Nonprofit Leadership Podcast — Smart Ways to Boost Your Year-End Giving
Host: Rob Harter
Guest: Britton Stockart (Fundraising Coach, Donorbox)
Date: August 18, 2025
Overview
In this episode, Rob Harter is joined by Britton Stockart, a fundraising coach at Donorbox, to discuss practical, human-centered strategies for supercharging year-end giving. With the giving landscape facing new challenges—donor fatigue, financial downturns, and organizational burnout—this episode offers actionable advice for nonprofit leaders on optimizing donation forms, making donor follow-up meaningful, and keeping fundraising simple, effective, and authentic.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Current State of Nonprofit Fundraising
- Burnout and Fatigue ([04:16]–[05:41])
- "90% of nonprofit leaders, they're feeling burnt out." – Britton Stockart [05:06]
- Despite surviving Covid, many leaders now face new funding cuts and increased demand with fewer resources.
- The climate forces many teams into reactive fundraising, with vital relationship-building communications getting deprioritized.
Transforming Donation Forms from Transactional to Relational
- Missed Opportunities ([07:11]–[10:21])
- "Most donation forms, they weren't built with people, with relationships in mind… Our donation forms feel very transactional and cold." – Britton [07:27]
- The donation form is often a one-time setup, left unchanged even as it represents a direct point of contact with donors.
- Britton’s Story: After following a friend's advocacy work, she made her first donation via a form that asked, "What inspired you to give to my family today?" This simple prompt sparked a long-term connection and significant fundraising impact. ([08:08]–[09:40])
- "Most donation forms… miss honoring the kind of vulnerability that allows for that two way relationship to even happen." – Britton [09:52]
Three Simple, High-Impact Tweaks for Donation Forms
- 1. Ask for the “Why” ([11:11]–[12:06])
- Add a custom question on the donation form like “What inspired you to give today?” to surface motivations, values, and stories, enabling more personalized follow-up.
- 2. Give Donors a Choice ([12:06]–[14:17])
- Use “designation” features on donation forms to let donors choose which program or area their gift supports. "It just builds that connection." – Britton [13:06]
- If back-end systems can't track restricted funds, it's fine to keep to a general fund, but where possible, choice deepens connection.
- 3. Nudge Towards Monthly Giving ([14:17]–[14:26])
- Default the donation form to monthly giving, especially if you have many repeat one-time donors. Tools like Donorbox offer subtle prompts for this.
Recap: "Ask a meaningful question, give folks a choice and make monthly giving feel natural." – Britton [14:18]
Low-Lift Follow-Up to Deepen Donor Relationships
- Rhythms, Not Drip Campaigns ([15:02]–[16:55])
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Follow-up often falls by the wayside during planning. The old “7 touches” marketing model is outdated—quality beats frequency.
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Three-Part Rhythm:
- Gratitude – “Tie the gift to something, a very specific, tangible outcome.”
- Impact – “Show behind-the-scenes, a quick story or photo…”
- Deeper Involvement – “Invite people in deeper ways that are not always tied to money.”
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"It's really about rhythm... and then really meeting donors where they're at." – Britton [15:57]
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Pivoting and Adapting Strategies Mid-Season
- Keep it Simple and Integrated ([18:11]–[19:09])
- If a pivot is needed late in the year, focus on optimizing the donation form, keeping follow-up authentic, and ensuring all systems/tools are integrated for a smooth workflow.
- "Make sure all your systems are talking with each other… set up and integrated now in August as opposed to waiting." – Britton [18:56]
Crafting Year-End Appeals that Resonate
- Be Honest, Be Present ([20:06]–[22:55])
- Fundraisers may freeze if unclear about programming—don’t overthink. Focus communications on real, current impact.
- "It is absolutely okay to be very transparent with your donors. I think in 2026, people are valuing honesty more than ever." – Britton [22:22]
- Tie your appeal to what’s happening now, even if it’s a short-term focus.
- “Keep it human.” – Rob [22:55]
Engaging Top Supporters for Maximum Effect
- Prioritize Simple, Early Engagement ([23:38]–[24:29])
- Rather than launching complex ambassador programs, identify a few major donors and bring them in early for feedback and involvement, even informally.
