Many of us (nonprofit organizations and creative agencies) are already working on year-end campaigns. While there are many checklists we need to tick, we wanted to zoom in on just the visual aspects of designing year-end fundraising campaigns, and share a couple of things we’ve learned that help increase donations.

1. Show who you’re helping. Donors are more likely to empathize when they see a person whose life they can make better. Choose simple and strong imagery rather than photos of large groups of people with a lot of details.

2. Apply the organization’s branding properly. It’s important for donors to instantly recognise that it’s you.

3. Typography can communicate as much as words can. Be mindful when choosing fonts, and make sure your font hierarchy follows the hierarchy of the messaging.

4. If you are presenting numbers (e.g., each donation dollar breakdown) show them in an interesting way, with infographic elements or attractive typography.

5. Make sure your visuals follow the theme of the message (Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). Timely, seasonal imagery increases engagement. One strategy to accomplish this is to organize a photoshoot that incorporates seasonal elements, or using illustration and color to evoke the holiday season.

6. Lastly, make sure that your CTA actually calls to action. Once you tell the story of whom and how your audience can help, add a bold and inviting button. It can be an unusual shape, oversized, or just text based, but the point is to make it noticeable.

If you have any additional ideas you’d like to share, or questions to ask, reach out to Antarctic.