What you do now sets up your year-end success. Year-end giving is the Super Bowl of nonprofit fundraising, and the organizations that win big are the ones that start preparing early.

Two things essentially drive your capital campaign: Your vision and your ability to use storytelling at every stage of the campaign. The art of storytelling is how you bring others along with you on your mission. But when it’s time to write your Case for Support, what do you focus on first?

In a world full of passionate causes and generous donors, thoughtful segmentation helps your message reach the right people—making every connection more meaningful and every gift more likely. In our latest blog, learn why every nonprofit needs a strategic approach to donor communications—and how to implement it with limited resources.

Waiting for the “perfect moment” to launch a campaign or major gift initiative might feel strategic but it’s often silently stalling your mission. In today’s fast-moving fundraising landscape, hesitation leads to lost donors, fading energy, and missed opportunities. Learn why perfect timing is a myth and how to thrive by building momentum, iterating, and creating impact without waiting.

A polished website. An active email list. A donation form that technically works. It’s easy to assume those boxes checked equal digital fundraising success. But even experienced nonprofit professionals find themselves disappointed by flat online giving results, low conversion rates, or inconsistent donor engagement.

You’re about to make a gift to your favorite cause. You click on the campaign page and see they’ve only raised 2% of a $50,000 goal. You care—but do you feel compelled to donate, or hesitant?

There’s a wonderful little magic trick our brains play on us: when we’re uncertain, we look around to see what other people are doing. And then we often do the same thing. If you’ve ever slowed down to watch a crowd gather around a street performer, or found yourself joining in applause at the end of a performance—even when you weren’t sure it was over—you’ve experienced this firsthand.

You’ve built a compelling campaign. You’ve inspired someone to click “Donate.”They’re aligned with your mission. They’re emotionally invested. And still—they hesitate. Or worse: they close the tab. If you’ve seen this pattern, you’re not alone. 

By understanding why this hesitation happens, we can help nonprofit leaders recognize and remove hidden points of friction.

Every fundraiser knows the feeling—your campaign is live, the messaging is strong… and then, silence. Before you blame the strategy, consider this: the real reason donors hesitate may have less to do with your message—and more to do with what’s happening in their minds.

Hiring a national fundraising consulting firm can feel risky—especially if your nonprofit is rooted in a close-knit community. But many common concerns are based on myths. This post unpacks five widespread misconceptions—and what actually matters when choosing the right partner for your next big fundraising effort.

Would you rather reach your goal through one $5 million leadership gift—or through thousands of smaller ones? Because while every gift matters, not all gifts shape a campaign’s outcome—or its timeline—the same way. Let’s take a look at the math, and the mindset behind why securing a leadership gift early makes all the difference.

An anniversary campaign or a capital campaign launched in conjunction with a milestone anniversary can reenergize your mission, galvanize your supporters, provide ample opportunities to celebrate your organization and mission, and attract new donors and attention. Done without enough lead-time planning, it risks becoming an expensive party with little lasting impact.