{"id":53815,"date":"2022-09-19T02:05:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T09:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/nonprofit-blog?p=53815"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:52:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T14:52:40","slug":"giving-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/nonprofit-blog\/giving-season","title":{"rendered":"Giving Season Fundraising: Your 3-Phase Roadmap"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last few months of the year \u2013 known as the giving season \u2013 are critical to your fundraising efforts. In 2025, nonprofits in the M+R Benchmark study received 37%<\/a> of their annual revenue in December alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling overwhelmed? I\u2019m here to help. In this article, I\u2019ll share tips to help you work through the key phases of running a giving season fundraising campaign: planning, executing, and wrapping up.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Phase 1: Planning Your Giving Season Campaign<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first key to creating a successful <\/span>year-end fundraising campaign<\/span><\/a> for the giving season is planning ahead. It\u2019s not just about producing the best campaign possible, but also tackling other in-the-moment tasks as the final months of the year draw to a close.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When should nonprofits start planning for Giving Season?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ideally, start planning four to six months before your campaign launches to make sure you\u2019re well positioned for both <\/span>Giving Tuesday<\/span><\/a> and December\u2019s giving spike. Early donor outreach and strategy-setting help you align your charitable goals with the realities of the season \u2013 especially as holiday giving increases across all demographics!<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an expert tip from <\/span>Erica Waasdorp<\/span><\/a>, fundraising consultant and president of A Direct Solution:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start early. Begin with a thank-you message before Thanksgiving. Then send a first email on Black Friday, follow up on Cyber Monday and then go for Giving Tuesday messaging if you’re participating.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For more guidance, check out this podcast<\/span> providing a four-month roadmap to successful giving season fundraising:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n