Not every donor gives the same way. Some prefer a one-time gift, others like the ease of monthly giving, and some are more likely to show up for a specific cause day than a year-end appeal.
This week, we're sharing tools and insights to help you plan for those preferences, from a 2026 content calendar that maps out key giving moments to tips on building donor personas that reflect how people want to support you.
The take-home template
Donors want to support you at different times and in their own ways, and having a content calendar helps you plan for those preferences. Neon One's 2026 calendar maps out awareness months, cause days, and key giving moments so you can create content that meets supporters where they already are. This helps you offer multiple entry points throughout the year instead of relying on one-size-fits-all messaging.
Snackable snippets
How to develop donor personas for your nonprofit 📖
Most donor personas are just basic demographics, but the useful ones get specific. For instance, take "Jasmine"—24, who works in creative, scrolls Instagram, and would rather give $25 monthly than $300 once a year. Your messaging should reflect that, instead of treating every donor the same.
ChatGPT to begin testing ads 📖
OpenAI will begin testing ads on ChatGPT's free tier in the coming weeks, though paid subscribers won't see them. The ads will appear at the bottom of responses when a relevant product or service is mentioned, excluding health, mental health, and politics. This move signals the pressure AI companies face to generate revenue amid competition from Google's Gemini.
1 in 4 Americans plan to cut back on charitable giving 📖
A quarter of Americans plan to give less to charity in 2026. New research from Church Mutual shows donors are still feeling the pinch from everyday costs, even as the economy improves. And more than half worry about whether their favorite nonprofits are financially stable—a reminder that donor trust and transparency matter more than ever.
For your inspiration folder
Franciscan University added an impact callout above a pre-selected monthly giving tab on their donation page. Recurring donations jumped from 0.05% to 1.5%. But one-time donations dropped significantly, so it's worth testing this kind of nudge carefully to make sure you're not losing overall revenue.
