If you're like most nonprofit leaders, summer can feel a little... quiet.
The major fundraising campaigns are still months away. Staff are taking vacations. Programs may be running smoothly. And when it comes time to send a newsletter, you're left wondering:
"What am I supposed to write about?"
As a result, you stop communicating as frequently during the summer. That's a mistake.
Because big year-end donors aren't created in December. They're nurtured long before then.
Trust Comes Before the Gift
Think about your own relationships. Trust isn't built in a single conversation. It's built through consistent interactions over time.
The same is true for donors.
By the time someone makes a significant gift at the end of the year, they've often spent months learning about your mission, seeing your impact, and staying connected to your work.
That's why these quiet summer months are so valuable.
While Others Go Quiet, You Can Stand Out
While many organizations go silent, you have an opportunity to strengthen relationships before the busy fundraising season arrives.
One framework I like is the 80/20 rule.
Eighty percent of your emails should nurture relationships.
Twenty percent should make an ask.
The problem is that many nonprofits unintentionally reverse that ratio. They disappear for months and then suddenly show up in donor inboxes with a fundraising appeal.
Donors notice.
Instead, use summer to focus on the 80%. Re-educate them about the any changes including legislation, advocacy efforts etc in your focus area, share some metrics around your program performance, celebrate volunteers, milestones etc, spotlight key partners etc.
Nurture Donors Before Year-End
These emails may not generate an immediate donation, but they accomplish something just as important: they keep your mission top of mind.
Then, when year-end giving season arrives, your fundraising appeals won't feel like a cold request from an organization donors haven't heard from in months.
They'll feel like the next step in an ongoing relationship.
Of course, knowing you should nurture donors and actually finding the time to create newsletters are two different things.
That's the challenge I hear most often from nonprofit leaders.
"I know I should email more, but I don't know what to write."
That's exactly why I created two resources.
The first is a nonprofit content vault filled with newsletter ideas, prompts, and ready-to-use content designed specifically for seasons like this one, when there isn't a major campaign driving your communications. Click here to access the content vault.
The second walks supporters through the entire donor journey—from the moment they join your email list through nurturing, engagement, and eventually giving. The emails are already mapped out so you don't have to start from scratch. Click here to access the automated donor journey sequence.
Because summer isn't a time to disappear.
It's a time to nurture.
And the organizations that use these quiet months wisely often see the results when year-end fundraising arrives.
Cheers to your impact
Carol
PS: Nonprofit Email Marketing Toolkit
1) Never wonder what to say in your newsletter or on social media again. Get the Nonprofit Email Newsletter Content Vault with story prompts covering ALL areas including fundraising, impact, volunteering, education, crises response, subject lines and clear calls to action, and a simple story collection form so you’ll never start with a blank screen again. CLICK HERE to access it.
2) If you want to turn your newsletter into a fundraising engine while writing less, then you need the Automated Email Sequences. Welcome your supporters, nurture them, turn them into donors and keep them engaged year round. The templates are Done-For-You. Just plud-and-play, set them up once and let them run in the background while you focus on your mission. CLICK HERE to access it.