by John Ranheim, Chief Consulting Officer & Senior Consultant
Every year, as the final weeks of the calendar approach and the sounds of the holidays fill the air, nonprofit leaders and fundraisers enter what feels like a frantic race to the finish. The fourth quarter becomes a blur of activity and last-minute gift conversations. While the results can sometimes be meaningful, the process often feels overwhelming—a dizzying rollercoaster of Zoom calls, coffee dates, and last-minute donor lunches jammed between family gatherings and fiscal year-end demands. Asking for gifts at the end of the year can be stressful and often feels rushed and pressured.
But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
What if year-end giving could be less stressful, more strategic, and ultimately more fruitful?
The key to unlocking a more effective fundraising approach is surprisingly simple: reframe your calendar—not around your own convenience, but around your donors’.
The Common (But Flawed) Fundraising Rhythm
Let’s be honest. Most of us who work in nonprofit fundraising—and especially those of us who travel—tend to organize our calendars around what works best for our families, our vacation schedules, or our children’s school breaks. It’s an understandable instinct, and sometimes a necessary one. However, we rarely stop to intentionally ask, ‘When is the best time for the donor?’
That one question has the power to change everything.
Over the years, I’ve spoken with countless nonprofit leaders, development officers, campus ministry leaders, missionaries, and church planters—passionate people doing transformative work—who often reach out for guidance on fundraising. A recurring theme in their stories is the pressure they feel during the year, especially from September through June, when ministry is at its busiest. They feel so busy during these months that donor visits tend to fall through the cracks, leaving few opportunities to actually engage donors for a gift. As a result, many of these nonprofit leaders instead treat the summer months as a window to see donors and “do some fundraising.”
The problem? Summer is usually not a good time for donors. Ministry leaders often attempt to squeeze in donor visits during open windows in the calendar or around their own family vacations, but these quick, informal interactions typically fall flat. Donors may not be in town when you happen to be driving by last minute. They may also not feel appropriately valued, knowing you dropped by for a hurried hello instead of scheduling time just for them. While a quick donor check-in may feel like you’ve checked the box, it rarely constitutes quality time that communicates care and takes the donor relationship forward.
At the same time, waiting until December to talk with donors is also less than ideal. While the end of the year brings with it an urgency for charitable giving, it is also jam-packed with holiday and family events, church services, and a multitude of other activities. Trying to schedule an ‘ask’ visit in December is last minute (and can feel poorly planned). Engaging effectively with donors is simply hard to do, given all the competing priorities of the season.
So if summer doesn’t work, and November and December are too late for strategic conversations, when is the right time to engage?
Understanding the Donor’s Decision-Making Calendar
To answer that question, consider this: When do my donors actually make giving decisions?
Many high-capacity donors—especially those with family foundations or donor-advised funds—make giving decisions in collaboration with their families. These conversations frequently occur during family gatherings, particularly around the Thanksgiving weekend or the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Here’s the kicker: if you want to be considered during that decision-making process, your proposal or funding request must already be in their hands well before those conversations take place. Ideally, you should aim to deliver any year-end proposals by early October, and at the very latest, the week before Thanksgiving.
Why so early? Because the donor is likely reviewing multiple requests, not just yours. If they’re going to give your proposal thoughtful consideration, they need the time and mental space to do so. And with so many families traveling for the holidays, your proposal needs to be in the mix before they start packing their suitcases.
Rethinking the Fundraising Calendar
Now that we’ve considered what works best for our donors, it’s time to reframe our fundraising calendar. Here’s an alternative approach:
January is a great time to reach out—not to ask, but to thank. It’s an excellent month to connect with donors, express appreciation, listen attentively, provide a report on the past year’s impact, and set the stage for what’s ahead. For snowbird donors or those wintering in warmer locations, it can also be an ideal time for casual, relationship-building visits.
Spring (February through May) is prime time. This window is arguably the most strategic season for fundraising. Donors are typically back in their regular routines, their calendars are more predictable, and they’re often in town. With the exception of Easter and spring break travel, these months are golden for building and deepening relationships and brainstorming with them on how their giving can help the ministry. This is when you should introduce new initiatives, share vision, explore alignment, and discuss preliminary proposals.
Summer can then be reserved for follow-up and informal discussion. If you’ve laid the groundwork well in the spring, summer becomes a time for brief check-ins, updates, or touchpoints that keep your cause top of mind, without requiring the heavy lifting of major solicitations.
Early fall (September through mid-October) is your time to make or confirm the ask. With the relationship cultivated and the groundwork laid, this window allows you to deliver proposals, finalize commitments, and ensure donors have everything they need to make a decision before the holiday rush begins.
End of Year—December is an ideal time to follow up and confirm with the donor regarding the previously submitted request. As a reminder, when you reach December 1, your phone call should be to confirm their gift, not to introduce an idea or ask for a gift.
A More Sustainable Approach
When you shift your focus to the donor’s calendar, several benefits emerge:
- Less stress: No more cramming a year’s worth of asks into the final six weeks.
- Deeper relationships: Spring visits allow for meaningful, unhurried conversations.
- Higher response: Donors are more likely to say “yes” when they feel known, heard, and are not pressured.
This kind of reframing doesn’t just lead to better results—it creates a more thoughtful, donor-centered approach that honors your supporters and builds long-term generosity and partnership.
So, as you plan your next year of fundraising, resist the temptation to default to ineffective past habits or your own convenience. Reimagine your calendar, realign your strategy, and re-engage your donors—at a time that serves the donor and deepens the relationship.
It might just turn your year-end scramble into year-round success.
We’ve been privileged to help many organizations be more effective in their fundraising by learning and implementing relational fundraising principles in their work with donors. Want to talk?