Year-End Fundraising Trends: So, what just happened?

It goes without saying that we just went through the most impactful time of the year for charities. For most organizations, 40% of total revenue comes in the last month of the year. This year was no exception.

And in recent years, digital channels have become the heartbeat of these year-end campaigns, offering fresh ways to reach donors and inspire generosity.

Digital Revenue Growth: A Banner Year for Canadian Clients

This past year, every one of our Canadian clients saw growth in their digital fundraising efforts. Not only did revenue increase, but the number of donations ticked upward as well. Digital-first strategies proved their worth, demonstrating that when nonprofits meet donors online, the results can be both meaningful and measurable.

Key Channel Trends: What Powered Success?

• Google Revenue Surge: The most remarkable shift came from Google. Across the board, clients experienced significant increases in digital revenue driven by Google platforms – Google Search in particular. Whether through search ads, display campaigns, or YouTube outreach, Google emerged as a universal growth engine for fundraising.
• Email is Getting Harder: Despite overall digital growth, for many of our clients email fundraising revenue declined compared to previous years. This signals a shift in donor engagement preferences, with supporters responding less to traditional email appeals and more to other digital channels.
• SMS Impact: SMS emerged as a powerful tool for donor engagement. Nonprofits leveraging SMS saw higher response rates and increased donations, as text messaging provided a direct and immediate way to connect with supporters during the critical year-end period.
• Always On works – even in the holiday season: For all of our clients we continued to fuel the Always On part of their digital ad portfolio and those asset groups performed exceptionally well during the Year-End giving season. What we found is having more asset groups (or campaigns) in market did not cannibalize results, but rather just bolstered digital revenue overall. This indicates that different audiences respond to different messaging – for example: brand focused vs. matching

Looking Ahead: Laying the Foundation for Year-End 2026

As Canadian nonprofits reflect on the successes and challenges of the past year, it’s crucial to look forward and plan for sustainable growth in 2026. The early months—January and February—are traditionally slower for digital fundraising revenue, but they present a valuable opportunity to work “up the funnel.” Now is the time to focus on expanding your audience and strengthening your digital presence.

Fundraising teams should prioritize lead generation, actively seeking new email addresses and, perhaps even more importantly, mobile numbers. These contacts form the backbone of future conversion campaigns, enabling organizations to reach supporters through the channels that drive the highest engagement. Alongside this, investing in general brand awareness is essential. By increasing visibility and driving traffic to your website, you create more opportunities for supporters to interact with your content.

Those who engage with your content now can be retargeted later, forming a warm pool of potential donors ready for year-end appeals. By laying this groundwork early, nonprofits set themselves up for greater success when the critical fundraising season arrives. The foundation you build in the quieter months will fuel growth and impact in Year-End 2026.

Want to know more about how STella! can drive your digital revenue, too? Email me for a chat: JessicaT@StellaFundraising.com