Year-end punchlist: Start checking it twice

You're making a list! Maybe even more than one! The last few months of the year are make-or-break for fundraising, but year-end success takes more than sending an appeal in December and crossing your fingers. Now is the time to engage the full spectrum of your supporters: longtime donors, occasional donors, first-time givers, and loyal supporters who may be ready to think beyond annual giving toward an endowment or legacy gift.

Before year-end gets any closer, use this seven-point checklist to make sure you're covering the bases.

1. Give donors a reason to give right now.

Your donors will get a LOT of year-end appeals. Make yours meaningful by connecting the gift directly to your mission and explaining what donor support makes possible. Specificity helps. Rather than simply asking donors to "support our work," remind them of a need you're addressing, a goal you hope to reach, or a story that shows why your work matters. Above all, make your communications about impact, not simply your organization's need for money.

2. Reach beyond your usual donors.

In 2026, there's a new reason to widen your year-end audience. Beginning this year, taxpayers who don't itemize may deduct up to $1,000 in qualifying cash contributions to eligible charities, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. Certain contributions, including gifts to donor-advised funds, do not qualify. That's a timely conversation starter with people who may not think of charitable giving as part of their tax planning, including younger donors and people who make smaller gifts.

Consider adding a simple message to your year-end communications: "New for 2026: Even if you don't itemize deductions on your tax return, qualifying cash gifts to charity may provide a tax benefit." Of course, taxes are rarely the main reason someone supports a cause. Lead with your mission. But this new deduction gives you one more reason to invite new and prospective donors into the conversation.

3. Make it easy to give in more than one way.

Your website and year-end communications should make it easy for donors to understand their options. Online donations aren't the only way to give. Remind donors that your organization may also be able to receive gifts of appreciated stock, grants from donor-advised funds, and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs for eligible donors.

Depending on your organization's capabilities, Kitsap Community Foundation may be able to help you accept and process gifts of complex assets, too. Just give us a call.

Here's a pro tip: Don't assume donors know these options exist. A short "Ways to give" section in your year-end communications can spark a conversation that might otherwise never happen.

4. Put legacy giving on the year-end menu.

Not every year-end conversation needs to end in a gift by December 31. Your most loyal donors may be thinking about a different question: How can I make sure this work continues after I'm gone? Include a gentle legacy message in your year-end communications. It can be as simple as reminding supporters that they can include your organization in a will or trust or name it as a beneficiary of an IRA, life insurance policy, or other eligible account.

You don't need a fancy planned giving department to start these conversations. Successful legacy giving usually starts with relationships, not technical expertise. Ask loyal donors what your organization has meant to them, listen for comments about the future, and make sure they know a legacy gift is an option.

Perfect timing alert: National Estate Planning Awareness Week is October 19 to 25, and our Community Conversations: Estate Planning 101 session is Wednesday, October 21, 2:30 to 4:00PM at Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bremerton, featuring Katrina Pipasts and Matt Tilghman-Havens of Northern Trust and our CEO Tina O'Brien. Share it with your donors! It's an easy, no-pressure way to put legacy giving on their radar. RSVP at bit.ly/2026-10-estateplan.

5. Connect your endowment to the future.

If your organization has an endowment fund at Kitsap Community Foundation, year-end is a great time to talk about it. But resist the urge to explain it mainly as an investment account.

Instead, explain what permanence means for your mission. An endowment gift helps the work a donor cares about today keep going for future generations. Try sharing a concrete example of what a strong endowment could mean 10, 20, or 50 years from now.

And remember that endowment and legacy giving go hand in hand. A donor who can't make a significant endowment gift today may be able to make a transformational one through an estate plan.

6. Make a list of people who deserve a conversation, not just an appeal.

Right after you hit "send" on your next donor email newsletter, pick 10 or 20 donors who deserve some personal attention. Who has supported you consistently for years? Who recently increased a gift? Who volunteers, attends events, or always responds to your communications? Who has told you why your mission matters to them personally? Then forward your newsletter directly to them with a personal note, something like:

"Hi Sam! Thanks so much for your support over the years! The second article in our newsletter below might interest you. We're getting lots of questions from donors about this as year-end approaches. I'm always happy to jump on a quick call! Sally"

This kind of personal touch may lead to a year-end gift, but more importantly, it may lead to something much bigger: a deeper relationship, a future major gift, an endowment gift, or an estate commitment.

7. Follow up in January.

Your year-end strategy shouldn't end on December 31. The calendar keeps rolling! Thank donors promptly and personally. Tell them what their support will help accomplish. Pay attention to new donors and donors who increased their giving. And make notes about people who expressed interest in other ways of supporting your organization. There's no substitute for proactive, personal outreach.

Bonus: Kitsap Great Give registration opens January 1 at KitsapGreatGive.org, ahead of the big day on March 9. Those thank-you notes and impact stories? They double as a running start on your Kitsap Great Give campaign – let them know you are participating!

The big takeaway: the strongest year-end fundraising strategy isn't really about year-end at all. It's about using a moment when generosity is top of mind to strengthen relationships that support your mission next year, and for generations to come.

P.S. While you're making your list... add one more item: nominate someone for the 2027 Kitsap Celebration of Philanthropy! Know a staff member or volunteer who goes above and beyond? The Exceptional Nonprofit Service award was made for them. Nominations are open through Friday, December 11. Learn more at KitsapFoundation.org/celebration.

Reach out to our team anytime! We're honored to partner with so many amazing nonprofits making the Kitsap Peninsula better every single day.