Articles
Nonprofit fundraising articles that help you raise more
More than 300 practical articles on donors, appeals, monthly giving and major gifts, written by fundraisers who are raising money right now. A new one every morning.
Popular topics:Year-EndDonor RetentionMajor GiftsMonthly GivingEmail MarketingDirect MailPlanned GivingDonor CommunicationLeadership
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The essential guides
New to fundraising, or new to the site? These cover the ideas the rest of the library builds on.
Guide · Donor CommunicationDonor Psychology: Why People Give and How to Ask WellWhat donor psychology research and two decades of fundraising show about why people give, how they decide and what keeps them giving.
Guide · FundraisingHow One Simple Change Transformed a Nonprofit's Donor Retention from 6% to 22%Most nonprofits are facing a donor retention crisis, and they don't even realize it. The average first-year donor retention rate across the nonprofit sector hovers around 15-20%. That means 80-85% of people who make a first gift to your organization will never give again.
Guide · Monthly GivingHow to Start a Monthly Giving ProgramHow to start a monthly giving program that grows: getting buy-in, naming it, setting gift levels, finding your first 100 donors and keeping them.
Guide · Major GiftsThe FOCUS Method: A Step-by-Step Framework for Major Gift Asks That CloseThe most effective major gift asks take five minutes or less. Not the entire donor meeting – but the actual moment when you present the opportunity and request the gift should be crisp, clear, and focused.Seasonal collection
The year-end fundraising playbook
December brings in a large share of the year's giving. Read these six in order and your year-end campaign is planned, from your biggest donors to the last email on December 31.
Get the Finish Strong workbookSearch all year-end articles
How to Set a Fundraising Goal Your Budget Didn't Make Up
Your Top 25 Donors Shouldn't Get Your Year-End Appeal First
How to Choose Ask Amounts for Your Year-End Appeal
Should You Send Your Year-End Appeal to Donors Who Just Gave?
Year-End Email Deliverability: How to Keep Your December Appeals Out of Spam
The Last 72 Hours of December: How to Plan Your Final Year-End Fundraising Emails
Browse the library
Find articles by topic
Every topic starts with the three articles we'd hand you first.
Donor Communication
65 articles
- Story Crimes: 7 Mistakes That Kill Your Fundraising Stories (And How to Fix Them)
- Donor Psychology: Why People Give and How to Ask Well
- If You Stopped Sending Your Newsletter, Would Anyone Notice?
Major Gifts
47 articles
- The FOCUS Method: A Step-by-Step Framework for Major Gift Asks That Close
- Your Top 25 Donors Shouldn't Get Your Year-End Appeal First
- Stop Saying "Sorry to Ask": 7 Phrases That Sabotage Your Fundraising (and What to Say Instead)
Email Marketing
32 articles
- The Last 72 Hours of December: How to Plan Your Final Year-End Fundraising Emails
- Year-End Email Deliverability: How to Keep Your December Appeals Out of Spam
- Crafting the Perfect Subject Line for Your Fundraising Email
Donor Relations
28 articles
- Why Your Year-End Donors Disappear by March
- Your Gift Receipt May Be the Most-Read Letter You Send
- Beyond the Transaction: 12 Ways to Treat Donors Like Partners (Not Piggy Banks)
Monthly Giving
10 articles
- How to Start a Monthly Giving Program
- How to Ask Donors to Give Monthly
- Failed Monthly Gifts: How to Recover Declined Recurring Donations
Mid-level Donors
15 articles
- 6 Critical Metrics for a Thriving Midlevel Donor Program
- 5 Step Plan to Move General Donors to Become Major Donors
Direct Mail
12 articles
- How to Choose Ask Amounts for Your Year-End Appeal
- Your Year-End Reply Card Is Doing More Work Than Your Letter
- The Donor Decision: What Actually Happens in the 30 Seconds Before Someone Gives
Learning paths
Read at your level
BeginnerStarting out or running a small shop. Building a prospect list, your first appeal, thanking donors well.111 articles IntermediateYou have a program running. Segmenting, ask amounts, monthly giving, getting the second gift.91 articles AdvancedLeading the work. Major gift strategy, case for support, goal setting and the trends shaping giving.60 articles
New this week
Latest articles
Planned GivingBeneficiary Designation Gifts: The Easiest Planned Gift to Ask ForBeneficiary designation gifts let donors leave an IRA, insurance policy, or bank account to your nonprofit with one form. Here's how to ask, and what to say.November 4, 2026
VolunteersShould You Ask Your Volunteers for a Year-End Gift?Many nonprofits leave volunteers out of the year-end appeal or send them the same letter as everyone else. Here's how to ask people who already give their time.November 3, 2026
Donor CommunicationShould You Text Donors at Year-End? What the Numbers Say for Small NonprofitsTexting donors at year-end is less about whether texts work and more about who already gave you permission. Here's what the latest benchmarks say and how a small nonprofit should decide this December.November 2, 2026
Major GiftsPledge Reminders: How to Make Sure Donor Pledges Actually Get PaidMost unpaid pledges aren't broken promises; they're forgotten ones. Here's how to build pledge reminders that feel like a service to the donor and get more of those commitments paid.November 2, 2026
Direct MailHow Far Back Should Your Year-End Appeal Go? Deciding Which Lapsed Donors to MailMost year-end mail files go back as far as last year's did, and nobody remembers why. A simple break-even calculation tells you which lapsed donors to mail, which to email, and what to say to the ones you haven't heard from in a while.October 31, 2026
Peer to PeerPeer-to-Peer Donors Aren't Your Donors Yet: A 90-Day Plan to Keep ThemPeer-to-peer campaigns bring in lots of new donors, but most gave for a friend, not for you. Here's a 90-day plan to turn them into your own supporters.October 30, 2026Learn Fundraising in 10 Minutes
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