16 Sept 2026
You've Gotta' Have A Plan
I say you need a fundraising plan now to secure end-of-year revenue and to guide the first half of next year. We must prioritize planning because nonprofits raise about 36% of their annual revenue in the fourth quarter and December can provide 18 to 30 percent of annual gifts. I recommend reviewing at least three years of fundraising history, setting realistic and stretch goals, and relying on accurate CRM data. We focus on donor retention, bringing back lapsed donors, and increasing recurring monthly gifts. Our messaging must be donor focused, segmented, and personalized, with a mid‑November thank you and regular outreach through December. I advise stewardship in January, low‑cost cultivation in February, and community or peer‑to‑peer efforts in March, while ensuring donation links and donate buttons work and offering multiple giving options. Contact me at dianadmgroupconsulting.com for assistance.
I am Diana Marquis, and I articulate a disciplined and data-driven approach to end-of-year and early-year fundraising that begins with an honest appraisal of historical performance and culminates in realistic goal setting. I urge organizations to inspect at least three years of fundraising data in a well-maintained CRM, to ensure accurate donor records, consistent campaign and appeal coding, and reconciliation with accounting practices. By interrogating trends, identifying outlier gifts, and distinguishing between public goals and internal stretch targets, I advise that we build projections grounded in prior year increases of two to five percent rather than aspirational leaps. Donor retention, reactivation of lapsed supporters, and growth in recurring monthly donors form the core quantitative objectives that should guide planning. I emphasize that qualitative analysis of messaging efficacy is equally consequential. We must review last year’s solicitations, map income flow to specific appeals, and adopt donor-focused language that answers what donors care about and want to know. I recommend recruiting an internal or volunteer committee to aid execution and crafting an outreach schedule that begins with gratitude in mid-November and sustains personalized contact through December. The counsel I provide is procedural, measurable, and framed to reduce risk while maximizing the probability of achieving and exceeding stated targets.
Takeaways:
I advise that we immediately create a fundraising plan for end-of-year appeals and early next year.
I review at least three years of accurate CRM data to set realistic and achievable fundraising goals.
I emphasize donor-focused messaging and targeted segmentation so we personalize appeals and increase donor response rates.
I recommend scheduling gratitude communications in mid-November and frequent personalized outreach through December thirty-first.
I suggest stewarding donors in January, thanking them, sending donation summaries, and asking one-time donors to convert to monthly support.
I urge simplification of the giving process by fixing donate links, reducing clicks, and offering multiple giving options including stock and vehicle donations.
I am Diana Marquis, and I articulate a disciplined and data-driven approach to end-of-year and early-year fundraising that begins with an honest appraisal of historical performance and culminates in realistic goal setting. I urge organizations to inspect at least three years of fundraising data in a well-maintained CRM, to ensure accurate donor records, consistent campaign and appeal coding, and reconciliation with accounting practices. By interrogating trends, identifying outlier gifts, and distinguishing between public goals and internal stretch targets, I advise that we build projections grounded in prior year increases of two to five percent rather than aspirational leaps. Donor retention, reactivation of lapsed supporters, and growth in recurring monthly donors form the core quantitative objectives that should guide planning. I emphasize that qualitative analysis of messaging efficacy is equally consequential. We must review last year’s solicitations, map income flow to specific appeals, and adopt donor-focused language that answers what donors care about and want to know. I recommend recruiting an internal or volunteer committee to aid execution and crafting an outreach schedule that begins with gratitude in mid-November and sustains personalized contact through December. The counsel I provide is procedural, measurable, and framed to reduce risk while maximizing the probability of achieving and exceeding stated targets.
Takeaways:
I advise that we immediately create a fundraising plan for end-of-year appeals and early next year.
I review at least three years of accurate CRM data to set realistic and achievable fundraising goals.
I emphasize donor-focused messaging and targeted segmentation so we personalize appeals and increase donor response rates.
I recommend scheduling gratitude communications in mid-November and frequent personalized outreach through December thirty-first.
I suggest stewarding donors in January, thanking them, sending donation summaries, and asking one-time donors to convert to monthly support.
I urge simplification of the giving process by fixing donate links, reducing clicks, and offering multiple giving options including stock and vehicle donations.
Links referenced in this episode:
dmgroupconsulting.com (https://dmgroupconsulting.com)
dianadmgroupconsulting.com (https://dianadmgroupconsulting.com)
