Practical Resources to Help Your Nonprofit Finish the Year Strong
Summer often brings a welcome change of pace for many small nonprofits.
While fundraising never completely slows down, calendars are often a little lighter, making it the perfect time to step back, evaluate what’s working, strengthen internal processes, and prepare for a successful fall and year end giving season.
Whether you are an executive director, development professional, volunteer coordinator, or board member, investing a little time in learning now can pay dividends throughout the rest of the year.
We’ve gathered some of our favorite articles, guides, webinars, and practical resources to help your organization improve fundraising, strengthen donor relationships, engage volunteers, and prepare for what’s ahead.
Happy reading!
1. Build a Better Plan Before Fall Arrives
The busiest fundraising months are closer than they seem. Summer is an ideal time to organize your priorities before year end campaigns begin.
Our Small Nonprofit Monthly Planning Workbook helps you think through fundraising, communications, donor stewardship, board activities, volunteer engagement, and operational planning one month at a time.
Read: Small Nonprofit Monthly Planning Workbook
2. Strengthen Your Board Before You Need Them Most
An engaged board becomes especially valuable during year end fundraising, strategic planning, and major initiatives.
If your board has struggled with participation or recruitment, this guide walks through practical steps to identify, recruit, and retain the right people.
Read: 5 Steps to Successful Board Recruitment for Small Nonprofits
3. Evaluate Your Donor Management System
Summer is an excellent time to review your donor database before giving season begins.
Ask yourself:
- Is donor information easy to find?
- Can your team quickly thank donors?
- Are reports simple to generate?
- Is donor communication organized?
- Can volunteers and staff collaborate effectively?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, it may be time to evaluate your CRM.
Learn more: Donor Management and Fundraising CRM for Small and Medium Nonprofits
4. Learn More About Donor Advised Funds (DAF)
Donor Advised Funds continue to grow in popularity, yet many organizations still are not sure how to identify, ask for, track, or steward these gifts.
This free webinar explains practical strategies that nonprofits can begin using immediately.
Watch: Donor Advised Funds Webinar: How Nonprofits Ask, Track and Steward DAF Gifts
5. Build a Major Giving Program
Many organizations assume major gifts require a large development department.
In reality, successful major giving starts with strong relationships, thoughtful stewardship, and consistent communication.
This free webinar explains how nonprofits of every size can begin developing a sustainable major giving program.
Watch: Building a Donor Centric Major Giving Program
6. Discover New Ways to Engage Volunteers
Volunteer engagement continues to evolve.
Many people want to help but cannot commit to ongoing weekly schedules. Micro volunteering creates opportunities for busy supporters to contribute meaningful work in smaller ways.
Read: Micro Volunteering: How to Engage People Who Won’t Commit Long Term
Then explore ideas for recognizing and retaining the volunteers who make your mission possible.
Read: Volunteer Appreciation and Engagement Ideas for Nonprofits
7. Learn How Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) Can Benefit Your Nonprofit
Qualified Charitable Distributions, commonly called QCDs, remain one of the most valuable giving opportunities for donors over age 70½. Yet many small nonprofits rarely educate supporters about this option.
Understanding how QCDs work can help your organization expand giving opportunities while providing valuable information to donors and their financial advisors.
Read: Qualified Charitable Distributions: What They Are and Why Small Nonprofits Should Care
8. Add Some Energy with Pop Up Fundraising Events
Not every fundraiser needs months of planning.
Small pop up events can create memorable donor experiences, generate excitement in your community, and strengthen relationships throughout the year without requiring significant resources.
Read: Small Nonprofit Pop Up Events: Add a Little Spark to Donor Relationships
9. Tell Better Stories That Inspire Giving
The most successful fundraising campaigns are built on authentic stories that connect people to your mission.
If your organization struggles to communicate its impact, this free webinar offers practical techniques for crafting stories that resonate with donors and encourage deeper engagement.
Watch: Free Nonprofit Webinar: How to Craft Stories of Impact That Resonate with Donors
10. Protect Your Donor Data
Donor trust depends on more than good stewardship. It also depends on protecting sensitive information.
Summer is an excellent time to review user permissions, evaluate security practices, and ensure staff, board members, and volunteers only have access to the information they need.
Read: Nonprofit Donor Database User Roles and Permissions: Best Practices for Security and Data Protection
Keep Learning Throughout the Year
One of the greatest strengths of small nonprofits is their ability to adapt quickly and continually improve.
A single new fundraising idea, volunteer strategy, board practice, storytelling technique, or donor stewardship improvement can create meaningful results for years to come.
We hope this summer reading list gives you practical ideas you can begin using today while helping your organization prepare for a successful fall and year end fundraising season.
If you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-use donor management system that helps you organize donors, manage communications, track fundraising, and save valuable time, learn more about how Eleo supports small nonprofits every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should small nonprofits focus on during the summer?
Summer is an ideal time to strengthen internal operations, improve donor relationships, recruit board members, review fundraising plans, organize volunteer programs, evaluate your donor database, and prepare for year-end giving campaigns before activity increases in the fall.
Why is summer a good time for nonprofit planning?
Many nonprofits experience a slightly slower pace during the summer, allowing staff and volunteers to focus on strategic planning, professional development, fundraising preparation, database cleanup, and board development before the busy fall season.
What are the best free learning resources for small nonprofits?
Small nonprofits benefit from practical articles, downloadable planning guides, fundraising webinars, board development resources, volunteer management strategies, and donor stewardship training. Resources that provide actionable ideas are often the most valuable because they can be implemented immediately.
How can a nonprofit strengthen donor relationships before year end?
Organizations can strengthen donor relationships by developing a communication plan, improving stewardship practices, sharing meaningful impact stories, thanking donors consistently, educating supporters about giving opportunities such as Donor Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions, and ensuring donor information is accurate before year-end campaigns begin.
What topics should nonprofit leaders continue learning about in 2026?
Nonprofit leaders should continue developing their knowledge of fundraising strategy, donor management, board governance, volunteer engagement, storytelling, cybersecurity, donor communications, planned giving opportunities, and nonprofit technology. Continuous learning helps organizations remain adaptable and better prepared for changing donor expectations while building stronger relationships with supporters.
