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End of Quarter 101: How Grassroots Fundraisers Can Leverage EOQ

Updated March 21, 2023

The end of a quarter (EOQ) isn’t just important for campaigns — it’s also an opportunity for grassroots fundraisers using community forms to get in on the action.

Here are the EOQ basics you need to know as a grassroots fundraiser.

What is EOQ, and why is it an important time to fundraise?

Think of the 12-month calendar year in terms of four three-month quarters:

  • Quarter 1 (Q1): January – March
  • Q2: April – June
  • Q3: July – September
  • Q4: October – December

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) requires candidates to disclose how much money they raise and spend, and the deadlines for reporting this information fall at the end of each quarter.

Campaigns often push to raise as much as they can in the last five days until the end of a quarter. The urgency associated with deadlines makes EOQ a great opportunity to engage with donors.

Make it personal

Your request should be personal and urgent. Explain why you support your candidate(s) and why prospective donors should as well. The blurb, or “Donation ask” box, on your community form is the perfect place to tell your story, why you care about the campaign or cause you are fundraising for, and why others should too.

Be sure to emphasize the timeliness of EOQ in your form; you don’t need to explain the ins and outs of campaign finance, but you can refer to the fact that your candidate is facing a critical deadline.

Learn everything you need to know about customizing community forms →

Use social media

Once your form is live, you can share it with friends and family. Social media is a great avenue for this: Post links to your fundraising page on any sites where you’re active, and ask your followers to donate and help spread the word.

Make sure that you link people directly to the contribution form. The more people have to click, the less likely they are to give. You can even edit how the link will appear online via the “Social share and promote” tab in the form editor, making it more personal and encouraging folks to open it.

What other strategies can I use at EOQ?

Check out our full EOQ Guide here!

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