Tips and Tools to Maximize Year-End Giving
August 14, 2025 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Savvy fundraisers start planning months in advance for a successful year-end campaign. Giving yourself ample time to prepare is even more important now, with tax-law changes likely to affect giving next year. Some experts predict the changes will encourage wealthy individuals to give more before the changes take effect.
Now is the time to start designing your strategy for November and December — and to strengthen your ties with donors before you make your year-end appeal.
The holidays are an ideal opportunity to highlight the difference your organization makes all year long. “It’s the one time where you are going out to your donor base that wraps up your key message with joy, pride, and celebration,” says Diana Martin, chief external relations officer at the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
This collection of articles will help you lock in more gifts before the clock runs out on 2025. You’ll also find tools for planning an effective campaign and proven tactics to boost year-end results.
Editor’s note: Chronicle playbooks are updated on an ongoing basis as new advice becomes available.
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Year-End Fundraising
How to Craft a Winning Year-End Appeal in Challenging Times
Experts share nine tactics for running a fundraising campaign that hits revenue goals and helps you finish the year strong. -
The Tax Law and Giving
Big Gifts and the New Tax Law: Boom Now, Bust Later?
High-earners may make big gifts in 2025, but their giving may decline next year. -
Major Gifts
Get Your Major Donors on the Path to Big Giving at Year-End
The summer is an ideal time to deepen ties with donors and craft a cultivation plan for the rest of the year, major-gifts experts advise. -
Online Fundraising
3 Traps to Avoid in Year-End Fundraising
Anxiety and uncertainty can lead to questionable online fundraising tactics. Don’t adopt these practices, which yield only short-term gains. -
Year-End Giving
Big Gifts, DAF Contributions Will Be Key to Year-End, Fundraisers Say
Some nonprofits are sharing blunt messages about financial woes in an effort to spur donations. -
Online Fundraising
9 Simple Ways to Raise More Online — and Reach Year-End Goals
Find social-media influencers in your nonprofit’s network, enlist trustees to help kickstart and promote campaigns, and more tips from experts. -
Advice
A Tool to Help Staff Field Donor Questions at Year’s End
The holidays bring a spike in gifts — and inquiries from donors. One nonprofit created a guide to help employees handle common requests. -
Advice
Annual Donor Communication Plan to Boost Year-End Results
Build up to holiday giving all year long with this sample 12-month communications plan. -
Advice
A Timeline for Planning a Year-End Campaign
A tool to map out steps to take for a successful year-end fundraising campaign, online and off.
