Smart Ways to Boost Your Year-End Giving

Summary

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Nonprofit Leadership Podcast — Smart Ways to Boost Your Year-End Giving

Host: Rob Harter
Guest: Britton Stockart (Fundraising Coach, Donorbox)
Date: August 18, 2025

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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.

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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])

  • Follow-up often falls by the wayside during planning. The old “7 touches” marketing model is outdated—quality beats frequency.

  • Three-Part Rhythm:

    1. Gratitude – “Tie the gift to something, a very specific, tangible outcome.”
    2. Impact – “Show behind-the-scenes, a quick story or photo…”
    3. Deeper Involvement – “Invite people in deeper ways that are not always tied to money.”

  • "It's really about rhythm... and then really meeting donors where they're at." – Britton [15:57]

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:
    1. Retention – Who gave last year but not this year?
    2. Engagement – Are people opening/responding to outreach?
    3. 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]

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Memorable Quotes

• 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]

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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

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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.

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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).

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(All timestamps MM:SS refer to the podcast edit, excluding ads and intros/outros.)

Transcript

[A]

This is Dr. Rob Harder with the nonprofit leadership podcast Making youg World Better. What does it take to be an effective nonprofit leader today? What are the biggest challenges? What are the biggest obstacles? How should nonprofits fundraise in an economy that is constantly changing? All these reasons combined led me to start this show and it's my hope that through this series people can learn not only what it takes to be an effective nonprofit organization, but to hear from effective leaders who are who are successfully making a positive impact in their communities. We hope you enjoy the show as together we hear how they are making their world better. Welcome everybody to the show. My name is Rob Harder. I'm the host of the nonprofit leadership podcast. So glad you're here. Thanks for tuning in. I wanted to start today by sharing some exciting news. If you were listening to my episode last week, you heard about this. So for you or just tune in perhaps today I'm going to launch a special focus on all things fundraising starting next week. Next Now, I realize it's August, but if you're anything like me and the fundraisers I'm speaking to on a regular basis, you may be right now feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Why? Because we're going into the year end giving season. Typically fourth quarter of the calendar year is where it's go time. If you're a fundraiser and executive director, this is your big quarter of the year to hit those fundraising goals that you set at the beginning of the calendar year. And that's really what I I felt like it was the perfect time to have this special four week series on all things fundraising in order to help launch into the year end season with a renewed sense of clarity and excitement. So I can't wait to launch that next week. But as I got thinking about this, I have such a great guest on today's show. I had to talk about fundraising and so we're going to already start the conversation around fundraising because of my guest today. My special guest is Britton Stockart. She serves as a fundraising coach at Donorbox. And I'll have to say, DonorBox is my wonderful sponsor. They've been a sponsor the last couple of years of this podcast. They have same great material, great resources for your nonprofit profit when it comes to all things fundraising and with Britain specifically, she has over 20 years of experience in the public sector and Brit's passion really is focused on helping nonprofits, NGOs and social enterprises to really create effective, sustainable fundraising strategies. You'll notice as she even shares on the show, she's just a natural coach. And so she has such a great way of encouraging people, coming alongside them and giving them practical ideas of how they can improve in their organization and what they're doing. So we're going to talk about a lot of different things, but one of the things we'll talk about is a fairly simple one, your donation form. She'll share about how most nonprofits set up their donation form once and they pretty much forget about it. But what if that little page is actually your biggest chance to start a real relationship with your donors? She's got a really interesting story of how really the light bulb turned on in her mind about how to really improve something as simple as a donation form. She'll also share about some low stress follow up strategies that won't add more to your plate already. Because I know most people already have a full plate when it comes to responsibilities around fundraising. So it's a really fun conversation. So glad you've tuned in. Now onto the show. This podcast is sponsored by DonorBox, helping you help others with the best donation forms in the business. Well, welcome to the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast. I've got Britt Stockard here from Donorbox on the show. Britt, thanks for joining.

[B]

Hey, thanks so much, Rob. Great to be here.

[A]

Absolutely. It's fun to talk to, number one, a fellow podcaster and someone who's in the social impact field and doing great work. So again, I'm looking forward to what you have to say, particularly as it relates to fundraising.

[B]

Yes, podcast, as we both know, it's not an easy job. I'm just grateful that I'm here with someone who gets it. So thanks, Rob.

