: Lead with your Identity
Your end-of-year campaign will resonate strongly if your language reflects the organizational vision in your strategy:
Your purpose
Your core values
Your vision (for a better world, and for your own work)
Your unique mission
(If you’ve worked with me to develop your strategy, you’ll recognize this as your “enduring vision.”)
Sample language: “We know your share our dedication to…”
Remind your supporters why your work is important (to them) and invite them to, once again, join your efforts to create a better world or community.
Opportunity #2: Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Keeping your strategy up-to-date means tracking outcomes and monitoring progress against your action plans. (That is, implementing your evaluation plan, if you’ve worked with me.)
It can be tedious to collect all that data.
But now that you have it…put it to use!
Sample language: “With your support, this year we were able to…”
Combine the stories of your clients and beneficiaries with hard data about the scope of your efforts and the impact your work has had. You’ll boost your credibility by demonstrating the results of the trust your supporters have placed in you.
Opportunity #3: Inspire Partnership in What’s Next
Craft your campaign to inspire your supporters – not just with what you’ve already done, but with what you can accomplish together going forward.
And I have good news! Your strategy already provides a vision for what’s next and identifies specific outcomes to expect in the coming year.
(Your “target vision” and the timing of the initiatives in your action plan, if we’ve worked together, has all the information you need.)
Sample language: “Your support will make it possible for us to…”
Highlight the exciting objectives on your horizon and how your supporters’ contributions will help you reach those goals. The more tangible you can be (including about expected mission outcomes), the better!
You’ve put a lot of work into developing and implementing your strategy – use it to craft a stronger annual appeal or report. And if your strategy doesn’t yet contain the elements I’ve described above, let’s chat – I would love to help you get there.