Complete Year-End Giving Guide for Successful Fundraising
Year-end giving can have an incredible impact on your total annual revenue.
The holiday season is more than festive lights and family traditions. It’s also the most important time of year for nonprofit fundraising. For most nonprofits, year-end giving accounts for a significant share of annual donations, making this a make-or-break moment for your mission.
As a nonprofit professional, planning early and strategically can mean the difference between meeting your goals and falling short. From GivingTuesday to December 31st, donors are especially motivated to give, and your organization must be ready to meet that generosity with compelling campaigns.
That’s why we’ve created this complete guide to year-end giving. Whether you're refining a tried-and-true strategy or building one from scratch, we’ll walk you through:
With the right preparation and communications plan, your nonprofit can harness the full potential of year-end giving and start the new year stronger than ever.
The Importance of Year-End Giving
Even though the calendar might be winding down, year-end is the most critical fundraising window of the year for nonprofits.
A year-end giving campaign is the fundraising strategy that nonprofits launch throughout the months of October, November, and December to capitalize on the seasonal surge in donor generosity. A nonprofit’s strategy may include GivingTuesday campaigns, holiday fundraisers, annual appeals, and more.
The year-end giving period is a golden opportunity for organizations to acquire new donors, strengthen existing supporter relationships, and meet revenue goals. No matter your mission, these final few months are vital for organizations everywhere. Just take a look at these year-end giving statistics:
In 2024, over 40% of online giving occurred in December.
12% of online revenue was received in the final week of the year, and 5% came in on December 31st.
21% of U.S donors report that their charitable giving occurs exclusively in November and December.
U.S. donors contributed a record $3.6 billion on GivingTuesday 2024, marking a 16% increase from the previous year.
This influx of generosity reflects donors’ philanthropic spirit during the holidays as well as their desire to make their final tax-deductible contributions for the year.
Overall, the final months of the year can have an incredible impact on your nonprofit’s annual revenue—if you’re proactive about end-of-year appeals, letters, and other outreach.
9 Steps to Launch Successful Year-End Giving Campaigns
Let’s take a look at the steps you need to take to launch an effective year-end giving campaign and the top end-of-year fundraising strategies to inspire you.
1. Don’t wait—start planning early.
Think of a typical campaign with modest goals that you might host during the middle of your fundraising calendar. Consider how long the planning period for this average fundraising push might be. A month? Two months?
Now, consider the importance of your year-end giving campaign, by far the single most important fundraising push throughout the entire year. In order to fully capitalize on this giving window, you’ll want to plan anywhere between three to six months in advance.
After all, you’ll need ample time to:
Establish your year-end campaign goals.
Identify your target audience.
Organize your mailing lists and segment donors.
Strategize your various year-end messaging, programs, and events.
To help you plan proactively, we’ve compiled a sample timeline for guiding your year-end fundraising efforts:
August & September: Towards the end of the summer, you should establish your year-end giving goals, identify your target audience, and plan your overall campaign strategy.
October: Now’s the time to thoroughly segment supporters, start promoting year-end giving to donors, and publicize any end-of-year fundraising events.
November: In November, run your GivingTuesday campaign, send out year-end direct mail appeals, and ramp up your promotion of holiday events.
December: Finally, host your holiday fundraising events, send out your last year-end giving appeals, and make your final push online.
These are just the basics and may not cover everything your nonprofit wants to include in your year-end giving campaign. The idea is to provide you with a foundation that you can use to build out a more detailed, personalized fundraising timeline.
Keep in mind that an effective year-end giving campaign has the potential to more than double your total fundraising revenue for the entire year, so extensive planning is necessary to achieve the best outcome. Exact planning timelines vary from nonprofit to nonprofit, but our sample timeline can help you get started.
2. Set goals for end-of-year giving.
Once you’ve laid the groundwork and started planning your year-end campaign, the next essential step is to set clear, measurable goals. These goals will act as your campaign’s compass, helping your team stay focused, track progress, and evaluate success after the season ends.
Start by asking: What does success look like for your organization this year? Work with your board to answer this question. After all, your board members are some of the biggest advocates and leaders of your mission, and they can enhance your year-end giving campaign by publicly rallying support.
Your goals should reflect your nonprofit’s mission, past performance, and capacity. They might specify:
A specific fundraising total you want to reach before December 31.
Number of new donors acquired during the campaign.
Donor retention rate from the previous year-end campaign.
Recurring gifts or upgrades (e.g., one-time donors converting to monthly).
Engagement metrics such as email open rates, event attendance, or social shares.
If you’ve run year-end campaigns before, use your past data as a benchmark. Look at what worked, what didn’t, and where you can push further this year.
It’s also important to ensure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of a vague aim like “raise more money,” define a goal such as:
“Raise $50,000 in donations between GivingTuesday and December 31, with at least 20% of gifts coming from new donors.”