[A]

Yeah, you bet. All right, let's start out with what's one thing you're hearing over and over again from fundraisers as we head into 2020 five year end season. Here we are in August as we record this. But people already have in their mind, year end, right. That is the big push. So what are you hearing over and over from fundraisers that you're working with as a coach?

[B]

Oh, my goodness. I hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but can I be candid here? In many of my coaching sessions, I had about six this week. And they're coming to me and they're like, brit, I know fundraising matters. I know relationship building matters, but right now I'm just trying to keep my programs afloat. And I have to laugh because I don't know if you saw this headline, Rob. A couple of weeks ago there was a nonprofit headline that said, we made it Through Covid. Are we really doing this again? And I laughed because I'm like, yeah, yeah, we are. We're still here. Burnout is still a thing. I hate to be negative, and I think it tracks. There was a report that came out again a couple of weeks ago. I think it was center for Philanthropy, and it said that 90% of nonprofit leaders, they're feeling burnt out.

[A]

90%, yeah.

[B]

And that's a lot. That's not just a few of us, right? That's a lot of us. And I look back, and if we're thinking about has the sector really evolved since the 80s, not much has changed. Right. We're seeing skyrocketing demand, teams are stretched, and we're doing a lot more with less. And this all makes me wonder, Rob, like, what does this all mean for fundraising? It's not that, like, we don't care. Right. We know that fundraising, it keeps our lights on, pays the bills, it gives us income.

[A]

Yeah, that's right.

[B]

But I think we have to have kind of an honest moment where we got a half bake fundraising, it becomes really reactive. All of the things that I coach on rom, I'm talking a lot about the in between types of communications, right. To really build connection, invite people in deeper ways. They're back burnered. And so, yeah, this is what I'm hearing, frankly. There's a lot of fatigue happening.

[A]

A lot of fatigue. Okay. About 90% is a significant number people feeling burnt out. And it is ironic, like you started out with the fact that we've got through Covid, which a lot of people didn't know if they could get through Covid. And now we've got this. Another huge challenge, you know, with a lot of people having their funding cut in dramatic ways. And I think there's just a general feeling that people are giving less. And there's data to back that up. There's just not. People aren't giving as much as they used to. So let's come talk about some of the misconceptions, perhaps, when it comes to fundraising and donation forms. I know that's very now tangible things. Well, I want to get tangible here for the people that are listening to give them some practical things that as they go into this year, end season. What is one common misconception about donation forms that keeps teams from using them as a real relationship builder? And so, for example, when someone actually lands there and gives, what do you think they're feeling at that moment when they see this form? How can nonprofits maybe meet donors more emotionally Through a form. I know it sounds maybe odd, but I think trying to make it as relational as possible is really critical. So what are you finding there?

[B]

Yeah, she said this all so. Well, here's the thing about donation forms. Most of us, it seems like a seemingly super small thing, right? What do we do as nonprofits? We set it up, we forget about it. Bing, bing, boom, done. Right? And I don't blame a lot of your listeners and even me, because most donation forms, they weren't built with people with relationships in mind. Right. Most often they weren't built by fundraisers. And so what happens is our donation forms feel very transactional and cold. And why I'm so excited to be talking to you about something that seems so dang small is given that there's fatigue happening, given that we're time is limited, capacity is limited, donation forms is a silver lining. We're missing out. Or this is a huge miss if we don't tackle it now, before year end. Let me. Let me give you an example. Okay?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think about a moment. There were years ago. I have been quietly following a friend. His name is Fars. Okay. He's a human rights advocate, speech pathologist. He's the oldest of 13, and he's been giving social media updates since 2021. I've been reading his updates forever. Oh, wow. Eventually, things got really bad in his country where I felt, for whatever reason, I don't think it was yet clear that I didn't want to be a passive observer anymore. So what did I do? I went to his donation form, and on his donation form, he had one question. What inspired you to give to my family today? And I'll admit in this moment, I didn't. Honestly, I didn't expect to project myself into. Into the moment. It was really about him. But what that one question did was it gave me a chance to see myself in the giving. I told him honestly, through that little note in response to that question, hey, Fars, I'm a 911 veteran. I was deployed twice. Two decades later, I see the world differently. I've come to believe that the violence that's being caused in your country may not always need to be resolved with weapons. All to say what that did many years later. I'm a friend of his. I'm one of the top mutual aid organizers of a fundraiser. We raised $60,000 to evacuate his mom and his little brother.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

And that moment that I made that first small donation long ago, it wasn't evident to me what would become of that Right. It was a very subliminal, very vulnerable thing. And that's it. That is what I'm trying to convey to your listeners. Most donation forms, they miss this intentional design, this human element. They miss honoring the kind of vulnerability that allows for that two way relationship to even happen. And so, yeah, yeah, Rob, that's what I'm saying. With a donation form. It's really the starting point for many of your listeners if they want to get those relationships off the ground come year end.

