As we get close to the middle of the calendar year, two things happen in fundraising. We hit a milestone in our budget and annual fundraising plan: we’re either halfway through our 2026 fiscal year, or just about to start a new one for 2026-27. And things slow down: donors are either swamped with year-end school activities with their kids, or are getting ready for summer travel; either way, they are harder to reach. We hear, “Let’s touch base in the fall” a lot.
This slow time lets us catch our breath. We feel more space to plan, analyze, and organize. We can take time to ponder what’s working well, and what’s not quite working the way we’d hoped.
It also lets us reflect on fundraising activities that we do because:
“That’s how we’ve always done it.” But does it still work? It’s not a question we have time to answer during most of our busy fundraising year. Now is a great time to ask.
Fundraising plans work, until they don’t.
Here’s a personal example.
Years ago I served the California League of Conversation Voters. (In fact, it was so long ago that they’ve renamed to envirovoters.org.) They do amazing work. And their fundraising used to include a phone canvass — part-time staff who came in each evening to dial for dollars. Basically the kind of call that most of us avoid now, with caller ID. It was a system that worked really well at one time, but times — and technology — had changed. It was making less money, costing more, and mostly connecting with a small demographic of older donors. My job included a lot of analysis and planning around the canvass and, in the end, my recommendation was to disband it and cultivate individual donors differently. Which they did.
Looking ahead for 2026, are you holding yourself to a fundraising deadline (project, appeal or event) because, “that’s when we’ve always done it,” even though you have a feeling that maybe you shouldn’t.
Is this the right way for us to plan fundraising?
Not long ago, a nonprofit client was preparing for the membership meeting that they host every year in the spring. Their bylaws state that they have to disclose financials to members by a certain date, and so there was always a rush to schedule the meeting as soon as year-end financials were completed.
The event always included a professionally designed, printed annual report, which they would hand out at that meeting and mail to everyone who didn’t attend. Professional, pretty, informative — but not easy or inexpensive. This time, someone spoke up in the planning meeting …
Is this how we should do it?
That simple question opened up an incredible dialogue around goals, audiences and resources.
The deciding conversations that followed over the next week (lightnening fast!), resulted in a change of plan. They decided to create a more timely communication at a less busy time of year, which would be a better use of their scarce staff and financial resources. It also built in an opportunity to engage key donors in giving before that annual meeting. As in:
Let’s ask donors to make a pledge to XYZ campaign, and then we can announce the gifts that have been committed at our member meeting in a few months!
We can use our annual report as a chance to report on the past year, and also to look ahead at where we’re going and how we’ll get there.
What a terrific “join us” message! And it worked. A handful of long-time members grumbled about the change in date, but no one was really upset about it. And many people did join the fundraising campaign that was highlighted in that annual report. The change in timing and message helped their fundraising.
Nearly every nonprofit leader is facing an overflowing plate that demands action. They are not encouraged to take time to breathe and feel. But if you have a feeling that maybe, just maybe, this isn’t the right move/time/plan…speak up and ask a few key questions about your event or program.
Here’s where to start.
Why are we doing this?
This opens up an honest discussion about who the audience is, and what is the right message for that audience. Audiences and messages change — they are not static. So it’s worth taking time to think about this and make sure that you’ve got it right.
Why are we doing this now?
Sometimes it’s a good time and sometimes it’s not. Audits aren’t complete. Families are on vacation. The weather is too cold (or hot) for an outdoor event. Things start opportunistically — as in, “We haven’t had a member meeting in a while. Maybe we should have one next month.” There are lots of factors that affect timing. But you won’t know if they matter to your timing until you ask.
Why are we doing this like this?
Is this the way that our people want to hear from us? Are we sure that they won’t look at something online? Do we really know that they want us to mail them a printed report? Do they want a community celebration with food and music? The answers may be “Yes!” but the question is, how do you know?
All these questions are a beautiful way to make sure that your quarterly fundraising plan is the right plan to meet this year’s revenue needs. (Download our free Annual Fundraising Plan (.doc) template to define simple quarterly goals, or our more complex Members-only Quarterly Major Donor Engagement Plan with roles, deadlines and status or Multi-Year Fundraising Campaign Budget, both in .xls.)
This summer is a perfect time to review your fundraising plan, activities, and timing. After all, good plans are dynamic, not stale and static. And asking the “dumb” question is usually pretty brilliant.
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