I love December. In the nonprofit world, it’s YEAR-END! (in my mind it’s always in shouty capitals), and the stakes are high. 30% of annual giving is conducted in December, so we’re all out there, crafting and refining our “pitch,” looking for that magic phrase that will inspire you and motivate you to offer your support. It’s a fabulous time to connect with our donors, as we did this week at our Second Annual Impact Party, on Colorado Gives Day.

We had a large and lively crowd for our CO Gives happy hour at The Studio Boulder (great venue, by the way!). We invited donors, colleagues and sustainability sorts of all stripes. We had fun reconnecting and the aspirational and challenging conversations we had with each other gave the party its electric vibe. I’m delighted to report that we had a very successful fundraising day – blowing the doors off our goal of $16,000 by raising just over $21,500.

Honestly, that’s a great, great feeling! To know that the work that is so important to me is also important to YOU, is just awesome. And that, I think, was the key to our success this year. We aren’t looking for the magic phrase, we’re just doing the work we’re here to do, and getting better at talking to you about it.

I think it is in those conversations that the connections we’ve made with our donors become clear and strong. We have worked hard this year to create more opportunities to talk about impact, and to show you how we are putting conservation into action every day. It seems to be just what you were looking for.

So as we careen through our busy December lives, I’ll just say thank you. Thanks for paying attention, for connecting with CRC’s conservation efforts, and for supporting them with your (YEAR END!) gifts.

We’re already planning some great new ideas to increase our impact, to refine the ways we measure, track and report it, and most importantly, to keep our connection with you strong.

Thanks for a great year! Spend some time on our new website for lots of great information about our programs and impact, and ways to connect and be involved with CRC that go way beyond YEAR-END.

PS – I would be remiss not to remind you that you have until December 31st to make your tax deductible gift for 2014. Thank you!