Did you know 30% of annual giving occurs in December, and 10% of all annual donations made are in the last three days of the year? December is filled with the holiday spirit, making it one of the best times for fundraising.
This year, leverage the spirit of giving in your fundraising efforts by using charity Christmas eCards. Not only do donation eCards make the perfect year-end fundraiser, but you’ll also spread holiday cheer along the way.
So you can start using Christmas eCards to impact your nonprofit’s cause, we’ll cover the following:
- Why should your nonprofit offer eCards for Christmas?
- How do organizations use charity Christmas eCards?
- 6 festive examples of charity donation Christmas eCards
- How to create your charity Christmas eCards
No matter what holiday fundraising ideas your nonprofit leverages during the Christmas season, remember to evaluate donor receptivity, affordability, and uniqueness. eCards are a surefire way to meet all of these criteria. Let’s begin to discuss why.
Why should your nonprofit offer eCards for Christmas?
eCards are digital greeting cards that are sent via email, text message, or other digital methods. More specifically, nonprofits usually offer donation eCards to their supporters in exchange for a donation. You can also offer them free of charge to spread cause awareness or say thanks to a generous supporter during the holidays.
Whatever your approach is, eCards make a great Christmastime offer because of the following:
- Christmas eCards capitalize on the holiday spirit. Physical greeting cards are commonly exchanged among friends and family to celebrate Christmastime as well as other gift-giving holidays like Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day. Someone can even give in a loved one’s name via tribute donations, transforming the card into a meaningful Christmas gift. Offering eCards allows you to lean into a pre-existing holiday tradition, making the option more appealing to supporters.
- Digital greeting cards cost-effective. With eCards, there’s no need to worry about printing greeting cards or paying for postage. With a click of a button, supporters can send heartfelt Christmas messages to their friends and family.
- There’s no distance limitation. The digital nature of charity Christmas eCards allows supporters to send them anywhere. The cards reach their recipient almost instantly, forgoing the hassle of mailing times or delays.
- Charity Christmas eCards are eco-friendly. Since you can digitally send eCards, there’s no paper waste from envelopes or the card itself, making it a more eco-friendly choice than sending physical greeting cards.
- Donors can personalize each eCard. Charity donation eCards allow you to write a message along with the card, meaning that supporters can personalize them just like they can with physical greeting cards.
- You can unleash your creativity! With eCards, you have an opportunity to show off your creativity by creating customized cards that relate to your nonprofit and the holiday season. You can even add interactive or animated elements like California Wines did with their holiday eCards .
Use eCards to supplement your usual year-end fundraising campaigns and events. With the added option of making donations in exchange for a greeting card, supporters will be excited to give to your nonprofit in a way that leans into the holiday spirit.
How do organizations use charity Christmas eCards?
Part of what makes eCards a great choice for your nonprofit is that they can fit into your fundraising or marketing strategies. For example, sell fundraising eCards on your nonprofit’s website to create a new revenue stream. Some of the ways nonprofits can implement charity Christmas eCards into their year-end strategies include:
- Online purchases. Donors can choose from a variety of Christmas eCards provided by your nonprofit and purchase them to send to their loved ones. Or, your nonprofit can offer charity eCards as a bonus reward that donors receive after giving.
- Tribute donations. Supporters may ask their peers to donate to your nonprofit as a Christmas gift. Give tribute donors the option to send an eCard to the person they made the gift for. This way, they can let them know the gift was made and wish their friend a Merry Christmas!
- Event invitations. If you’re hosting a fundraising event during December, send eCards as event invitations to supporters.
- Thank-you messages. Send eCards to donors who make a gift during December. You could also design a card for all donors who gave this year to show your appreciation. After all, 41% of donors would donate again after receiving personalized communication on their support’s impact.
Decide which eCard strategy would most appeal to your donors, or use a combination of strategies to maximize giving. For example, if your supporters specifically enjoy attending fundraising events, you could send event invitation eCards and also offer different eCards for them to purchase online.
6 festive examples of charity donation Christmas eCards
To inspire your holiday fundraising and donor recognition efforts , let’s dive into several examples of exceptional charity Christmas eCards.
One Tail At A Time
One Tail At A Time rescues animals from overcrowded shelters, finds their forever homes, and provides resources to in-need pet owners. It started as a backup plan for dogs that weren’t getting adopted or rescued and has grown to be a top transfer partner for dogs at Chicago Animal Care and Control and for cats at open intake shelters in Indiana. They even rescue dogs in southern states and Tulum, Mexico.
One Tail created charity Christmas eCards that featured some of their furry friends, like rescued dogs, cats, and bunnies. Then, they sold cards for $25 and attached each one to a specific service. For example, one card’s proceeds supplied heartworm treatments, another supported enrichment activities, and another funded veterinary care for senior pets in the nonprofit’s care.
One Tail has also created other holiday cards to inspire giving throughout the year. For example, their adorable Valentine’s Day fundraising eCards feature some furry animals, paired with puns in classic Valentine’s Day fashion. You can read all about their innovative fundraising approach in our case study!
Everything in Common by UnitingWorld
UnitingWorld is a nonprofit focused on creating a world free from poverty and injustice. As an agency of Uniting Church in Australia, they are dedicated to helping people overcome poverty through health, income, and education opportunities. Everything in Common is their gift catalog, where every gift directly supports UnitingWorld’s programs.
