By John Ranheim | Chief Consulting Officer & Senior Consultant
Key Takeaways
- Summer isn’t the season to ask, but it’s not a season to go quiet either. It’s a relationship season.
- Three low-lift touchpoints that keep donors engaged without an ask: a personal ministry update, a no-agenda check-in call, and a forward-looking “save the date” conversation.
- The goal: be the fundraiser who reports back and listens, not the one who only shows up when there’s a need.
- What you do (or don’t do) with donors in July and August directly shapes how ready they are for your ask in September and October.
Why Summer Matters More Than Most Nonprofit Leaders Think
In a previous blog, I shared about reframing your fundraising calendar around your donors, not your own convenience. If you read that, you already know that summer isn’t the season for major asks. Donors are traveling, on vacation, or otherwise just busy. Their schedules are unpredictable. And a rushed donor visit, squeezed between your family vacation and theirs, rarely communicates the care and intentionality that move a relationship forward.
But here’s the question you may be wondering: if summer isn’t for asking, what is this season for?
The answer matters more than most nonprofit leaders may realize because what you do with donors in July and August directly shapes what happens in September and October, when it’s time to make or confirm your ask.
Summer Is a Relationship Season, Not a Rest Season
It’s tempting to treat summer as a natural break from fundraising, a chance to catch your breath before the fall push begins. And while rest is good and necessary, going completely dark with donors during these months is a missed opportunity.
The goal of summer isn’t to ask. It’s to nurture relationships, thoughtfully. This could look like sharing a ministry update. But oftentimes, these months are a great time to check in on donors and constituents and just see how they are doing.
Think about it from your donor’s perspective. If the only times they hear from you are when you need something, the relationship starts to feel transactional. But if you reach out in July simply to share an encouraging story, check in on their family, or pass along something you read that made you think of them, that’s a different kind of relationship. That’s the kind donors want to stay in.
Three Approaches to Summer Touchpoints
So what does a good summer touchpoint look like? Here are three that fit the season.
- The ministry update, no ask attached
A brief, personal note (email or handwritten) sharing a specific story of what’s happened in your ministry this year. Not a newsletter. Not a mass appeal. A personal note to a specific donor about something you know they care about. Two paragraphs. No ask at the end. Just evidence that their past investment is doing something real in the world.
This kind of note does two things: it reminds the donor why they gave, and it allows you to be a faithful steward of their trust, someone who reports back rather than just shows up when the need arises.
- The low-stakes check-in call
A five-minute phone call with no agenda other than to ask how their summer is going. How is the family? Did they get away anywhere? You might share something briefly about what’s happening in the ministry, but the purpose of this call is listening, not presenting. Remember, the best thing you can do as a fundraiser is learn to ask good questions. And then: actually listen!
In a world of constant demands and competing noise, a five-minute call with no agenda is more memorable than you might think.
- The forward-looking conversation
If the relationship is strong and the timing feels right, summer can be a moment to plant a seed for a future conversation. Not an ask, but a preview. “We’re putting together something exciting for the fall, and I’d love to share it with you when things settle down a bit. When would be a good time in your schedule to visit or talk by phone in the next four to six weeks?” (Don’t forget to ask about their best timing, not yours.)
This does something important: it signals that something is coming, gives the donor a reason to look forward to hearing from you, and creates a warm entry point for your fall conversation before you’ve even had it.
Here’s a bonus tip: Clarity is kindness. Don’t be afraid to signpost and ask for the conversation you want to have. If you want to meet for a friendly coffee to catch up, that’s great, and you can say that. But if you are tiptoeing around and not being straightforward about your purpose in wanting to connect, donors can sense that, and it can subtly undermine the relationship. Be confident and clear so that they know what to expect. For instance, “I would like to have a conversation about the vision of the ministry and the outcomes we are focused on in the next five years. Can we meet to talk about this?”
Slow, Steady Relationships Reflect Your Faith
There’s something countercultural, and deeply Christian, about this kind of fundraising. Relational fundraising asks us to slow down, to invest in people because they matter more than just their gifts, to believe that faithfulness in the small moments compounds into something meaningful over time, to fully entrust this work to God.
Proverbs 11:25 says that “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (NIV). There’s a version of summer fundraising that’s entirely self-serving: quick drop-ins, rushed check-in calls, last-minute donor lunches squeezed between everything else. And then there’s a version that actually refreshes your donors. That asks nothing. That simply says, “I was thinking of you, and I wanted you to know. You matter and were on my mind.”
That version is harder. It requires discipline not to default to asking. It requires attention to detail in the relationship. It requires you to take the time to be relational, even when it cuts into other parts of your day. But that version is the one that builds the kind of trust that sustains a ministry for the long haul.
Doing the Right (And Strategic) Thing
Here’s the practical payoff of doing summer well: when September arrives, and it’s time to bring (or revisit) a proposal to your key donors, you won’t be starting a cold conversation. You’ll be continuing one that’s been warm all summer.
Your donors will have heard from you, not because you needed something, but because you cared. They’ll have received an impact update that reminded them why their giving matters. They’ll have taken a call where you asked about their family and actually listened to the answer.
That donor is ready to hear what you have to say in the fall. The one who hasn’t heard from you since last year’s gift? Much less so.
So this summer, resist the urge to either overschedule donor asks or go completely quiet. Instead, choose a third path: an intentional, generous, no-strings-attached connection. Not only because it’s strategic, but because it’s the right way to treat the people who believe in your work.
About the Author
John Ranheim serves as Chief Consulting Officer & Senior Consultant at The FOCUS Group, bringing over 20 years of experience helping organizations build effective fundraising strategies. He previously served as Chief Development Officer and VP of Advancement at Covenant Theological Seminary, where he led three successful capital campaigns. John is a frequent speaker on stewardship and fundraising and holds a B.A. in Communications from Whitworth University and an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary. He lives in Chesterfield, Missouri, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their four sons.
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?