It’s June. Are You Thinking About Year-End Yet? You Should Be.

Last week, we hosted our free Clearing the Clutter webinar and talked through how to refocus our fundraising energy on what really matters. One big takeaway? If you want your year-end appeal to actually work, now’s the time to get started.

Yes, June.

Here’s why:

Your donors expect a year-end appeal—and it still works.

Let’s not overthink this. We keep sending year-end appeals because donors still give. In fact, 12% of all individual donations happen in the last three days of the year. But here’s the catch: if you wait until November to get started, you’ll end up rushing something that could have been strategic, personal, and so much more effective.

Starting now gives you the time to make it count.

More time = more clarity, better stories, and a smarter plan.

June gives you breathing room. Space to ask:

• Who are we really writing to?

• What stories can we tell that will stick?

• Are we asking the right people for the right things?

It also gives you time to:

• Segment your donors so each message is meaningful

• Update your donation page and make it easy to give (QR codes, recurring options, all of it)

• Secure a matching gift or incentive

• Map out your communications over the next 3-4 months—not just “drop a letter and hope it lands”

Want donors to open your letter in December? Start engaging now.

In the webinar, I used the example of one of our current clients, Can Do Canines. If you haven’t heard of them, they train amazing assistance dogs to help with all kinds of things to make people’s lives fuller. These are highly skilled dogs, which means they have some amazing trainers on their team. So, let’s imagine if as they ramp up to the fall and early winter, they start to share simple dog training tips for people to do with their own pets at home. Their donors—most of whom are dog lovers—pay attention. Because it's a change in pace AND it adds a different value to the donor’s life. Now they aren’t just hearing wonderful stories that make them feel warm and fuzzy inside, they are giving them something to engage them more deeply.

That kind of content builds trust. And it builds habit. Because they want to open those emails or watch that social media page. It’s no longer, “I will read when I have time,” it’s “I am waiting for my weekly tip. And when the appeal finally arrives, it doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s the next step in a conversation.

No more last-minute scrambles.

If your fall usually feels like a blur, start now. Even just blocking off a few work sessions in June to plan your year-end appeal can save you a ton of stress—and get better results. Use that time to look at what worked last year, gather testimonials, and clarify your message.

And if you’re feeling pulled in a hundred directions? Watch the part of the webinar where we talk about “big rocks” vs. sand. (Spoiler: The appeal is a big rock.)

Bottom line: You’re not behind—yet. But don’t wait much longer.

Year-end appeals don’t have to be exhausting. When done well, they’re one of the best tools you have for donor engagement and revenue growth. So give yourself the time to do it well.

You’ll be glad you did.

Need more help with your fundraising plan?
Our Fundraising for a New Era course with Winona State is open for registration. It’s built for nonprofit pros who want to raise more with less overwhelm. CEUs and digital badge included.

Of course we are always here to help too, just reach out!