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When setting fundraising goals—whether for annual contributed revenue or a multi-year campaign—many organizations default to looking at past performance. But here’s the thing: basing your goals only on what’s been done before can be limiting.

If you’ve been putting off implementing a strategy to secure gifts from donor-advised funds, let this be the year that changes that. Why? The numbers are too big to ignore.

• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) contributions represent 8% of all donations in the USA.
• Total Assets in DAFs in 2023 was $251.52B
• Total Value of Grants made by DAF fundholders in 2023 was $54.77B
• Total Value of Contributions made to DAFs in 2023 was $59.43B
• Average DAF Account size in 2023 was $141,120

As we turn the page on the calendar and step into a new year, nonprofit leaders everywhere are greeted with a world of opportunity. The new year is more than just a fresh start; it’s a chance to reflect, reimagine, and reignite our passion for the causes we serve.

December is a busy time in the life of a nonprofit fund raiser. It starts with Giving Tuesday and continues with year-end appeals and gentle reminders for open 2024 pledges. Nonprofit leaders with fundraising responsibilities have a number in their heads: what do I need to raise to meet my year-end goal?

Written By: Kali Righter and Sarah Breece 

With nearly 31% of annual donations coming in December, crafting a strong appeal is essential for your nonprofit organization.

1. Step one is identifying the right story and writing impactful copy.
2. Step two is determining who you will be soliciting and how they will be asked.

Here are strategies to maximize the use of your donor database and wealth screening tools for this process.

The time between Thanksgiving and year-end offers a prime window for fundraising, as people often feel a heightened sense of generosity and motivation to support causes they care about. This season can be a tremendous opportunity to engage donors, share your mission’s impact, and inspire end-of-year contributions. Here are some practical fundraising strategies and tactics to maximize your campaign success during this season:

Nonprofit boards often find themselves stuck in a rut, performing the same old tasks with the same agenda month after month, with little impact. This "old work," as described by board expert Richard Chait in his 1996 article "The New Board Work of the Nonprofit Board," remains highly relevant today. I had the opportunity to rediscover this valuable resource in my files, and it reaffirmed that boards have the potential to move their work toward a more impactful and relevant approach.

What are things you might stop doing that could improve the quality of your day-to-day life? Harvard professor and researcher Arthur Brooks calls this a “to don’t” list: things that you find yourself doing out of habit or obligation even though they lower happiness and productivity.

As you consider your own list, I encourage you to try the following:

As our firm has grown over the years, I’ve had the privilege of spending time with our new consultants, sharing our company history, axioms, and explaining how we “show up” for our clients.

Recently, the leader of a large $200M+ nonprofit asked me what I look for when hiring consultants. What advice would I give when hiring fundraising professionals? How does DBD Group differentiate itself from other firms in the same space?

I think he was surprised when I didn’t talk about years of experience, education or successful previous campaigns. Without pausing to contemplate the question I answered that I look for the gifts of presence and curiosity. These two gifts are a powerful pairing.