[A]

Thank you for sharing that story, by the way. I love your vulnerability, number one, but also what a powerful story. And I've never had anybody put something like that on a donation form that I've given. So I love that question. And I think you're right. It ties, it just takes your giving to just a different emotional connection to that cause. So I love that example. In fact, you've got some simple tweaks that can really turn a one time gift into a long term supporter. What are three quick things for my listeners that nonprofits can do right now that can really make that happen? Because I know this is your world.

[B]

Yes. I'm all about right now. Keeping it low. Lift. I'm thinking about here. I'm channeling myself. I'm a mom having coffee with my teenager. Let's keep it easy for your listeners. Okay?

[A]

Absolutely. It's perfect.

[B]

Let's talk the talk. I just had a coaching call right before you and I'll share what I shared with you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The first step for everyone that has a donation form right now on their website, ask why they give. We just talked about it. Right. Most donation forms, they focus on what we call in fundraising. Rfm, recency, frequency, monetary value. Yeah, it's helpful a little bit, but it doesn't get to the heart. It doesn't get to the why. The motivations, the life experiences, the values about the person behind the donation. That's it. Add a simple custom question. What inspired you to give today? What that's going to do again? It's going to create a space for the donor to see themselves in the giving and that's going to help you be able to tailor your follow up touch points in very personal ways. Okay, so that was number one, that's good. Yes. Number two, give donors a choice.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

We talked about it. Just as fundraisers are tired, I'm thinking, and I'm guessing donors are kind of in this mode where they don't, they're just tired. They're not seeing the whole picture. Right. They haven't been Able to see how addressing immediate needs makes some systemic impact. And that's really problematic. So number two on your donation form, give donors a choice. How do you do, how do you do this? How do you give them agency? How do you give them autonomy? It's through what's called a designations feature. Okay, thinking about this, we have Rob a mental health hospital down the road and they're running very powerful, very distinct programs. One for their teens, one for their adults and they have a crisis line. Imagine if their donation form gave the option to support one of three of those programs as opposed to everything feeding through a general fund. If I go to the donation form and I have myself called that crisis line, if I'm able to see myself again and that specific form of giving, it just builds that connection. So yes. Two, give your donors choice, give them the flexibility to where they want to simple, keep it simple. And you know, this doesn't, I will say this doesn't work. Designations doesn't work for all your nonprofits. Okay. Especially for your small shop in house nonprofits. If you don't have QuickBooks, if you don't have your P and L set up to track and report on those different, different restricted funds. In this case it's fine, keep it all going to the general fund. And then finally three, super easy. This one is especially for nonprofits that have a sizable base of repeat one time donors. People that keep giving again for whatever reason they haven't automated their donation. Why not default their donation form to monthly giving? I hate to be a bias. I work at Donorbox. I love donorbox. We have a very cool feature where it will do a general nudge, a subtle nudge to remind people to sign up to a monthly donation. That's it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, just rob as a recap, ask a meaningful question, give folks a choice and make monthly giving feel natural.

[A]

I love that. No, the really good practical ideas, personal. It's values aligned, ready for a two way relationship. It's really what you I feel like you're setting up people for. Okay, so now that we've got donation form, hopefully tweaked, what are some easy, no extra work, so to speak.

[B]

Right.

[A]

No one wants extra work on their plate. Follow up moves that small teams can use going into year end to keep donors feel connected. So if they got the form, maybe they're feeling a little bit more connected. What are some other things you recommend to keep donors feeling connected? And this could be something not just an individual fundraising consultant and or development director does, but a team can Actually put into practice.