Clear goals keep your team aligned and give your supporters a target to rally around—especially when you share progress throughout your campaign.
3. Segment your donors.
Your next step is understanding who you’re talking to and how best to reach them. Every donor is different, which means a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work for your year-end appeals. Instead, segment your donors and tailor appeals based on giving history, engagement, or gift size, so each supporter receives a message that applies to them.
A useful framework here is the donor pyramid, which groups supporters into tiers, starting from prospective donors, leading to first-time minor donors, and working its way up to planned givers and lead donors:
Each tier plays a unique role in your campaign and deserves tailored outreach. For example, new donors might need more education and encouragement, while major donors will expect a personal, high-touch appeal.
Even simple segmentation, like separating past donors from prospects or customizing messages based on giving level, can boost your response rates and deepen donor relationships.
4. Design your year-end giving communications strategy.
Multichannel communication can supercharge your year-end giving efforts. By leveraging the power of different channels, you increase your chances of reaching every segment of your target audience through their ideal communication method with a diverse and engaging set of content.
This is why the most successful year-end giving campaigns tend to be complex initiatives with a large scope across various channels, including:
Direct mail, the ideal channel for sending year-end fundraising appeals.
Your nonprofit’s website, where you can promote online giving, engage and inform donors of your mission, and market your year-end campaign and events.
Social media, a powerful tool to host peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives, reach new audiences, and market your year-end campaign.
Email, an essential channel for regular donor communications, event marketing, and digital end-of-year appeals.
Across each of these channels, tell powerful stories that highlight your mission’s impact and show donors how their gifts make a difference. After all, 97% of donors say knowing their contributions’ impact majorly impacts their decision to give. Stories about how donations create real-world change can fuel that motivation.
Be sure to space out your communications to avoid donor fatigue, too. Balance urgency with value; not every message should be an ask—some should simply thank, update, or inspire donors.
If you’re struggling with building out a content-rich multichannel strategy, a professional communication and fundraising agency like Meyer Partners can guide you through every step of the process to create a sophisticated and effective year-end giving campaign.
5. Create appeals.
One of the core elements of any year-end giving strategy is the year-end appeal—the messages you send to inspire donations during the final stretch of the year.
There’s no hard and fast rule for what makes a good year-end letter or appeal. While formats and channels may vary, effective appeals typically include:
A personalized greeting—no generic “dear donor” introductions.
An honest, warm, and personable tone that builds a rapport with the recipient.
Demonstrations of your nonprofit’s impact so far this year.
The role of donors’ actions in pushing the mission forward.
Gratitude for how the donor might have helped your cause in the past.
Genuine, uplifting closing remarks that inspire giving.
A clear call to action at the end of the letter, asking them to donate or give in some other way (e.g., volunteering or donating in-kind gifts).
Multiple options or ways for donors to contribute to your year-end giving campaign.
Your year-end appeal is also a great opportunity to highlight corporate giving options. For example, you might promote matching gifts as a way to multiply donors’ contributions through their employers. Include these mentions in the actual appeal and your follow-up communications. After all, 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if they know their contributions will be matched.
The elements you include in your year-end fundraising appeals should work together to ensure that when a donor opens your year-end appeal letter, they’re greeted with a personal, heartfelt, and impactful message that makes them feel good about giving.
6. Plan supplemental year-end fundraising campaigns.
Once you’ve mapped out your core communications strategy and donor segments, it’s time to think beyond standard appeals. Supplemental campaigns can create multiple touchpoints and engagement opportunities across your different donor groups—without overwhelming your main message.
By offering varied ways to participate, you increase the chances of connecting with supporters based on their preferences. For example, the 55-year-old schoolteacher who’s supported your mission for a decade may respond best to a heartfelt direct mail letter and an invitation to a local event. Meanwhile, a newly acquired Gen Z donor from across the country may be more likely to engage through social media or virtual channels.
To complement your core year-end appeal, consider layering in:
A #GivingTuesday social media campaign to kick off the season and boost online visibility.
Peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities to turn your supporters into ambassadors.
Community events that offer hands-on involvement.
Holiday galas or donor receptions for your major and long-term supporters.
A livestreamed virtual event to include remote audiences and showcase your year-end goals.
These campaigns don’t have to be large-scale. Even small, well-timed initiatives can boost engagement, build momentum, and support donor acquisition and retention. The key is to align them with your overall messaging plan—ensuring they reinforce, rather than compete with, your main appeal.
7. Send out year-end giving letters.
Now’s the time to start sending your giving letters—especially through direct mail, a channel that stands out and adds a personal touch in an era when most marketing interactions are digital.
