The quiet stretch between Christmas and your first campaign of the new year is one of the most overlooked moments in the annual fundraising calendar. Because, really, there’s no better time to build connection than around the holidays!
If you’re not talking to your donors right now, then you’re missing this vital opportunity for connection. Stronger connection means stronger retention.
So if you can manage to shake off the back-to-work brain fog, here are 9 simple things to try with your donors during the quiet period.
Idea #1—send a joyful image
No ask. Just a beautiful photo that’s sure to put a smile on your donor’s faces. And make sure you keep the copy to a bare minimum!
Joy really is a precious gift. Especially at times like these, when people are hurting and scared in the wake of senseless loss after the terror attack in Bondi.
A single image that captures the beauty humanity or care of community can touch the hearts of your donors in a powerful way.
Idea #2—share a short, ‘behind the scenes’ video
Keep it authentic and unpolished. There’s no need for slick editing or shooting with the latest model camera—your phone will do the trick! Just make sure the sound is good and clear.
You could feature someone who has benefited from your work or one of your frontline workers.
These kinds of video messages cut through because they’re real—and because they remind donors of who their support is really helping.
Idea #3—run a small appeal (yes, really!)
The mistake most organisations make at this time of year is assuming that “no one’s paying attention”. In reality, fewer messages and time away from work actually means more space for your fundraising communications to be seen.
For those who spend the holidays at home, their days may be slower, but life (and postal delivery!) still goes on. Even those who are travelling will still look at their phones and check their emails on the odd occasion.
So while it may feel a little counterintuitive to send an appeal during what’s typically considered a quiet fundraising season, with fewer organisations asking during this time, your decision to run a mini appeal can return surprisingly strong results.
An easy, low-stakes way to do trial this idea is just to repurpose your Christmas appeal. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!
Idea #4—make a list of 10 important donors
This idea is especially valuable for smaller organisations with no established major donor processes—use your down time to search your database for high value donors and make a list.
You can kick the year off by giving each of them a call. (Or if they have the time, ask your CEO to take the reins!)
No pitch. No expectations. Just a warm and genuine thank you for their loyal and generous support.
Remember, your most important donors give to multiple charities—not just yours. But not every charity will call just to say thank you. Donors remember the ones that do.
The bonus? You’re starting the year with fresh clarity—and a list of high value donors who’ll benefit from your care, attention and thoughtful strategy in the 12 months ahead.
Idea #5—publish an annual snapshot
Don’t have time to write a full impact report? Give your amazing donors a snapshot of their impact throughout the year instead.
Pair program data with real stories of impact from the front line. Draw out important themes or areas of work. Give donors an opportunity to feel good about what their support has achieved over the last 12 months.
You could do this as an EDM, a series of social posts, a dedicated page on your website, or even printed collateral, which you can mail now and also use at future events—whatever your team has the capacity for!
Idea #6—give them a small gift of gratitude
When we say “gift” it doesn’t need to cost the world. In fact, other than your careful thought and time, it doesn’t need to cost you anything at all.
Make the gift something they’ll use or value. And this idea will work best if you can relate the gift back to your cause in some way.
For example, Christian charities might send a printable desk calendar with thoughtfully chosen (and beautifully designed!) Bible verses. Or a resource with 12 devotions or prayers relating to their work—one for every month.
Refugee and asylum seeker charities might share a traditional recipe. A foster care service could turn children’s artworks into downloadable desktop or phone wallpapers. A mental health charity might send a curated playlist of calming music or guided meditations.
Idea #7—resend your best performing story of the year
Strong stories deserve more than one moment. And no matter how well it performed the first time around, many (if not most!) of your donors missed reading it.
Share it again via EDM or socials—wherever you get the most engagement. Better yet, send it out across all your channels: “In case you missed this…”
And if you have more than one great story to share, turn it into a content series and frame it as a retrospective: “Take a look back at the past year…”
Idea #8—ask a low-effort question
This is an opportunity to connect with your supporters, invite engagement, and get to know them better. Better still, what you ask can help inform your fundraising strategy for the year ahead—even if you’re not set up to match responses against supporter files in your CRM!
The use of Philanthropic Psychology techniques, such as tapping into supporter identity, can increase appeal income. So use this time to start building a donor dictionary.
Ask your supporters to choose five different words that describe who they are as a person. Then collate the results and make sure you use the top commonly given responses in your appeal copy in the year ahead!
Idea #9—tease the upcoming year
This shouldn’t be a campaign launch or calendar of events, but rather a short and sweet message that gets your donors excited for what’s to come.
You could do this as an email, blog post, or even a quick video. Just make sure you’re promoting it wherever your donors are most likely to see it. And if your CEO is well known and well-liked by your donors, then have the message come from them!
Remember, anticipation is a powerful form of engagement. It invites your donors to imagine their future support of your charity, long before you ask them to do anything about it.
You don’t have to do it all
Our final parting advice? Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Or get excited and plan too much, then do none of it at all.
We’ve taken care to ensure that each of the ideas on this list is scalable. So think carefully about how you might need to modify each idea for it to sit comfortably within your team’s abilities and capacity. That way you can be sure that whatever you do, you’ll do it well.
Even if you can only commit to trying one or two of these ideas, it will still help you start 2026 firing on all cylinders.
Keen to engage Creagivity to help you boost donor retention or work your next appeal? Get in touch to book an obligation-free meet and greet with our fearless leader, June, at a time of your choosing!
