Four days a week, I’m in my garage doing kettlebell workouts.
Two-handed swings. One-handed swings. Turkish getups. Snatches. The whole thing. I do it regardless of schedule or weather. A few weeks ago during the ice storm, it was at or below zero in Dallas (which still feels wrong to type), and I was out there anyway bundled up, breath fogging, questioning my life choices just a little.
When I started, I bought a range of kettlebells.
Some felt reasonable. Others looked… optimistic. The biggest ones were literally bigger than my head. I assumed they’d gather dust. Maybe they were for “future me.” Or maybe they were just aspirational décor.
I couldn’t use them at first. Not even close. And I didn’t move up quickly. It took weeks before I felt ready for a heavier bell. And a few months before I was regularly using the 40 to 60 pound bells I was sure I’d never touch.
One moment really got my attention. I was doing a Turkish getup and realized that, functionally, I was holding a third grader over my head with one hand while getting up off the floor and going back down over and over. (Granted, kettlebells are quieter and don’t wiggle, but still.)
Nothing dramatic happened that day. No breakthrough. No montage. Just a quiet realization: steady repetition had changed what I was capable of.
That’s how I think about holiday donors becoming donors who give throughout the year.
The Holiday Season Matters (A Lot)
I’m sure you’ll be shocked by this: the holiday season is a big deal in nonprofit fundraising. For many organizations, somewhere between 60–80% of annual donations come in during that window. Calling it “important” is probably an understatement.
Because of that, a huge amount of energy goes into your year-end efforts:
- Getting people to give
- Fine-tuning messaging
- Stressing over subject lines
- Watching dashboards
Then January hits. The dust settles. Decorations finally go back into the attic. And teams start analyzing how the campaign went:
- What worked?
- What could’ve been better?
- What new ideas are we going to try this year?
All of that matters.
But there’s a quieter, less exciting question that often gets less attention:
What happens next for the people who just gave?
Holiday Donors vs. Everyday Donors
Many organizations treat holiday giving like a finish line instead of a starting point.
We work incredibly hard to get a donor to make that first gift… and then unintentionally let the relationship stall. Which is risky, because depending on which study you’re looking at, between 60% and 70% of donors don’t give again after their first gift.
Turning holiday donors into everyday donors sounds great. But you’re probably thinking that it also sounds easier said than done. Fair enough.
There’s no foolproof system. No guaranteed way to convert 75% of holiday donors into lifelong supporters. If there were, you wouldn’t be reading this blog — I’d be on a private island figuring out whether the Wi-Fi reached the beach.
But there are ways to give yourself a much better chance. And no matter when you’re reading this, it’s not too late to start.
Think of it less like a heroic lift… and more like showing up four times a week.
1. Say Thank You Like You Mean It
The first step is a specific, thoughtful thank-you.
It doesn’t have to be written uniquely for every individual donor. It just can’t be generic.
A good thank-you:
- References what the donor gave to
- Connects their gift to real impact
- Makes them feel something — not like they’re receiving a document to give to their CPA
This is where donors start forming (or not forming) an emotional connection with your organization.
Ideally, this happens immediately after the gift. And yes, you’ve probably already sent a receipt or acknowledgment by now.
So instead of regretting what didn’t happen, adjust the process going forward. And for recent donors, consider sending a one-off follow-up email — something that simply says, “We were thinking about you and wanted you to know the difference you’re making,” without rehashing transaction details.
This isn’t a holiday-only strategy. It’s something worth doing year-round, for every gift.
(We’ve written much more about this in a previous Oneicity blog)
2. Segment So You Can Speak Like You Know Them
The next step is segmentation.
This sounds technical, but the goal is simple: talk to donors like you know them.
You can segment based on:
- Demographics
- Giving behavior
- Event attendance
- Campaign participation
For example: if someone gave to your back-to-school campaign last year, you can acknowledge that directly in this year’s appeal. You’re not guessing what they care about — you already know.
“You gave to our back-to-school campaign because you care about kids starting the year with what they need. Would you help again?”
That feels very different from a generic ask.
Donors can live in multiple segments at once, limited only by your imagination (and your data). Common ones are:
- New donors
- Lapsed donors
- Recurring donors
- High-capacity donors
Segmentation isn’t about complexity. It’s about relationships. And when someone talks to me in a relational way, remembering what I’ve done in the past, it feels good. And I don’t feel like they only see me as an ATM.
3. Take Donors on an Impact Journey
Finally, think in terms of a journey instead of a single follow-up.
Some organizations automate this with a short email series for new donors. If you can do that, great. If not, you can still plan it manually.
The goal is to help donors move from “I gave that one time” to “I feel connected here.”
There are lots of ways to accomplish this, here’s just one example:
Email 1: Show the impact
Don’t wait for the annual impact report. Their gift is already doing something. Show it.
A short, visual email. A photo. A subject line like “This is your impact.”
Email 2: Tell a story (Sent 7-10 days after email #1)
Stories land where facts don’t. Tie a real person’s story back to the donor’s generosity.
“Transformations like Joey’s are possible because of people like you.”
Email 3: Invite them closer (Sent 7-10 days after email #2)
A tour. A virtual walkthrough. A volunteer opportunity.
There’s nothing quite like seeing the work firsthand.
Email 4: Ask again (Sent 7-10 days after email #3)
There’s an old joke that a donor isn’t really a donor until they’ve given twice.
They’ve been thanked. Shown impact. Invited in. Now it’s appropriate to ask.
And when they do give again? Validate them all over again.
This kind of journey works just as well outside of the holidays. It’s a posture, not a seasonal trick.
Back to the Garage
I didn’t lift heavier kettlebells because I tried harder one day. I lifted them because I kept showing up, even when it wasn’t exciting, even when conditions weren’t ideal.
Turning holiday donors into regular donors is the same. It often looks like the big kettlebells—promising, intimidating, easy to overthink. But with steady, thoughtful follow-up, it becomes something you’re actually capable of lifting.
Not overnight. But over time. And probably faster than you think.
Have you tried any of these methods to re-engage donors who gave during the holiday season? Have questions about how to apply any of these strategies to your organization? Reach out to us at howdy@oneicity.com
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash
