Seasonal givers: why timing your ask matters as much as the ask

Look closely at your gift history and you'll find donors with a calendar of their own. Some give every December. Some give at Thanksgiving, around Easter or at your annual event. Some give in the same month every year without fail.

These seasonal givers are a gift to planning, because you know roughly when they'll be ready. The mistake is treating them like everyone else and sending the same appeal at the same time as the rest of your list.

HookPilot flags donors with an upcoming giving window: people who have given at a similar time of year in several recent years, with that time coming up in the next 90 days.

A thank-you before their usual gift beats an appeal after it.

The best move is to reach them a few weeks before their usual gift with something that isn't an ask: a short update on what last year's gift made possible, a photo, a note from someone they helped. When their moment comes, they give to a relationship, not a reminder.

Take ten minutes this week to list your December givers. What will they hear from you in November?