[B]

Yeah. Well, just an observation. Many of my coaching clients, they're so hyper focused, they're in that planning stage of year and giving, and what completely disappears is the follow up, Right? It completely falls off the map and I don't blame them. Communication. Rob, you and I know this. Everything we've been taught on communications drip campaigns, you got to reach out seven times. That's going out the door. I mean, even I will admit everything I've learned about marketing and fundraising is completely evolving the way we consume information. But if your listeners are trying to do one thing this year, it's make it follow up. Okay, again, let go of the pressure of thinking it has to be a drip campaign of a sequence of events that happen or a funnel. It's really about rhythm. Start with. And the themes don't change either, Rob. Start with gratitude, right? Tie the gift to something, a very specific, tangible outcome, then follow up. The second theme is really showing the impact behind the scenes. Photo of the mom, a quick story. And then where it gets really creative is kind of as a third part of that rhythm is you want to invite people in deeper ways that are not always tied to money, not even tied to sign up to my newsletter or follow my socials. This is a moment to engage your followers in deeper ways where they can really feel the impact of what you're doing. So basically it's, it really has to do with follow up, with doing away with a lot of the conventional wisdom that we've taught been taught in terms of frequency and making the content more about quality and then really meeting donors where they're at in terms of how they want to communicate.

[A]

We'll be right back. Are you looking for an easy and effective way to boost your nonprofit's donations? Well, look no further than DonorBox, the online fundraising platform that streamlines your fundraising efforts, maximizes donations, and simplifies giving for your supporters. With Donorbox, you can create beautiful donation forms, accept digital wallet payments, track donations, and send auto receipts. And the best part, there are no setup or monthly fees and no long term contracts required. So what are you waiting for? Visit donorbox.org today to get started. That is www.donorbox.org. okay, one thing I want to explore with you now is we're getting closer to year end. What if along the way, say, we'll just throw out October and even early November, they realize some of the strategy they put into place for the year end gift that they were moving towards or just the process they were moving people towards? In this Year end giving season, they need to make a quick pivot and change their strategy. What would you recommend or how would you coach people if they need to make those changes and shifts, how do they do that without completely falling apart, so to speak, and having chaos reign in their organization?

[B]

Yeah, I've said this a bit, so I apologize if I'm going to kind of hash on this a little bit. But again, I think in 2026, given where we're at with fatigue, is keep it simple. Three things. Your launching point is your donation form. So keeping in mind the things that I taught you to really optimize your donation form, doing the follow up that needs to happen, but making sure that the follow up is authentic and real and it's less about the frequency. And then the final piece. Many of these nonprofits I'm coaching, they use so many tools. Okay. And in order to do that follow up that needs to happen. Make sure that all of your systems are talking with each other and are set up and integrated now in August as opposed to waiting come, oh my gosh, in November. So that's, that's not brand new rocket science advice, but those are three things that I really think are, are the foundation to, to sticking if you have to pivot.

[A]

Okay, that one. Good. Okay. Year end appeal. Now let's talk about that a little bit because a lot of people put a lot of time often into that year end appeal or the opposite also happens. You get so busy, you have so much on your plate. Like many nonprofit leaders, you're doing two or three different jobs right in your one job title. And so you don't get to the appeal to the very end. And you're like, I just need to get this out. We're in November now. We got to get the year end appeal out there. Talk about how to include better messaging, perhaps. What's the thank you process look like for you? Is there a call to action that you'd recommend people to put in there? And if so, what does that look like? So what do you recommend when you people out there that are listening maybe have not put together their year end appeal yet, but you would coach them to make it really clear, you make maybe a more compelling ask this year than they normally do. And then how do you really go out of to maximize against donations for this particular year end appeal, what would you recommend for my listeners?

[B]

That's such a great question, Rob. And the way I can really relate to it is a coaching session I had yesterday. It boils down to that compelling call to action that you talked about. This one really makes me think a lot about addressing our own fundraiser psychology. What's really going on inside us when we're about to make the ask. And just yesterday, Rob, I was coaching a client. They're down in the East Bay in California. And you know, he's a gentleman. I coach, I won't name names. He said, brit, hey, look, I know how to make the ask. I live the mission. It's all within me. I know the strategy by the book. But when it comes time to do it, I kind of freeze. And I asked him, we were trying to get deeper into it, and I asked him, you know, why is that? Can you throw out some feelings about it? And he straight up told me, he said, brit, like, honestly, our nonprofit, we're still trying to figure out our programming, where the funds are going. And because we have no clarity in terms of what it is we do, I feel uncomfortable to be up on a stage and to be able to make that ask. And so some advice that I'm going to share from what I told him is I told him, I told him, I said, hey, that is absolutely okay. Real life nonprofits, we're not perfect as we know. We're having to pivot. Pivot. We're constantly in crisis mode. Our programs, our community needs are always shifting. And what I told him to kind of give him some advice because he's hosting an event coming up, focused. What, what the event is doing is it's providing tools to faith based leaders so that they can interact better with people with mental health issues. As I told him, don't overthink it, okay? Just tell donors what's really happening right now in the moment, not overall. You don't have to have clarity about your programs. That overall focus on the event itself. I told them they're already getting value from that event right there. Focus and the moment. And that's going to help guide your ask. I also told them it is absolutely okay to be very transparent with your donors. I think in 2026, people are valuing honesty more than ever.

[A]

Yeah, I agree.

[B]

And so I think, you know, by the end of the conversation, it's like he felt a little bit more like, at ease.

[A]

Good.

[B]

He knows what he's doing. And that's kind of my go to advice for anyone listening to your podcast. If you're a small team, if you're not quite sure about your programming, lean into what you're doing in the moment right now. Make your ass tied to that real, even if it's like a short term immediate impact and then keep it human. That's it.

[A]

Yeah, I love the idea of keeping it human. Really good advice there. Okay, let's talk about top supporters as you think about year end giving. Right. And any top supporter of an organization, those are people that take a priority, particularly for the executive director for the fundraising director, anybody in that role of raising funds for the organization. That's just a critical part. I'm curious what kind of advice you have when it comes to getting top donors more engaged with your organization, particularly, you know, during that last push for the year. I mean, it could be everything from leveraging matches to peer to peer outreach. Maybe corporate sponsorships or partnerships. What do you recommend when it comes to those top donors? What should some nonprofits really start putting into practice? Perhaps this year end?

[B]

Yeah. So again, we're keeping it simple, right? We're hyper focused. I wouldn't worry about too much. We're already in September. I would do away with trying to create an ambassador program and identify a few of your major donors and invite them in ways to be part of your year end campaign early in the process. That means inviting them to review the messaging and see and get some honest feedback about it, how it resonates with them. That might be simply creating a one pager, Right. It doesn't have to be a beautifully polished PDF, but getting clear on the messaging so that they could share it with their networks. It's really simple, Rob.

[A]

Okay, I like that. So, yeah, no ambassador program at this point too late in the year. But just find ways to really get them engaged. Even if it's very simple ways.

[B]

Yes, simple. All about simplicity.

[A]

Okay. So when it comes to obstacles and challenges, which every organization has, and I think you're right, everybody I'm talking to in this field, fundraising is getting more difficult. Fundraising and giving, I should say, is down. So fundraising becomes more difficult when it comes to obstacles and challenges people are facing that maybe in past years has prevented them from achieving their goals. How can they mitigate them this year? Or maybe it's just adjusting their approach. Like, what would you recommend if they're trying to avoid the mistakes of the past in order to be really successful this next year?

[B]

Yeah. Again, I think a lot of it has to do with clarity. And I don't know about you, Rob, but in coaching sessions we think we know a lot went wrong. Right. When we're like looking back on the previous year, but we really haven't made the space to slow down and to actually throw out some Initial observations. And so that's kind of where I think I help as a coach. I always say I'm no subject matter expert, I'm always learning with them. But where I really shine is I ask thoughtful questions. And so this is something, you know, it's really helping our listeners get curious into asking themselves what actually felt hard this past year and why. Yeah, throwing out all of those initial observations, it might be a coaching client yesterday told me, Brit, we're hosting an event in October, then we're doing giving Tuesday. Then there's year end. Maybe that's not the right approach. Maybe your messaging doesn't quite land. So again, gather up your initial observations. Then you're going to pair it with data. Right. And the one thing I can say about data, it can be overwhelming. So again I say to do away with all of those dashboards, do away with all the data, focus on three metrics. When you're looking back the previous year, obviously number one is retention. Who gave last year but hasn't? If your retention slow, that's, that's going to be your green light to double down on relationship building. Two, engagement. Are people really opening my email? And if engagement is low, maybe it's time to rethink your messaging. And then the third metric, Rob, is giving patterns. You know, most gifts come in the last few days of the of December. Well, maybe it's time to put do our push earlier in the year. Again, it's really addressing that question, that simple question, throwing out some initial observations, pairing it with data. And I think obviously that's going to help people that are teams that might be feeling overwhelmed with, with things that are about to come in the year ahead.

