The Right Story at the Right Time: Aligning Impact Messaging with Donor Readiness
Pairing compelling outcomes with an understanding of donor timing patterns leads to more meaningful engagement and stronger fundraising results.
By Tod Herskovitz, Nonprofit Strategies Manager
A lot of “communication energy” can be spent on explaining why a nonprofit’s mission matters.
While it is important, it is also key that audiences know how their support makes a difference.
Donors want to hear stories of impact, learn about outcomes and understand what their gifts make possible. Yet there is another factor that often drives giving just as strongly as the “why” — timing.
Some donors give around tax moments and financial planning cycles. Others give when life events prompt reflection—retirement, a milestone birthday, the sale of a business, the death of a loved one or a moment of personal gratitude. While some give when they feel a sense of urgency or an opportunity to help solve a problem.
Three Tips to Activate Your Fundraising
Understanding the why and when can help your organization communicate in ways that align with donor readiness. Here are three tips to consider as you activate your fundraising efforts for 2026:
1. Consider donors and their advisors
Donors who work closely with attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors often make charitable decisions as part of broader planning conversations. That means that your organization’s credibility, giving and stewardship story matter not only to the donor, but also to the advisors who help the donor evaluate options.
2. Simplify your calls to action
Donors tend to respond well to simple calls to action. This reduces decision fatigue, especially during busy seasons, such as the weeks leading up to tax time and year-end. Clear giving options, predictable touchpoints and practical information about how to give can remove friction that otherwise delays action.
3. Make time for donations of non-cash assets
Timing also matters for donors who give from non-cash assets. Gifts of appreciated stock, qualified charitable distributions from IRAs (for donors who are age 70 ½ or older) and gifts of complex assets require processing time and coordination. The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation can help your organization ensure your donors act when the moment is right for them rather than waiting until the end of the year.
Partner with us to Support Your Donor Engagement
The Foundation is happy to serve as a sounding board as you evaluate donor timing patterns. We can also serve as a partner when donors want to support your organization in establishing a new or existing endowment, other fund structure, or when a donor is considering a non-cash gift that would be difficult for your nonprofit to handle directly.
As you are rounding out your communications calendar for the coming months, consider adding a simple question to your strategy discussions: what are the moments when your donors are most likely to be ready?
When nonprofits match compelling impact stories with an understanding of donor timing, fundraising becomes not only more effective, but also more respectful of how donors actually make decisions.
For more information, see our nonprofit funds & services.
Tod Herskovitz, Nonprofit Strategies Manager, joined the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation in 2022.
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors regarding your individual situation before engaging in any transaction.
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