Year end is go time. You do not need a bigger team, you need a tighter plan that helps you focus on what matters most. The next seven weeks are about practical moves that cut through the noise, amplify what already works, and ease your mental load.
December is too important to wing it. On average, nonprofits generate a huge share of online one-time revenue in December, with analyses of M+R Benchmarks estimating about 40% concentrated in this single month. That is your green light to work a plan, not spin up new ideas every day.
Here is a clear plan and resources to make this year-end a success.
Weeks 1–2: Align the story, segment the list, prep the runway
Lock your campaign spine.
Pick one clear outcome and a simple value proposition. If you can secure a match, even better. A well-designed match gives structure to your messaging and confidence to your ask. If you need a primer, walk through How to lock a 1:1 year-end match and a 2:1 GivingTuesday boost.
Segment like you mean it.
Create 5–7 segments you can actually message differently:
- Recurring donors, thank and invite an extra gift.
- LYBUNTs, remind impact and urgency.
- First-time donors, celebrate their first gift and invite them to go twice as far with the match.
- Event attendees and volunteers, connect their time to year-end outcomes.
- Major donor prospects, plan 1:1 outreach.
If you want a fast framework, use Segmentation that works for small teams or the deeper Donor segmentation guide.
Calendar your touchpoints.
Map email, social, and any text messages week by week. M+R reports nonprofits sent an average of 62 emails per subscriber last year, and raised about $2.63 per subscriber from email. Translation, email is still a dependable engine when it is targeted and purposeful.
Tighten the giving experience.
Your donation page is the cash register. Benchmarks from NextAfter put average main donation page conversion near 13.5%, which means small improvements move real dollars. Use this moment to simplify your form, reduce fields, and test suggested amounts. Then run through Donation page best practices.
Prep your creative and templates.
Do not write from scratch at 10 p.m. Use 5 free end-of-year email templates to speed up production and keep your tone consistent across segments.
“Ruthless elimination of more” is the rule. One story, one outcome, one match, many tailored messages.
Weeks 3–4: GivingTuesday sprint and mid-December momentum
Know your date and build the 24-hour plan.
For GivingTuesday, set a 24-hour mini-goal and create day-of checkpoints, including morning launch, midday update, late afternoon push, and a last-chance evening message. Browse the official GivingTuesday resources if you need campaign assets.
Pre-schedule the essentials.
- Two to three emails for GivingTuesday across your segments.
- One text message for warm audiences if you use SMS.
- Social posts queued with short updates and quick impact visuals.
For fast inspiration, pull lines from 8 last-minute GivingTuesday tips or The Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday.
Tune the page for urgency.
Add a simple match explainer near the top, set suggested amounts that ladder to your story, and test load speed on mobile. Purposeful volume paired with a clean path to give is what drives December results.
Run a clean receipt and thank-you flow.
Double check that your receipt includes gift details and a human thank you. Then add a short P.S. about what their gift unlocks in January. If you need a refresher on receipts and year-end communications, review annual reports and year-end communication for nonprofits.
Use social proof.
Last year, GivingTuesday donors in the U.S. gave an estimated $3.6 billion, up 16% from 2023. People respond when they feel part of a shared surge, so show real-time progress and brief donor quotes throughout the day.
Quick copy you can steal: “You moved the needle this morning. If 75 more people give $40 before 5 p.m., we will unlock the match for after-school meals.”
Weeks 5–7: December stretch, the finish, and January stewardship
Plan your final-week cadence.
December reliably concentrates giving. Multiple studies and roundups report that a significant share of online revenue lands late, with some estimates placing 10% of annual online revenue in the last three days of the year. That means you should schedule a December 28 reminder, a December 30 progress update, and a December 31 morning plus evening message. Keep segments tight so people receive what fits them.
Keep the tone donor-first.
Pull forward gratitude and impact for each group:
- Recurring donors, a warm thank you and a low-friction path if they want to make a special year-end gift.
- Major donor prospects, direct outreach with a specific project and timeline.
- New donors from November and GivingTuesday, a “you already made a difference” message that invites a second touch.
Mind retention while you raise.
The Fundraising Effectiveness Project saw Q4 2024 dollars rise 3.5% versus 2023, yet the number of donors and retention rates declined year over year. Your plan needs both urgency and care, so resist blasting everyone with the same appeal. Targeted follow-ups protect long-term value.
Tighten the experience, again.
Before the final 72 hours, do one more donation page pass. With main donation page conversion near 13.5% on average, even a small lift can pay off. Shorten the form, remove distractions, make default amounts easy on mobile.
Stewardship starts on January 1.
Block time now for these actions in Week 7:
- Send a short all-donor thank-you, then segment deeper stewardship for first-time, recurring, and major donors. Use Donor appreciation tips to personalize without overcomplicating.
- Queue contribution statements and a simple “what you made possible” impact story.
- Book call blocks with top supporters and new mid-level donors.
- Create a 30-day welcome and upgrade path for all new year-end donors.
Stewardship is the bridge between December momentum and Q1 retention.
Put it all together: your 7-week checklist
Weeks 1–2
- Finalize case for support and any match.
- Build 5–7 donor segments, write first-draft messages with templates.
- QA donation page, receipt, and thank-you.
- Draft the calendar across email, social, text.
Weeks 3–4
- Run your GivingTuesday plan on Dec 2.
- Share progress updates and donor quotes.
- Keep the giving experience simple and fast.
Weeks 5–7
- Schedule Dec 28, 30, and 31 touches by segment.
- Refresh suggested amounts and page copy.
- Thank quickly, then plan January 1–30 stewardship.
If you want to go deeper on any piece, start here:
- End-of-year email templates to speed up writing.
- Donation page best practices to improve conversion.
- GivingTuesday tips for day-of urgency.
- Segmentation that works to tailor messages at scale.
Final encouragement
You do not need dozens of tactics to win December. You need one outcome, a clear donor promise, and a calendar you will actually follow. Run this plan more focus and watch how much easier it becomes to raise money and retain donors.
Ready to make this your smoothest year end yet?
Schedule a demo of DonorDock to start building meaningful donor relationships today. It is built for small & growing fundraisers so you can focus on what matters most.
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