Refer back to your donor segments and communications strategy to ensure each letter is tailored to the audience receiving it. For major and mid-level donors, a more personalized appeal with a larger ask might be appropriate. For newer or lower-tier donors, focus on impact and opportunities to level up their support, like signing up for monthly donations.
Send your letters early enough to reach donors before the giving deadline, and make sure they know exactly how they can help move your mission forward.
While direct mail is your primary vehicle, consider reinforcing your message across other channels, like email and social media. This way, more supporters will see your appeals.
At Meyer Partners, we specialize in crafting powerful, personalized marketing strategies that resonate with donors and drive results. From messaging to design to delivery, our team can help you craft powerful year-end giving letters that inspire support. Check out this direct mail campaign we created for Medicine for All People (MAP) International:
This marketing campaign paired with other strategies led to a year of remarkable growth for the organization. They acquired nearly 9,000 new donors, representing an increase of 85% in the total number of active donors.
8. Thank and steward year-end giving donors.
Thanking donors is a crucial step to ensure their future support and even secure additional gifts during your end-of-year push. Just like with your campaign marketing strategy, you should take a multichannel approach to your stewardship approach.
Double-check that all donors have received their donation receipts and acknowledgments, as year-end tax breaks are a huge driver of end-of-year giving for mid-level and major donors. Additionally, higher-level donors should receive more personalized messages through more intimate mediums—like by phone or hand-addressed thank-you notes.
Remember to make these messages personal, heartfelt, and prompt. A best practice is to send a thank-you message within a week of each donation. After all, it won’t do you much good to send out a belated “thanks!” long after the donor has forgotten they donated to you in the first place.
9. Analyze the results of your year-end fundraising campaign.
Your work doesn’t stop once January rolls around and the year-end giving season is over! The final step is to thoroughly measure and analyze the campaign’s success so you can improve your strategies for next year.
For the best results, turn to the help of professional fundraising and marketing consultants. These experienced fundraising experts not only understand the ins and outs of successfully carrying out a year-end giving campaign, but they can also help you use the results to enhance your other fundraising, marketing, and stewardship efforts throughout the entire year.
For example, Meyer Partners is a full-service nonprofit marketing agency that can supercharge your year-end giving through our multichannel fundraising, storytelling, and data analytics services. Our consultants' services include:
Predictive analytics and data modeling.
Integrated, multichannel campaign creation.
Direct mail and email marketing and fundraising.
Impactful nonprofit storytelling.
Housefile maintenance and data audits.
By analyzing your year-end giving data with the help of professionals, you can discover insights like which channels drive donors to give the most and which campaigns best appeal to your target audience. With this data, you’ll be in a better position to raise more in the years to come.
Beyond Year-End Giving: What to Do in January
While December may mark the end of the calendar year, it’s just the beginning of your relationship with many of your donors. January offers a crucial opportunity to turn year-end generosity into long-term support through thoughtful stewardship and engagement.
Many of your year-end donors—especially those who gave during GivingTuesday or responded to holiday appeals—may be new givers. Your mission now is to retain those supporters by making them feel seen, valued, and connected to the impact they’ve made.
The first step? Say thank you—promptly and sincerely. A warm, personalized thank-you letter or email sets the tone, but the best stewardship goes beyond gratitude.
Continue the conversation in January by sharing meaningful content that reinforces their importance to your mission. You might:
Show them the results of their generosity with a year-end impact summary.
Call mid-level or major donors to thank them personally.
Share a short video message from your team or a story that highlights the difference their support made.
Invite donors into the fold with ways to deepen their connection, such as a survey, a volunteer opportunity, or an invitation to become a recurring donor.
In your outreach, avoid jumping right into another fundraising ask. Instead, focus on building trust and rapport. When donors feel appreciated—not just solicited—they’re far more likely to give again. A strong January stewardship strategy helps transform a one-time gift into lasting loyalty and sets your nonprofit up for continued success in the year ahead.
Wrapping Up
Year-end giving is an opportunity to connect with supporters at a time when generosity, reflection, and hope are at their peak. With a smart strategy and thoughtful outreach, your nonprofit can turn this season into a transformative moment for your mission.
Curious to learn more about year-end giving and the top strategies, tools, and professional resources available to aid your year-end campaign? Take a look at a few of our other valuable resources on these subjects:
Complete Nonprofit Marketing Guide: What to Know. Your marketing strategy drives year-end giving success. Learn the ins and outs of nonprofit marketing in this ultimate guide.
Donor Acquisition Guide: 10 Strategies to Attract New Donors. Eager to acquire new donors at year’s end? Use these tips to improve your year-end campaign’s donor acquisition strategy.
A Nonprofit Direct Mail Fundraising Guide: How to Succeed. Direct mail appeals are a staple of any successful year-end giving campaign. Dive deeper into the ins and outs of crafting and sending the best direct mail appeals to your donors.
