3 Simple Ways to Prep for a Successful Giving Season

Oct 30

As small nonprofits approach year-end giving season, leadership are deep in appeal prep mode. You’re proofing letters, drafting email campaigns, and queuing up videos to inspire donors.

But before you hit send, take a breath. November is a good time to assess and fine-tune your systems so everything runs smoothly come December.

At Sprout Fundraising & Consulting, I call this the Control the Chaos Season. November offers a short but powerful window where small fixes can make a big difference in your fundraising results.

Below, I’ll walk you through 3 simple steps to help you avoid common pitfalls and make the most of giving season.

1. Test Your Giving Experience From Start to Finish

You’ve designed a beautiful direct mail package, written your most compelling email appeal, and invested in a heartfelt impact video. But then… a donor clicks donate, and the page doesn’t load. This is one of the most common and costly mistakes nonprofits make. They spend valuable time and money on storytelling but neglect the donor’s actual giving experience.

How to Run a 15-Minute Giving System Check:

Before your campaign goes live, walk through your entire donation process exactly as your donor would.

Test your donation form on both desktop and mobile.
Scan every QR code on your printed materials.
Make a small test donation. Watch for the confirmation screen and thank-you message.
Review your acknowledgment email. Does it match your year-end tone?
Check your navigation. How quickly can a donor find the “Donate” button? (One click is ideal.)

Pro Tip: Your acknowledgment email is one of the most-read messages you’ll send all year. Make sure it’s campaign-specific, personal, and warm, not just a receipt.

2. Rethink Your Email Frequency

If there’s one myth I love busting, it’s the idea that you can email too much. Did you know that most nonprofits are actually emailing far too little?

Nearly 30% of all annual giving takes place in December, with 10% of those donations arriving in the final 3 days of the year. It’s not due to magic, but consistency. Donors give because they’ve seen your message multiple times, in multiple ways.

How to Optimize Your December Email Plan

Send 4–7 emails during December. Keep your messaging fresh with impact stories, countdown reminders, gratitude notes, and progress updates.
Experiment with timing. Try evenings, Friday paydays, and Sunday afternoons when donors are relaxed and scrolling.
Track performance. Note which days and subject lines drive the most engagement to inform next year’s schedule.

Frequency is nothing to be afraid of. You’re not bothering donors. You’re being present and consistent.

Pro Tip: Use November to schedule and segment your December emails so you can stay focused on stewardship when the giving rush begins.

Don’t stop at email. Studies show that donors need 7 to 12 touchpoints on average before they give. These touchpoints can include emails, direct mail, social media posts, targeted ads, and texts.

3. Prepare Your Gratitude Plan

The Thanksgiving season reminds us that gratitude is more than a task. It’s a habit.

When I was a Development Director, I’d spend Sunday evenings in November writing thank-you notes by hand with a cup of chai tea. Those little moments of connection mattered.

Today, with the right systems, you can bring that same authenticity into an easy but consistent workflow.

How to Build Your Gratitude System Before Giving Tuesday

Refresh your thank-you letter. Make sure it sounds joyful and donor-centered.
Create a quick “personal message” template so you can send a thank-you the moment a gift comes in.
Use tools like Handwrytten to automate handwritten cards or record a short thank-you video you can text to donors.
Block dedicated time on Giving Tuesday to focus solely on gratitude.

Pro Tip: Your thank-you message is the first touchpoint in next year’s fundraising journey. A donor who feels seen is far more likely to give again. My donor database, SproutTable, helps you organize your data and automate followup so you never let a donation go unnoticed. Choose from a DIY Setup option, or choose VIP and let our team handle it for you. Learn more about SproutTable here.

Preparation = Confidence

Taking time now to test systems, plan communication, and prepare gratitude workflows will make December smoother and more successful.

The best part? Having a plan for giving season takes you out of reaction mode. You’ll have more confidence when you know you’re being strategic about your end-of-year fundraising.

Coming December 1: The 2026 Fundraising Focus Digital Planner

If you love being organized and crave less overwhelm, you’ll love what’s next.

Launching December 1, the 2026 Fundraising Focus Digital Planner is your year-round companion for simplifying strategy, planning campaigns, and tracking progress—all in one easy-to-use digital format.

The Fundraising Focus Planner empowers you to:

Map campaigns, emails, and appeals month by month
Track donor touchpoints and stewardship actions
Align board engagement and communications
Reflect, measure, and refine each quarter

Whether you use it on your tablet, iPad, or laptop, it’s designed to help you think big, plan smart, and stay on top of your fundraising goals all year long.

Gabie Benson