Your Year-End Appeal and Content Writing Checklist

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

Updated 12.5.24

For freelancers, small biz owners, and nonprofits, the end of the year comes quickly. As the calendar winds down, your blood pressure may go up.

And while the year-end appeal season requires monumental effort for nonprofits, the overwhelm is not limited to ministries and charities. The race is on to close out your writing year strong by December 31 … and plan for a solid start in January. You’ve got so much writing and planning to do and limited days and minutes in which to do it.

An intentional year-end plan will help you maximize your writing time at year end – and ensure that no essential tasks are overlooked as the calendar year closes. Use this checklist to make sure you’re on track.

Get your FREE copy of the checklist here.

Year-End Appeal and Content Writing Checklist

A. Content

1. Finish and schedule your year-end content.
For nonprofits, that means an engaging print appeal (or a second “recap appeal”) that shows how your organization has helped change lives this year … a reminder postcard mid-December … a year-end online appeal series, with a “last call” email going out December 29-31 … special holiday greetings that convey your agency’s message.

Freelancers, too, can plan and carry out strategic year-end content. Target your readers’ top year-end pain points with helpful information.

2. Review this year’s projects.
Evaluate the campaigns and content you completed in the past year. Which kinds of projects did you carry out? What were their metrics and impact? Which were the most fulfilling and the most profitable? This information will help you plan content and mailings for the upcoming year with wisdom.

3. Update your website.
Add new case studies, testimonials, and (for freelancers) writing samples. Remove outdated or less relevant content. Check your contact information to make sure it’s accurate.

4. Audit your published content.
Check if your published work needs updates for accuracy or SEO. Freshen up the statistics you list so they are as current as possible. And use those updates in your planning. You can repurpose or re-share successful content to maximize your reach.

5. Audit your social media content.
Which platforms generated the most leads, comments, or engagement? Decide where you can benefit most from an increased presence in the coming year. Schedule content for January to hit the ground running. And if you don’t use a social media scheduler like Hootsuite, consider doing so.

6. Plan your upcoming content.
Brainstorm themes or promotions for the first quarter of next year. Develop a content calendar.

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Use this simple template to create your own content calendar.

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B. Audience

7. Target lapsed subscribers and partners.
Segment those who have not interacted with you or given in the last 18 months or more. Send them a special appeal letter (if you’re a nonprofit) or a special offer (if you’re a solopreneur, small biz or freelancer). Open up with targeted text like, “Greetings! We haven’t heard from you in a while, and we want to keep you up to date …

8. Thank current subscribers and partners.
Celebrate the year with your readers by sharing this year’s accomplishments. Send personal thank you notes – hand signed, or course – to your top tier donors (if you’re a nonprofit) or clients (if you’re a small biz or freelancer). Offer a special year-end incentive … perhaps a major donor matching gift for financial contributions (for nonprofits) or a discount (for small businesses and solopreneurs) which readers can use now or for a limited time in the new year.

9. Ask for feedback.
Reach out to your readers and partners. Ask for testimonials about your work or reviews about your services. You can even create a Google review link and share it in your year-end emails.

 Thank volunteers by sending personalized messages and offering public recognition. Plan volunteer opportunities and volunteer cultivation events for the new year.

C. Skills

11. Assess your skills.
What gaps have you discovered in your writing skills … marketing abilities … entrepreneurship activities? Do you need continuing education credits? Which area of your biz needs a boost? Make a plan to find and enroll in relevant courses, workshops, or training.

12. Certifications and memberships.
Renew your memberships in niche associations, writing organizations, and professional journals.

D. Planning

13. Evaluate the past year’s goals.
Compare last year’s goals with what you actually achieved. Did you meet, exceed, or fall short – and why? List key lessons you learned. For instance, perhaps you set a goal of growing your email list by 10% but you added 12% more contacts. You analyze why and see that you offered 3 new opt-ins, which accounted for most of the growth.

14. Create new goals for the new year.
Write S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) for income, numbers served, products created, followers added – or any other personal metrics. Set quarterly milestones so you can dive in during the first quarter.

15. Streamline your processes.
Consider the software and tools you use for note taking, research, editing, time-tracking, project management, and billing. Do you need to upgrade or eliminate any of them to be more efficient?

E. Finances

16. Review your invoices.
Send outstanding invoices, follow up on overdue payments, and record receipts.

17. Evaluate your expenses.
Gather and categorize receipts for tax purposes. Note what you can deduct for tools, memberships, training, and office expenses. Examine what you can do without next year. Be ruthless and eliminate unneeded expenses.

18. Prepare for taxes.
Calculate your estimated taxes and make any final quarterly payments. Organize your tax documents (1099s, W-2s, or other forms) so you can submit your materials to your tax preparer as early as possible in the new year.

19. Set financial goals.
Review this year’s income. What income streams were the most successful? Which ones need to be eliminated, overhauled, or tweaked? Assess your expenses, pricing, and rates to adjust for the coming year – or, if you’re a nonprofit, create a fundraising roadmap.

20. Gather grant reporting data (nonprofits).
Complete reports for grants received during the year. Create a schedule for upcoming grants so you don’t miss any deadlines. Make a plan to ferret out new funders.

21. Prepare your annual report.
Gather data, stories, goals, and financials you need to draft your annual impact report so you can publish it in January.

Download a FREE copy of this checklist here.

Use a checklist to be proactive

“Change before you have to.” So said American businessman Jack Welch (1935-2020), who was chairman and CEO of General Electric for two decades.

In other words, be proactive. Finish your writing content for this year. And make time to evaluate what worked for your small biz or nonprofit during the last twelve months, what didn’t, and what you want to do differently next year. Set down your strategy on paper. 

And before December 31, get going and start implementing it.

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