Everything in Common previously sold Christmas eCards to UnitingWorld’s supporters. For $12, purchasers could send as many Christmas-themed eCards as they would like within two weeks. While the cards weren’t branded to UnitingWorld, the message included in the eCard mentions their cause and provides recipients a link to purchase eCards of their own.
Cure Cancer
An Australian nonprofit dedicated to creating a world free from cancer, Cure Cancer funds early-career cancer researchers, enabling them to pursue their unique research.
When supporters give during the holiday season, Cure Cancer directs them to a thank-you page and allows them to send a tribute donation eCard to friends or family. This eCard proudly acknowledges the donor’s gift and informs them that three hours of cancer research have been funded on the tribute’s behalf. The card is branded to the nonprofit with Cure Cancer’s logo and colors, helping to spread awareness of their nonprofit.
The Fred Hollows Foundation
Based in New Zealand, the Fred Hollows Foundation aims to put an end to avoidable blindness in the Pacific by providing quality eye care. The foundation opens a holiday shop during December, where supporters can buy gifts like charity Christmas eCards.
What sets this charity Christmas eCard campaign apart is that it focuses on one of the Fred Hollows Foundation’s beneficiaries. By telling Rex’s success story and including an image of him on the eCard, donors could understand the tangible impact of their gifts, encouraging them to lend their support. The story lent credibility to the Fred Hollows Foundation’s effectiveness.
To increase holiday giving even further, they also lined up a matching gift challenge. Each eCard donation was matched by Specsavers, one of New Zealand’s leading optometry and audiology providers. This was a wonderful way to spark generosity during the holidays and further a corporate partnership.
Habitat for Humanity South
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit with a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. They build houses for in-need families, and along the way, the nonprofit hopes to help those families gain the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to succeed.
In exchange for a tribute gift of any amount, Habitat for Humanity donors gained access to three Christmas-themed eCards. Since these cards were branded to Habitat for Humanity and have Christmas imagery on them, donors could send them to spread holiday cheer and awareness of the nonprofit’s cause.
Single Homeless Project
As the largest London-based homeless charity, Single Homeless Project is dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness, particularly during the winter months. By asking donors to choose and fund gifts for their beneficiaries, the nonprofit helps their beneficiaries have a positive holiday experience.
For £5, donors could choose from 15 different eCards and send an unlimited number to their friends and family. All of the eCard’s proceeds helped the nonprofit work to end homelessness in London. Donors could personalize their cards with their own message and even print out the card if they wanted to send it through direct mail or present it in person.
Some designs were generic, while others were explicitly branded to the nonprofit. For example, one charity Christmas eCard’s design said, “I got you something for Christmas: a donation to Single Homeless Project, a charity fighting to end homelessness in London.”
How to create your charity Christmas eCards
If you’re ready to jump into making your own charity donation Christmas eCards, we have the perfect solution for you: eCardWidget!
eCardWidget is adaptable eCard software that empowers fundraisers to create and sell digital greeting cards. It integrates with your organization’s website to increase audience engagement, build brand loyalty, and add an interactive element to your website. It has solutions that help organizations increase fundraising, celebrate employees, and thank donors.
Here’s how you can use it for your charity Christmas eCards:
- Create eCards branded to your cause. With plenty of graphics, colors, and fonts, you can design digital cards for any occasion, like Christmas! Pick from dozens of templates to kickstart your design. Then, use the drag-and-drop editing tools to make the eCards festive and representative of your cause.
- Upload the widget to your website. You can sort your designs into different campaigns. Maybe you’ll have a collection of Christmas cards that you’ll sell and another set you’ll send to thank year-end donors. Then, easily add our widget to your nonprofit’s website or Shopify store. If you sell your digital greeting cards, either set a fixed price or let donors give a custom donation amount. You can even add suggested giving amounts or enable tribute donations.
- Donors can buy your charity Christmas eCards. When selling eCards, promote your campaign as a wonderful way to support your cause during the holiday season. Donors will pick their favorite designs, donate, and add a custom note to send to their loved ones.
We’ve helped more than 5,600 organizations launch eCards to upgrade their marketing and fundraising efforts, and we can help your nonprofit too! From multi-language support to insightful engagement statistics, eCardWidget provides everything you need to inspire charitable giving during and beyond the holiday season. Get a free demo and give it a shot today!
Start inspiring donors during the holiday season
Charity Christmas eCards can spice up your nonprofit’s year-end communications, broaden your outreach, and show appreciation for the donors that have made everything possible. With the right eCard software on your side and plenty of great examples to reference, you’re well on your way to enhancing your Christmas communication strategies with eCards!
If you’re interested in amplifying your nonprofit’s messages with eCards further, check out the following resources:
- Charity eCards: How to Create Cards That Make A Difference: eCards can support your fundraising and marketing efforts beyond the holiday season. Explore other ways your nonprofit can use charity eCards with this comprehensive guide.
- How to Thank Donors: 22 Sincere Ideas To Win Donors’ Hearts: Recognizing donors will help strengthen your donor relationships. Your charity Christmas eCards are just the start of a well-rounded donor recognition strategy. Explore other strategies in this guide.
- Birthday Fundraisers: How to Secure Year-Round Funding: Holiday fundraisers are great for year-end giving, but what about the rest of the year? Check out this article to secure year-round donations via birthday fundraisers that supporters launch.
