Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

Episode: How to Make This Your Best Giving Season Yet

Host: Dr. Rob Harter
Guest: Sebastian “Seb” Boyer, President of Zeffy
Date: August 26, 2025

Brief Overview

In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter launches a special four-week fundraising series, focusing on year-end giving strategies and nonprofit fundraising trends. His guest, Seb Boyer, President of Zeffy, shares insights from Zeffy’s robust data research on giving trends, donor retention, and debunking nonprofit fundraising myths. The discussion centers on leveraging data to inform nonprofit efforts and understanding the nuances behind seasonal and recurring donations, empowering nonprofit leaders to optimize their fundraising strategy for the upcoming giving season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Zeffy and Its Free Model

• [03:40] Zeffy’s model offers comprehensive digital fundraising tools (CRM, newsletters, donor management forms, etc.) at no cost to nonprofits.
  • How Zeffy Stays Free: All services are funded by optional donor tips at checkout, not platform or credit card fees.
  • “We can pay for all of that technology … through optional donors contributions. … This is how we manage to offer all of our services for free to organizations.” – Seb Boyer (04:09)
• [05:39] Zeffy is committed to a sustainable, no-catch, long-term free model, with consistent product improvements over time.

2. Data-Driven Giving Trends: When and Where Donations Peak

• [07:10] Analysis from Zeffy’s benchmark reports reveals substantial seasonality in nonprofit giving, with the highest volume September through December (“the peak season for the donations”).
  • Patterns vary by sector: religious and political orgs have steadier year-round giving; education/student groups see huge fall peaks, with lower summer engagement.
  • “If you want as a nonprofit manager to prioritize your time throughout the year, then you want to understand these patterns … so that you could [focus] the efforts when it’s most useful.” – Seb Boyer (08:46)

3. Turning “Quiet” Seasons into Opportunities

• [10:22] Nonprofits can leverage Zeffy’s data to identify whether they are underperforming (or excelling) in non-peak periods.
  • Quiet periods like summer may offer less “noise” and competition, presenting unique donor engagement opportunities for organizations willing to test off-cycle campaigns.
  • “Our position … is that obviously each individual nonprofit manager is the best position to understand when and where to focus. We’re here to provide them with the data …” – Seb Boyer (10:22)

4. Post-COVID Fundraising Shifts and Channel Diversification

• [11:44] COVID accelerated the shift to online donations, but another pronounced trend is the diversification of fundraising methods:
  • More organizations are holding events, raffles, and selling merchandise—beyond just “donate” buttons.
  • “It’s more engagement, more ways to connect … we want to follow that trend, actually promote and accelerate that trend by providing the tools nonprofit managers need to actually run these different types of campaigns …” – Seb Boyer (12:44)

5. Recurring Donor Trends and Donor Retention Benchmarks

• [14:10] There is a slow but steady increase in recurring donors (now 3-6% of total donors), with highest retention in religious and political orgs; student- and education-focused orgs struggle more due to structural factors.
  • Engaging and transitioning one-time donors into recurring donors remains both a challenge and a major opportunity for increasing revenue stability.
  • “Retaining and engaging with donors in the long run is the key to long term success … Encourage them to switch to a recurring mode is very good.” – Seb Boyer (14:10)
• [16:46] On average, recurring donors make 5–10 gifts, far fewer than typical private-sector subscriptions—a clear area for improvement.
  • “For nonprofits, it tends to be much lower [than for-profit subscriptions]. … There is a huge untapped opportunity to increase that.” – Seb Boyer (16:46)
  • The importance of continuous stewardship: retention doesn’t happen by accident—it requires ongoing relationship-building after a donor starts recurring support.

