Today marks the launch of our seasonal fundraising campaign. It’s an important and hectic time of year for our head office team and a lot of work goes into closing out the year with a bang. But what is it about this time of year in particular that’s so special for charity and charitable organizations around the world? In the blog below our own fundraising team reflect on the power of the holidays and the opportunities they provide.
I think everyone behind the scenes of an NGO will tell you that the holiday season is a benchmark of their calendar. Special campaigns, content, marketing and outreach are prepared for release around the end of the year. Often, planning for December starts in the summer, if not before, and requires the attention and capacity of the whole team.
As a fundraising department, of course it’s important to acknowledge that the end of year is a big time for holiday giving, both as part of a culture of charity and sharing at this time of year, and also because of the end of most fiscal years. Often, end of year collections define the capacity for programming in the year ahead and are an indication of the kind of operational impact an organization is going to have in the coming months. However, there are many other reasons that Christmas campaigning is so vitally important. For MOAS at least, the impact of the season extends far beyond an increased fundraising potential.
Many organizations also use the end of year as an opportunity to refocus strategies and narratives onto upcoming operations and activities. Many operations are programmed for a calendar year and the December/January period is a time for reflection, lessons learned and plans for the projects ahead. It’s usually a time for field teams to visit home, see family and touch base with international colleagues and a time for team bonding and a sharing of experiences and priorities across the organization. We at MOAS look forward to the holiday season as we look back and reflect on the impact our work has had, the successes we’ve achieved and the people we’ve assisted, but also search for ways to improve and grow to serve our communities better and more effectively in the year ahead.
The holiday season is also a great time for establishing new connections and partnerships. Holiday giving, seasonal volunteering and campaign activities can draw new audiences to an NGO and the work that they do. It’s a time where people seek out ways to impact their global communities in a positive way, and often the opportunities and connections formed at Christmas become the basis for long-term and meaningful relationships formed with charities and active communities that last a lifetime. We love engaging with our supporters at the end of the year and welcome newcomers into our international family. It’s often a Christmas activity or campaign that connects us to a new network that becomes an intrinsic part of our work down the line.
There are two incredibly special aspects to the holiday season that we at MOAS particularly hold dear to our hearts. They are a reminder of the reasons we do what we do and the people who make it possible. The first is that we take particular care around the holidays to share testimonials and to give space to the voices of the communities we serve. We find people particularly receptive to their stories, more eager to listen and to understand the perspectives and experiences of others around this time, and so we leverage that as much as we can to become a platform for those voices and to really give you, first hand testimony of the hopes, dreams, fears and journeys of the communities in crisis we have dedicated ourselves to serving.
The final, and most humbling opportunity for us, is that the holiday season opens a door for us to communicate with you… our generous, kind, dedicated and motivational supporters. Without you our projects would not happen, those we reach with our services would remain unsupported, the rights we advocate for would be violated without witness. You are the beating heart of an organization built on the will and strength of civil society and if we are able to thank you, sincerely and loudly, at any time of year, we do so most enthusiastically around the holidays.
This year, we have something extremely special for you as a launch to our Holiday Season Campaign. We have been working closely with an illustrative artist to create a beautiful new video, with a focus on giving. We are proud and delighted to present to you, our Reverse Advent Calendar for 2021.
For more insight into the creation of the campaign and the process that Tom Edwards, the incredible artist who curated the video and associated graphics, went through, just keep an eye out for next week’s blog where we interview him about the experience.
So, if you’re reading this – whether you are a donor or a follower, a volunteer, a partner, a colleague or a project participant, we say thank you to you, for being the fibres of the MOAS fabric, the threads in a tapestry of generosity and resilience. Your interaction with us makes an impact, on us and on the beneficiaries we reach each year. Please, never hesitate to contact us and keep in touch.
If you are interested in the work of MOAS and our partners, please follow us on social media, sign up to our newsletter and share our content. You can also reach out to us any time via [email protected]. If you want to support our operations, please give what you can at www.moas.eu/donate.