...Here’s a number worth paying attention to: Americans gave an estimated $617.2 billion to charitable causes in 2025.
And nearly two-thirds of it came from individuals.
According to Giving USA, individual donors accounted for 64% of all charitable giving in 2025, compared with 19% from foundations, 10% from bequests, and 7% from corporations. (Source: www.GivingUSA.org)
That’s a powerful reminder that while grants, corporate partnerships, and other funding sources are important pieces of a healthy fundraising strategy, individual donors still remain at the heart of charitable giving. And behind every individual gift is something even more fundamental: a relationship.
Your year-end appeal may be one of the most important fundraising communications you send this year. But to your donor, it’s one message in a much longer relationship.
It’s often estimated that roughly 30% of annual charitable giving happens at year-end. That’s significant. But flip that statistic around: about 70% happens during the rest of the year.
That’s another reason donor relationships can’t begin and end with the year-end appeal. The conversations you have, stories you share, gratitude you express, and connections you build throughout the year all shape what happens whenever you make the ask.
Think about what that relationship has looked like over the past year. Have you made your donors feel like partners in your work? Have you helped them see the difference their support makes? And when your appeal lands in their inbox or mailbox, will they recognize the organization, the mission, and the people, behind it?
Before you hit send, step into your donor’s shoes. Ask yourself:
- Have donors heard from you when you weren’t asking for money?
A strong donor relationship is built between the asks and is ongoing. Think about the ways you’ve thanked, updated, celebrated, and connected with your supporters throughout the year. - Are you showing donors what their support made possible?
Bring them into the story. Share the progress, people, and impact they helped make possible rather than simply telling them what your organization accomplished. - Is your message focused on your organization’s needs, or on the impact donors can help create?
Your needs matter, but donors also want to understand the role they can play. Help them see what becomes possible when they choose to give. Their dollars fuel the work! - Are you talking to everyone the same way?
A longtime donor, first-time giver, volunteer, event attendee, and prospective supporter may each have a different relationship with your organization. Your communications should reflect that whenever possible. - Is there a clear reason to give now?
Make sure donors understand why their support matters at this particular moment, without manufacturing urgency that isn’t there. - Does it sound like a human being wrote it?
Read your appeal out loud. Does it sound like something you would actually say to someone who cares about your mission? Clear, warm, genuine language will almost always be more powerful than organizational jargon.
And one final question: How do you want your donor to feel when they finish reading? Because the goal isn’t simply to secure a year-end gift. It’s to strengthen a relationship that continues long after December 31.
If you'd like help with your organization's year-end appeal, we'd love to have you connect with us!
