The home stretch before year-end

Giving Tuesday delivered $4 billion in the US this year, and that momentum is carrying straight into year-end. With three weeks until December 31st, the energy is there—now it's about keeping it going without burning out your team or your supporters.

This week, we're sharing strategies to help you finish strong, from emotional appeals that cut through inbox noise to data-backed tactics for your final push. And if you're looking for a way to run all of your fundraising efforts in one place, Feathr Fundraising unifies your donation pages, ads, email, and reporting. Plus when donors add a tip to their gift, it converts into credits you can use immediately to fund your next campaign, making every donation work a little harder for your mission.

The take-home template

Year-end is the perfect time to recruit peer-to-peer fundraisers while donors are already engaged. This free guide from Pledge It includes conversation scripts for recruiting supporters, a month-by-month action plan from now through May, and retention strategies.

Snackable snippets

How emotion outperforms urgency in December appeals 📖

Every inbox is full of "last chance" and "time's running out" messages, making urgency less effective than ever. Today's donors respond better to emotional appeals that inspire hope and highlight changemakers. Instead of adding another task to their to-do list, create emails that lighten their day with stories about real people, imagery that reflects impact, and words that make supporters feel proud.

Participation and donations rise on GivingTuesday 📖

GivingTuesday 2025 raised $4 billion in the US, up 13% from 2024. Volunteering jumped 20% and advocacy grew 26% as people spoke out about causes. With 38.1 million participants, the day brought total GivingTuesday donations since 2012 to $22.5 billion—proof that generosity continues to grow year after year.

9 year-end giving campaign ideas 📖

Last year's GivingTuesday raised $3.6 billion. This year, nonprofits face mixed conditions: new tax deductions are encouraging more households to give, while a strong stock market is boosting major donors, but also increasing service demand amid government funding cuts. Many organizations are using matching programs to multiply donations on this high-stakes fundraising day.

For your inspiration folder

The Adventure Project didn't let GivingTuesday end at midnight. They sent a follow-up email the next day, celebrating community momentum and sharing that they were just $1,645 away from their $100,000 goal. By keeping the campaign open and making the ask specific (17 people giving $100), they extended the energy of GivingTuesday into Wednesday, capturing supporters who missed the initial deadline or needed one more nudge to give.