6. Debunking Fundraising Myths

• [19:22] Zeffy’s data generally confirms common wisdom (e.g., “summer is slow”), but also empowers nonprofits to “double click” and analyze nuance by sector and campaign.
  • “Short answer is no. … Most of these common wisdoms are very much grounded in reality. … The devil is in the details.” – Seb Boyer (19:22)

7. Using Benchmarks as Guidance, Not Judgment

• [20:32] Data should inform, not dictate. Nonprofits are encouraged to blend data insights with their own lived experience and organizational context.
  • “It matters a lot that every single person that looks at this data is asking themselves, how does that apply to me?” – Seb Boyer (20:32)
  • Identify their own outlier seasons for improvement and track performance against sector benchmarks for actionable insights.

8. The Role of Data vs. Gut Instinct

• [22:21] Data complements gut feeling and relational intelligence; it gives nonprofit leaders an additional “perspective” rather than replacing the insights gained from experience and relationships.
  • “What you already know and what you feel in your gut is most often true and … what matters the most. I think the data should not be seen as something that is going to come and tell you that you’re wrong …” – Seb Boyer (22:21)
• [23:13] Data doesn’t have to be overwhelming—Zeffy synthesizes findings into simple, actionable nuggets for busy nonprofit managers.

9. Implications for Board and Leadership Planning

• [24:36] Board members and staff can improve outcomes by thinking intentionally in seasonal and recurring terms, using benchmarks to set strategic fundraising goals and review performance.
  • “Switching to that mode of being very intentional about what we want to achieve and how we want to measure their success … can put you and the board in a very productive scenario.” – Seb Boyer (25:15)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Zeffy's Mission:
  “It really matters to us that our customers understand how that works so that they can understand that there is no catch to be expected down the road.” – Seb Boyer [05:39]

• On Seasonal Giving Patterns:
  “The fall … is obviously the peak season for donations. … Not all organization sectors are exactly the same …” – Seb Boyer [07:48]

• On Donor Retention Opportunity:
  “Donors, they give between five and ten times on average. … There is a huge untapped opportunity to increase that.” – Seb Boyer [16:46]

• On Data & Leadership:
  “It’s absolutely necessary to look at the data and it’s super, super useful. But it’s not sufficient … you need to compare that data to real life.” – Seb Boyer [20:32]

• On Data Accessibility:
  “We try to do as much work as we can on our side to digest that data to very easy to understand bits that they can quickly leverage.” – Seb Boyer [23:13]

• On Transition to Nonprofit Sector:
  “One of the principles we have at Zeffy is that nonprofit organizations should get the same technology and the same level of service that for profit organizations get. And so trying to make these two worlds work together is something that I find very exciting.” – Seb Boyer [27:32]

Important Timestamps

• 03:40: How Zeffy offers truly free tools for nonprofits
• 07:10: Seasonal giving trends: when donations peak and by sector
• 10:22: Identifying and leveraging “quieter” fundraising seasons
• 11:44: How the fundraising landscape is diversifying post-COVID
• 14:10: Recurring donor trends, sector differences, strategies for engagement
• 16:46: Average recurring donor retention; comparison to for-profit subscriptions
• 19:22: Do data debunk common fundraising myths? (Sector nuances)
• 20:32: How to use benchmarks as guidelines, not absolute standards
• 22:21: Marrying data with gut instincts in nonprofit leadership
• 24:36: Using data to improve board and leadership fundraising strategy
• 25:54: Where to access Zeffy’s reports and contact info
• 27:11: Seb Boyer’s personal motivation for working in the nonprofit sector

Accessing Zeffy’s Research and Getting Support

• All benchmark and research reports are free at zefy.com
• Nonprofits, whether current users or new to Zeffy, can download resources directly and access onboarding support.
• To connect with Seb Boyer: reach out via his full first name at zefy.com (sebastien@zefy.com).

Conclusion

This episode arms nonprofit leaders with actionable strategies and vital context for the busiest giving season, highlighting the power of data-informed decision making blended with on-the-ground intuition and relationship-building. By understanding giving patterns, diversifying fundraising approaches, and leveraging practical benchmarks, organizations can step confidently into a more effective, sustainable, and strategic year-end campaign.