[A]

Yeah, and you brought up a good point like shifting some of the pressure away from just that last quarter of the year. And obviously a lot of organizations, their fiscal year doesn't match the calendar year. Right. So their fiscal year is different than their, you know, their fourth quarter typically of donations. Any work you've done that has been really helpful where maybe you've had a campaign that would be say in 4 quarters, maybe more in the second quarter that was successful to spread out, if you will, the pressure and the time involved to really be successful and an overall annual giving campaign. What have you seen that's really worked to kind of spread that around. So it's not just at that fourth quarter in the last quarter of the year.

[B]

Yeah, I mean again it's, we're talking about simplifying. So when we're looking at year end, I'm pretty biased here. I would personally do away with Giving Tuesday. For whatever reason, many nonprofits do host major fall events. Right. And then you need to drive them to somewhere and you're engaging them in non monetary ways. Well, from the event to the Giving Tuesday, that's just too close of a time to be making one ask to another ask. And then you got your year in the ask. So my advice, if you really want to prioritize your sanity, your mental health, be able to sustain you for the year ahead, is do away with Giving Tuesday, spread out your campaigns over a longer time, and then start much earlier. My suggestion, start your urine push in August.

[A]

In August. Okay. So, yeah, pretty much about the time this podcast episode will be released. You should be doing that. Okay. And that's fascinating. 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.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I get what your point is. Okay, so going back to that burnout piece, do you feel like you're seeing some people successfully overcome that burnout and kind of get back re engaged? And if so, what are the strategies they're putting into place to really mitigate that burnout that's so prevalent right now?

[B]

I would love to say I that I am seeing some healthy, holistic ways to sustain. I will be honest. I mean, it goes back to your first question, Rob. A lot of people are hyper focused in the moment of what they need to do right before them. And there's this constant tension between the service delivery, the programming that needs to happen, number one, and then, okay, let's do fundraising as kind of a back burner thing.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Again. And this is kind of why we're here today. I know a lot of this advice is very simpleton, but that's kind of where I am trying to guide many of my clients to pare down, to reduce because the years ahead are going to be hard. Again, they say this a lot in nonprofit. 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.

[A]

Good advice. Again, I think you're right on that. I think there, no matter what happens, just this year, we're in for a long haul impact with a lot of these funding cuts. So. Well, this has been great. Britt, again, love your insights. Your coaching skills come out very quickly. And I just want to say for my audience As I said at the beginning of this show, DonorBox has been a wonderful supporter and sponsor of this podcast for many years and you've worked for them. So thank you for coming on the show. Talk a little bit about what you do and what DonorBox brings to the table. So how can people connect with you and or DonorBox to find out a little bit more information about what you offer?

[B]

Yeah. Well, Rob, first off, thank you so much for having us. You are also a great partner, Jenna, and I would love to have you on our podcast as well.

[A]

I would love to.

[B]

It would be a pleasure. In terms of where to find me, everyone can go to donorbox.org we have an amazing education department. So many free resources, tools. Jenna, Karen and I, we also co host a weekly podcast. Rob, you might get an invite next.

[A]

I've heard about this one.

[B]

Yes, you might have a follow up. And as always, if you're in the Pacific Northwest, I am a big avid mountaineer. So we can talk all things nonprofits and do a hike.

[A]

Oh, love that. Love that combination. Have a good conversation and a good hike. Yeah, you live in a beautiful part of the country. Well, again, Britt, thanks for taking time. Thanks for sharing your insights. Really appreciate it.

[B]

Hey, thank you so much, Rob. Take care.

[A]

Hey, friends. Well, I wanted you to know that this podcast can be found on itunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google podcasts, and wherever you listen to other podcasts. I also want to encourage you to, like, subscribe and share this podcast with others. This will actually help us get this great content out to more nonprofit leaders just like you. You can also join the nonprofit leadership podcast community, find other resources and interviews of past guests, all on my website, nonprofit leadershippodcast.org well, thanks again for listening and until next time, keep making your world better. This podcast is sponsored by DonorBox Donor Box.