Episode Overview

Podcast: The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast
Episode: 105 – Rethinking Year-End Fundraising: Stop Wasting This Season!
Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Jason Galisinski and Jim Dempsey

This episode confronts a prevalent pitfall for nonprofit fundraisers: undervaluing or mishandling year-end giving by failing to follow up with donors. Jason and Jim revisit core best practices—particularly the power of follow-up after appeal letters—arguing that well-timed personal touches are the key to maximizing results during the most lucrative giving season of the year. Their tone is direct, practical, and occasionally humorous, as they urge nonprofit leaders to step outside their comfort zone, persist with outreach, and finish the “complete package” of donor communication.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Year-End Fundraising Matters

• Statistical Importance ([03:09]):
  • December alone accounts for at least 30% (sometimes more) of annual nonprofit giving.
  • 50% of gifts come in the last three months.
  • Astonishingly, 15% of donations arrive in the final week of the year.
  • Jim: “We’ve statistically been able to break those down and identify that those are some of the most important milestones in the year for your organization.” (03:29)

The Critical Mistake: Incomplete Follow-Up

• Many organizations do all the right prep—crafting compelling appeal letters, sending them on time, deploying emails—but stop before the crucial step: personal follow-up ([01:59], [05:31]).
• Typical direct mail yields just a 2–3% response rate.
• Jason: “No follow up, no results.” (05:31)
• Merely “completing the checklist” is insufficient; fundraisers must fully “build the bridge,” not leave donors in the bay halfway through. ([06:26])

The Power of Personal Touch

• A phone call following a mailed appeal can boost response rates to 20–30% ([04:05], [04:42]).
• If calls fail, try multiple touchpoints:
  • Leave voicemails
  • Follow up with email
  • Consider a personal visit (if practical)
  • Drop off a small gift (ornament, candy, nuts) ([04:47])
• Jim: “Certainly one phone call, you’re not going to reach somebody at the busiest time of the year. So keep trying, keep trying.” (04:47)

The “Golden Gate Bridge” Analogy

• Jim: “If [the Golden Gate] bridge stopped three quarters of the way into ...the Bay, do you think that would be an important landmark? ...We’re talking about an incomplete package.” (06:26)
• Translation: Only executing part of your year-end plan results in ‘incomplete results’—don’t just lay the foundation; finish the task with follow-up.

For Major (‘Critical Few’) Donors: The Visit Multiplier

• In-person meetings with key supporters remain unbeatable (response rates up to 50% or more).
• Critical Few = the 20% of donors who provide 80% of your funding ([14:42])
• Jim: “That means, Jason, that one out of two people that you meet with say, yes, you can count on me for a gift...all it takes, Jason, is one or two ten or twenty-five thousand dollar gifts. And I’m pretty glad I got in my car that day.” (14:42)
• Don’t expect to meet all your critical few—just try, and focus on higher potential returns.

Addressing Common Pushbacks

• “Do I really have to call or visit?”
  • Yes, if you want to improve results—otherwise, expect average outcomes.
  • Personal discomfort is normal; persistence brings success ([16:17], [21:13]).
  • Jim: “If you decide, you know what, it’s just not worth my time, then don’t do it. But don’t call us and say, Jim, Jason, your strategies don’t work when you don’t try them.” (15:37)
• “But people aren’t answering / I just leave voicemails!”
  • Voicemails matter: “80% of the calls my mid-level team makes every single month are just leaving voicemails—[but] those are so well received, because when they finally do reach those people, they’re saying, ‘I got your voicemail, that meant the world to me...’” (16:20)

Shifting Fundraiser Mindset

• Going beyond ‘push and forget:’ Your work doesn’t end when the appeal is sent—real work is in the follow-up ([18:27]).
• Take initiative, expect to “get outside your comfort zone,” and treat this as an active relationship, similar to sales or courtship, not a mass communication exercise ([09:25], [10:11], [11:00]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Follow-Up is Everything:

  • “No follow up, no results.” – Jason (05:31)
  • “With an incomplete package, you’re going to have incomplete results.” – Jim (06:26)

• Real-Life Metaphor:

  • “You want to have a beautiful vegetable garden, and just throwing out seeds and not watering it is not going to give me a beautiful vegetable garden.” – Jim (08:39)

• Justifying the Ask:

  • “Why even bother having a first date with someone? Why don’t you just ask the person to marry you and get all that stuff out of the way?...Because that’s not the way relationships work.” – Jim (11:55)

• Persistence in the Face of Discomfort:

  • “I understand that when it’s coming from me, it sounds like following up is so easy. It’s not...but the only way is by actually getting out and doing it.” – Jim (21:13)

Actionable Takeaways

• Don’t just send the letter—follow up.
  Repeated phone calls, emails, and even voicemails increase response dramatically.
• Prioritize personal meetings for the “critical few”—your highest-impact donors for the highest return.
• Track your progress and persist even if responses aren't immediate.
  Many donors who eventually give were prompted by multiple touches.
• Revisit the Fundraising Masterminds’ eight-part series on the “Seven Steps” (see earlier episodes; download their PDF summary).

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Insight | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:09 | Year-end giving: stats and why it’s crucial | | 04:05 | “The problem is follow-up” | | 04:42 | Adding a phone call multiplies response rate | | 06:26 | “Golden Gate Bridge” analogy; incomplete packages yield incomplete results| | 09:25 | Comparison to sales—follow-up closes the deal | | 14:12 | Impact for “critical few” via in-person meetings | | 15:37 | “If you decide...don’t say our strategies don’t work...” | | 16:20 | How and why voicemails still make a difference | | 18:27 | Mindset shift: Real work starts after the mailing | | 21:13 | Jim’s closing encouragement—“get outside your comfort zone” |

Summary in a Sentence

Don’t waste the year-end giving season by stopping at the appeal letter—persistent personal follow-up is the secret to maximizing donations and building real donor relationships.

Resources Mentioned

• “Seven Steps to Mastering Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign” (eight-part series; downloadable PDF available via QR code in show notes)
• The Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program (briefly discussed at [18:31]; skip for episode content)

This episode delivers a clear, repeated message: year-end fundraising is a contact sport, and organizations that succeed are those who finish the job with real, persistent, human follow-up—even when it’s uncomfortable.