Monday Matters: Don't Wait Until December to Ask

It's still August. The kids are barely back in school, temperatures are still high, and most of us aren't thinking about December. If you work with a nonprofit, however, now is exactly when you should be thinking about your year-end fundraising.

Every November and December, mailboxes, inboxes, and social media feeds begin filling with appeals from nonprofit organizations. Giving Tuesday arrives, year-end tax deadlines approach, and organizations that may not have communicated much with supporters during the year suddenly begin asking for donations. At the same time, the people receiving those requests have their own year-end realities. Heating bills, holiday gifts, travel, groceries, and all the ordinary expenses of life. In an uncertain economy, many households are already making careful decisions about where their money goes.

That does not mean nonprofits should stop asking. It means we should start sooner and ask better. If you wait until December, you are not only competing with other nonprofits for charitable dollars. You are competing for people's attention at one of the busiest and most expensive times of the year.

Starting your year-end campaign in August does not mean sending a fundraising letter tomorrow. It means deciding what you are raising money for, finding your donor list, and making sure the information on it is correct. It means looking at who gave last year, who has supported you for several years, who has stopped giving, and who might need to hear from you again. It also means finding the story you want to tell before you need to tell it.

Most importantly, starting now gives you time to build relationships instead of appearing in someone's mailbox on December 15 with your hand out. You can spend September and October showing people what your organization does, introducing them to the people and communities you serve, and reminding them why the work matters. When you eventually make the ask, it becomes part of an ongoing conversation rather than an unexpected request for money.

Small nonprofits sometimes hesitate to ask because we know people are struggling, and there is nothing wrong with being sensitive to that reality. Ethical fundraising does not assume that everyone can or should give. A good fundraising appeal simply says: Here is what we are doing, here is why it matters, and here is what we hope to accomplish. If you are able and would like to be part of it, here is how you can help.

People cannot support what they don't know needs support. If your organization needs community support before the end of 2026, don't wait until everyone else starts shouting. Speak up now, make your case respectfully, and give people the opportunity to decide for themselves.

Start This Week

1. Find your organization's donor list and review who gave in the past two or three years. 
2. Identify the people who continue to support you, those who have stopped giving, and those who have remained involved in other ways. 
3. You do not have to ask them for anything this week. 
4. For now, remember who your people are and make sure you know how to reach them.