January can feel like dead time for fundraisers. The last quarter of the calendar year, and December in particular, are busy times for most nonprofits. Many organizations book a significant portion of their gifts in that period. Despite the fact that January is slower in gift volume, that doesn’t mean that we should treat it only as a recovery month. January presents an important time to reset, evaluate, analyze, and plan. Whether your fiscal year ended in December or will end in June, here are strategic activities to focus on in January:

1. Prioritize stewardship for year-end donors

There is likely a backlog of gifts that need to be acknowledged and donors who need to be thanked. Take steps to remedy that now:

• Make sure that every gift receives a thank you note. 
  
  
• Call every donor who made a gift in December to say thank you and wish them a happy new year. Thank repeat donors for their loyalty and get to know new donors. Ask new donors how they found out about the organization and what prompted them to give.
  
  
• These new donor conversations will offer a wealth of information. Start to set up meetings with these donors and engage them.
   
  
• Remember that gifts need to be acknowledged and donors need to be thanked. These are two distinct actions. Acknowledgements can take the place of an automatic email response that confirms the gift was received or via a gift receipt. Thanking a donor is a more personal step that should take place through a phone call or personal note. 
  
  
• If you feel that a considerable amount of time has passed since the donor’s gift, reach out and wish them a happy new year. I advise clients they can make happy new year calls until the middle of the month. The beginning of the year presents an opportunity to check in, see how people are doing, and thank them for their generosity in 2025.  
  
  

2. Track performance against the prior year’s metrics

• Most importantly, identify your donor retention percentage and percentage of fundraising goal achieved. If your fiscal year closes in June, take a look at your percentage achieved to date. 
  
  
• Compare donor retention results to previous years to identify trends. What would account for an increase or decrease in the retention percentage?
  
  
• While data is important, so are the stories behind it. Creative a narrative for why you achieved a goal, or fell short. It’s perfectly acceptable to say that “15 donors who usually give in the Fall did not renew at that time, despite multiple outreach attempts.” We don’t always know why donors take certain actions or not, but telling a story that adds color to fundraising numbers is important. 
  
  
• This analysis should directly inform your 2026 strategies. If retention is strong, identify why that is the case and pursue those same strategies. Strong donor retention is often a result of personalized donor engagement and stewardship. Keep that going! If retention could use improvement, create plans to support donor engagement and stewardship which are key tenants of donor retention. 
  
  

3. Review donor segments

Take time and review different segments of donors and create strategies to engage with each group. For example:

• Donors who gave for the first time in 2025. Make a plan to reach out to every new donor.
  
  
• Donors who came back to the organization in 2025 (maybe they missed 2024 or 2023). Reach out to them to welcome them back.
  
  
• Donors who increased their gifts in 2025. Make sure you schedule a stewardship visit with these donors and further engage this group.
  
  
• Also consider segmenting by:
  • Donation amount
  • Donor interest
  • Donor engagement style or communication preference

Thoughtful stewardship in January directly correlates with better retention later in the year. January is the strategic foundation of the entire year. By analyzing performance, strengthening stewardship, and refining segmentation, fundraisers can set themselves up for a strong year ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is January an important time for fundraisers?
Many organizations receive a significant number of gifts at the end of the calendar year so January is an important time to begin to steward those donors.

What actions should fundraisers take in January?
Fundraisers should review the strategies for engaging and stewarding donors, track performance against the prior year’s metrics, and ensure that every donor from year-end is properly thanked.

Why is stewardship so important, especially in January?
Stewarding donors early in the year increases the likelihood that a donor will further engage with the organization and make another gift. Early stewardship leads to stronger donor retention.