Charity Sweepstakes
Charity sweepstakes offer a chance to win prizes while supporting a cause. Learn what to look for to ensure transparency and trustworthiness.
Wise Giving Wednesday: What Makes Year-End Fundraising Appeals Trustworthy?
The strongest year-end fundraising appeals offer more than a reason to give—they offer a reason to trust.
Why Year-End Fundraising Appeals Matter
As the year draws to a close and the holidays approach, fundraising appeals and charitable giving tend to pick up.
For charities, the year-end season is an important opportunity to connect with supporters and secure contributions that sustain their work year-round. For donors, it’s a time to consider the causes they care about and decide where their generosity can make a difference.
For example, according to the 2024 M+R Benchmarks Study, the volume of fundraising emails sent by charities is highest in November and December. Correspondingly, “34% of online annual revenue from one-time gifts came in during December… November was the next-highest month, at 15%, with revenue in every other month ranging between 3% and 5% of the overall total.”
GivingTuesday, held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is another major moment for charitable giving. In 2025, 38.1 million people participated in GivingTuesday and $4.0 billion was donated in the United States alone.
What BBB Charity Standards Say About Fundraising Appeals
A fundraising appeal may be a donor’s primary point of contact with a charity and can play an important role in their decision to give.
Whether preparing an appeal or deciding whether to support an organization, it’s worth paying attention to how clearly and accurately the charity communicates its work and its needs.
Standard 15 of the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability calls for solicitation and informational materials to be accurate, truthful, and not misleading.
Five Ways to Make Year-End Fundraising Appeals Trustworthy
The following considerations can help charities build trust with supporters and help donors make informed giving decisions:
1. Keep Facts and Figures Accurate
Make sure facts and figures in appeals, such as the number of people served or financial information, are correct (accurate); review copy for exaggerations or false statements (truthfulness); and ensure materials are not misleading, including through the omission of important information.
2. Use Stories and Photos Responsibly
Use images and stories responsibly to help supporters understand a charity’s work without creating a misleading impression.
Avoid using outdated images, and clearly identify the age of any photos that are more than three years old. When an appeal seeks donations for a specific event, any related photos should depict that event or be clearly identified as a stock image or image from another event.
Charities should also obtain permission from parents or legal guardians before using images of children. If using AI-generated images, clearly identifying them as such can help build trust.
3. Avoid Pressure When Including Free Gifts
Address labels, greeting cards, calendars, and similar items may be included with fundraising appeals to build awareness and encourage continued engagement. But organizations that use them should be careful not to imply, in the appeal copy, that the recipient is expected to pay for, donate, or return the item.
Learn more about these practices and what they mean for donors in our post on free gifts in charity appeals.
4. Clearly Explain How Donations Will Be Used
Explain clearly which programs or activities contributions will support.
A straightforward description helps donors understand how their gifts may be used and gives them greater confidence in their giving decisions. It may also encourage a generous or recurring gift.
5. Back Up Impact Claims With Evidence
Charities can help donors understand the value of their work by describing their accomplishments and impact. Statements about effectiveness should be accurate and supported by evidence.
In many cases, clear, concise, and measurable descriptions of program accomplishments offer a compelling way to communicate results.
Building Donor Trust Beyond the Holiday Season
You can find additional information in our Do’s and Don’ts in Fundraising Copy.
Trustworthy communication is often supported by a thoughtful, systematic review process that helps charities avoid common pitfalls and ensure fundraising appeals are accurate and transparent. While the process will vary by organization, it’s helpful to identify the key people who should review fundraising materials, including development staff, accounting personnel, and legal counsel, when appropriate.
Reviewing appeals at the same time each year, using organizational checklists, and documenting lessons learned can also promote consistency and help prevent recurring issues.
The year-end giving season offers charities and supporters an important opportunity to make a difference together. By communicating clearly and presenting information accurately and transparently, charities can help donors give with confidence and build stronger relationships that last beyond the holidays.
Recent Reports
We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.