- "It doesn't have to be a beautifully polished PDF... get clear on the messaging so they could share it with their networks." – Britton [24:10]
Overcoming Obstacles by Slowing Down
- Reflect, Simplify, and Use Data ([25:00]–[27:03])
- "Help listeners get curious… about what actually felt hard this past year and why." – Britton [25:23]
- Pair initial observations with three simple data points:
- Retention – Who gave last year but not this year?
- Engagement – Are people opening/responding to outreach?
- Giving Patterns – When do most gifts arrive?
- Use these to refine messaging, timing, and approach.
Rethinking Year-End Timing: Start Early, Spread the Load
- Skip the Giving Tuesday Burnout ([27:42]–[28:47])
- Britton advises deprioritizing Giving Tuesday to avoid overwhelming donors and staff: "Do away with Giving Tuesday, spread out your campaigns over a longer time, and then start much earlier… start your year-end push in August." – Britton [28:25]
- "You're the first person that said, you know, de-emphasize Giving Tuesday. But I get what you're saying, the logic of that, because there's so much that goes around that that's where the high burnout really kicks in." – Rob [28:40]
Facing and Avoiding Burnout
- Less is More; Care for the Team ([29:05]–[29:58])
- Many leaders are hyper-focused on urgent needs. Pare down, simplify; sustaining the team is essential for long-term effectiveness.
- "This is not a sprint right. It's a marathon. And we really need to care for ourselves so we can be here for the long haul." – Britton [29:52]
Memorable Quotes
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On Emotional Connection:
"What that one question did was, it gave me a chance to see myself in the giving… That is what I'm trying to convey… most donation forms, they miss this intentional design, this human element." – Britton [09:05], [09:52] -
On Simplicity in Strategy:
"Keep it simple. Three things. Your launching point is your donation form... making sure that the follow up is authentic and real and it's less about the frequency." – Britton [18:11] -
On Transparency:
"Don't overthink it, okay? Just tell donors what's really happening right now in the moment, not overall.... I think… people are valuing honesty more than ever." – Britton [21:05], [22:22] -
On Avoiding Burnout:
"If you really want to prioritize your sanity, your mental health... do away with Giving Tuesday, spread out your campaigns, and start much earlier." – Britton [28:28] -
On Self-Care:
"We really need to care for ourselves so we can be here for the long haul." – Britton [29:52]
Key Timestamps
- [04:16] — Nonprofit burnout and sector fatigue
- [07:11] — Donation form misconceptions and a transformative story
- [11:11] — Three practical donation form tweaks
- [15:02] — Low-stress, effective donor follow-up strategies
- [18:11] — How to pivot fundraising strategy mid-season
- [20:06] — Crafting an authentic, compelling year-end appeal
- [23:38] — Engaging top supporters with simplicity
- [25:00] — Using reflection and three metrics to overcome obstacles
- [27:42] — Spreading the campaign load, starting in August, and skipping Giving Tuesday
- [29:05] — Mindset and tactics to counter burnout
Practical Takeaways
- Update Your Forms: Add questions to learn why donors give and offer them program choices where feasible; emphasize monthly giving.
- Prioritize Quality Follow-Up: Focus on heartfelt, specific gratitude, impact stories, and non-monetary invitations for involvement.
- Simplify Year-End Pushes: Start asking earlier (as early as August), and consider dropping Giving Tuesday to reduce burnout.
- Be Honest & Present: Center year-end messaging on your organization’s current reality and immediate impact, not perfection.
- Leverage Major Donors Strategically: Don’t create new programs—just bring key donors in for early feedback and minimal yet meaningful involvement.
- Use Retention, Engagement, & Timing Data: Let these three KPIs guide 2025’s approach.
- Take Care of Your Team: Recognize the marathon ahead—pare down, integrate, and focus on the essentials.
Closing
Britton Stockart’s core advice revolves around humanizing fundraising, simplifying systems, and honoring both donor and staff well-being—actionable wisdom for a tough nonprofit climate.
Connect with Britton and Donorbox:
- Visit donorbox.org for free resources, educational content, and their own podcast (hosted by Britton, Jenna, and Karen).
(All timestamps MM:SS refer to the podcast edit, excluding ads and intros/outros.)
