After decades in the non-profit industry, one thing we know will always be a critical component of every fundraising program is year-end activity and post year-end follow up.
Suzanne Battit
With lean teams and ambitious goals, being proactive around year-end is the only option. We have to notice the cadence of donor giving, identify preferences and patterns, and plan out our cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship steps accordingly.
As we approach year end, this is a very busy time, not just for fundraisers but for donors, too. Donors are considering tax implications, they’re evaluating how generous they’re able to be this year, and the asks are flying fast and furious as we near Giving Tuesday and that critical December 31st deadline.
Your year-end strategy may be signed, sealed, and delivered–but what about post year-end? Can you envision your first week back, in January? And are you and your team ready for the critical steps in Q1 that need to be taken to recognize your Q4 donors and set you up for success in the coming year?
This next level of planning should be underway. Here’s a short checklist for you to run through with your team and consider how to best set yourself up for success in 2026.
Why Post Year-End Strategy Matters
The period from October to December is filled with asks of different kinds, not just from your organization, but from other nonprofits with whom your donors are philanthropically invested.
Following this period, the most important thing you can do for your donors is to demonstrate the impact of their giving. No ask, just gratitude and impact.
We’ve all heard the adage: “The best cultivation for the next gift is stewardship for the last one.” Post year-end offers a natural moment for you to enact this type of gratitude on a large scale. This isn’t just good stewardship, it’s strategic and respectful cultivation for future giving.
Specifically, this period between January and March is critical for donor retention, setting up fiscal year success (whether you’re following a calendar year, or June 30 fiscal) and repositioning donors for the next major gift conversations. There’s an organic pause that can be leveraged to your advantage.
If you remember only one thing: use this time (Q1) for multiple donor touches that aren’t asks.
Essential Steps for January/February
If you’re not sure where to begin with your donor communications strategy for this first quarter of the new year, here are a few steps that you can activate or build out according to your level of bandwidth. And take artistic license (always!) to tweak and make these strategies into something that works for you, your mission, and your donors.
First Week of January: Thank-You Email
Send a brief email to all year-end donors. This email should thank them for their support and should share high-level results in a tone of gratitude and celebration.
End of January: Detailed Impact Follow-Up
Prepare a second email, timed to send at the end of January. This can include more detailed follow-up, deeper dive on results, and philanthropic impact and what the funds will enable the organization to do.
If you set a public fundraising goal, address it transparently in this communication. Celebrate if you met it. If you fell short, consider framing a message to non-donors around “there’s still time to make an impact,” or to existing donors around “making an even greater impact.” Transparency builds trust.
Late January/February: Impact Report
Prepare an impact report timed to be ready in early February. The format can be brief, with a two-page maximum, and the audience should be inclusive of all your constituents.
For the content, highlight accomplishments and demonstrate measurable impact, specifically philanthropic impact on those you serve. There should be no ask tied to this impact report. This is a moment of pure stewardship.
A word of caution: resist the temptation to make this report exhaustive. This well-intentioned side road can easily delay publication from February to May. For this particular touchpoint, timeliness matters more than comprehensiveness—think impact and brevity, not exhaustive organizational detail.
Pipeline Review: Targeted Cultivation and Forecasting
In addition to external-facing donor communications, Q1 is an opportunity to reflect holistically on your donor pipeline.
Take this moment to convene your leadership team around a discussion of major donors who didn’t give at year-end or may not have given at the level you anticipated. Your immediate action for these individuals can be to begin appropriate cultivation and solicitation steps leading to activating them for the current year.
You can also take this opportunity to review performance data against your overall year-end fundraising goal, with analysis that extends to the major gift donor level. A special note for those organizations that have a June 30 fiscal year end: this can be an ideal moment for mid-year revenue re-forecasting, if necessary.
Personalized Outreach for Key Donors
As a supplement to the communications above, consider personalized, bespoke outreach for key donors. This can apply to new leadership donors or significant year-end gifts that merit personal attention—personal thank-you calls, invitations to visit or meet on site, or stewardship event invitations. These actions serve a dual purpose: both gratitude and continued cultivation.
Maintaining the Momentum
Developing a proactive plan to execute post-year-end strategies is about maintaining momentum for your team, for your goals, and for the broader organization.
Organizations that consider these objectives now, during Q4, are better positioned for success at the start of the new year—and can avoid the dip in momentum and energy that often affects nonprofits in early January.
This type of planning work can set the foundation for spring season campaigns, your next fiscal year, and deepening and strengthening your long-term donor relationships that can have a deep and profound philanthropic impact on your ability to fulfill your organization’s mission.
About Development Guild
Development Guild partners with nonprofit leaders to provide executive search, fundraising counsel, and strategic guidance that drives impact. Since 1978, we have been bringing a powerful combination of discipline and innovation to every client engagement, delivering solutions that are strategic, deeply rooted in experience and analysis, and evidence-based.
Drawing upon our history of working with more than 2,800 clients across every nonprofit sector, our collaborative approach is successful due to candid dialogue and diverse perspectives. We commit to understanding and respecting your unique culture and translating that knowledge into viable solutions.
