Year-End Fundraising Resources
December is often one of the most important months for our organizations, our beneficiaries, and our year-end fundraising goals, which can also make it one of the most stressful. Though we've seen improvements in 2024 fundraising metrics, the industry is still struggling with issues such as donor retention and recruitment of small and mid-size individual donors.
Which is why AFP wanted to remind you… you got this!
- Don’t forget the Association of Fundraising Professionals is always here to help with connections and learning opportunities designed to amplify your impact.
- During this often stressful time of year-end giving, remember: YOU CREATE CHANGE.
- Stay focused. Stay passionate.
As you head into the year-end giving season, here are a few ways that AFP can support you:
On-Demand Webinars and Micro-Learning
Check out our library of on-demand webinars covering topics like, "From One-Time to Lifetime: Turning Year-End Donors into Recurring Supporters". Plus, fit education into your busy year-end schedule with micro-learning videos, which feature key learning objectives in a short, easy-to-digest format.
Don't forget! All AFP members receive a $100 credit for webinars and/or conference recordings. If you haven't already used your $100 credit, log in to our webinar platform now and add a webinar to your cart!
AFP Connect (Available Exclusively to AFP Members)
AFP's member discussion forum, AFP Connect, is the perfect place to ask questions and get advice from over 26,000 of your fellow fundraisers.
Plus, browse previous discussions to see what others are asking and the solutions members have provided on topics like:
- Holiday Cards and Using the Help of Volunteers?
- End of Year Donor Appeal
- End of Year Gift Question
- Annual Contribution Summary Letter
- How Do You Cycle Your Communication to Donors to Push Both Giving Tuesday and End of Year Appeal?
Mental Health Resources
Balancing Time Off with the Demands of Year-End Giving: In this article, Robert D. Taflinger CAE, CFRM shares strategies for fundraisers to balance the demands of the year-end giving season while prioritizing their well-being. It emphasizes the importance of planning vacations in advance, leveraging automation tools to maintain donor engagement, and using mobile apps to stay connected when full disconnection isn’t possible. 
Self-Care Tips for Fundraisers: In this article, Linda McGhee , JD, Psy.D shares tips from her AFP LEAD 2023 session, Self-Care for Those Who Lead: Healing for Leaders And Setting The Corporate Culture for Intentional Self-Care. Tips include self-inventory, doing the inner work, starting small, and being consistent.
Mental Health — Donor Events as the Only Fundraiser of Color: By: Kathi Barber: Self-care and other specific strategies are vital to overcoming stress and anxiety as a BIPOC fundraiser. The anticipation of being the only person of color at a donor event can cause severe stress and anxiety—and possibly negatively impact mental health. Among other tools, self-care is an important way to maintain positive mental and physical well-being. (Available Exclusively to AFP Members)
Motherhood and the Mental Health Load: By: Ashley MacKeigan: Returning from maternity leave and finding the balance of my role as a mom, my role as a partner, and my role as a fundraiser was a new challenge. This added another level to scheduling, organizing, staying safe in the pandemic, time management, and self-care.