Donor Retention Strategies After Year-End Giving: Simple January Stewardship Habits

At a Glance:

• The Real Work Starts After December
• Why Do Nonprofits Lose Donors After the Giving Season?
• Why Donor Retention Should Be Your First Priority of the New Year
• 6 Simple Post-Holiday Donor Stewardship Habits Your Nonprofit Can Start Today
• January Stewardship Is Your First Step Toward Year-Long Donor Retention
• Stronger Donor Relationships Start with A Strong Plan

The Real Work Starts After December

For many nonprofits, the end of the holiday giving season can feel like crossing a finish line. You’ve worked hard, juggled campaigns, events, emails, board updates, holiday chaos, and hopefully met your year-end goals. It makes complete sense to want to exhale once December 31 hits.

But here’s the part most organizations don’t realize: January is one of the most powerful (and overlooked) months for donor engagement.

Your donors just gave because they care about your mission.
Your work is top of mind.
They’re already emotionally connected.

And with just a few small touches, you can turn one-time holiday donors into loyal, long-term supporters. And if donor engagement feels overwhelming — you’re not alone. It doesn’t require a big team or a complicated plan. Just simple, intentional steps rooted in what donors actually respond to.

 

Why Do Nonprofits Lose Donors After the Giving Season?

The new year can be exhausting, and many organizations disappear a bit in January or February as teams catch their breath, tackle new deadlines, and move straight into the next project.

But here’s the hard truth: Donor retention rates are declining, especially among first-time donors. Not because people don’t care, but because they often feel disconnected and overwhelmed. In other words, many nonprofits are spending more to acquire new donors who never give again, rather than focusing on stewardship and the relationship-building work that helps donors feel seen and appreciated.

Donors who feel “known” come back. Those who don’t… gently drift away, even if they loved your mission. And this is exactly why January stewardship matters so much.

Want to dive deeper? Check out our webinar with Steven Shattuck on The Current State of Donor Retention and What You Can Do About It to learn more about the root causes of poor donor retention rates.

Why Donor Retention Should Be Your First Priority of the New Year

Retention—not acquisition—is where sustainable fundraising really happens. It costs far more to bring in a new donor than to keep a current one, and the key to retention is simple: genuine, ongoing donor engagement. When nonprofits skip straight from “thank you” to the next big ask, they miss the work that actually sustains their mission long-term — relationship building. Donors stay when they:

• feel sincerely thanked
• understand the impact of their gift
• sense they’re part of something meaningful
• hear from you more than once a year

Think of it this way: it’s like inviting someone to a party and then not speaking to them again until next year. You wouldn’t do that to a friend and donors feel the same. They want to know they matter, and that your relationship with them is about more than the next donation.

 

6 Simple Post-Holiday Donor Stewardship Habits Your Nonprofit Can Start Today

1. Make brief, personal thank-you calls
   A 20–40 second voicemail can deepen trust more than a dozen emails. Board thank-you call banks? Even better.

2. Send handwritten notes (yes, in January!)
   Analog communication is still preferred by many donors. And a handwritten note feels memorable, intentional, and deeply personal. People keep them. And they remember who sent them.

3. Share a New Year update: “Here’s what you made possible.”
   It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just share one story, one photo, one real-life outcome they helped create. Donors want to feel the difference they made.

4. Ask donors how they want to hear from you
   Email? Phone? Text? Mail? Personalized donor communication builds deeper connections. When you honor preferences and get to know individual donors as people, retention increases.

5. Segment your stewardship
   Not all donors need the same follow-up:

• First-time donors
• Monthly donors
• Major donors
• Lapsed donors

Raise the Bar helps clients identify their own major donor segments all the time. Often donors they didn’t even realize were right there.

6. Plan 5 simple stewardship touches for Q1
   Stewardship doesn’t need to be complex or time-consuming. Pick your next 5 touchpoints and spread them out through the spring. Consistency builds connection and connection drives retention. Free Download: 7 Strategies to Engage Donors

January Stewardship Is Your First Step Toward Year- Long Donor Retention

December = generosity.
January = relationship building.

What you do in January sets the tone for your entire fundraising year. January isn’t a “quiet month” in fundraising. It’s one of the most strategic moments in the entire year. Donors are still thinking about your mission. They’re curious about impact and their emotional connection is fresh. Think of stewardship now as planting seeds for next year. A few thoughtful touches in January can influence your results for the next 12 months. Donor retention skyrockets for nonprofits that communicate in the first 6–8 weeks of the year. When you nurture relationships now, you’re not just following up on December gifts. You’re laying the groundwork for future campaigns.  

Stronger Donor Relationships Start with A Strong Plan

Many nonprofits end up pouring energy into low-return strategies that keep them busy but don’t actually deepen their relationships with donors. If donor engagement ever feels heavy or time-consuming, know this: It doesn’t have to be. And here’s the good news: fundraising gets easier when your donors feel known and connected.

Most long-term support for capital campaigns comes from current donors, which is why having a thoughtful donor engagement strategy is one of the most powerful ways to turn first-time givers into lifelong supporters.

Feeling stuck? That’s where we can help. If you’re not sure where to start, our team will work with you to create a clear, actionable plan to increase the volume of your annual fundraising efforts and design donor engagement strategies that build stronger, long-lasting relationships with your donors. Together, we can build an ongoing stewardship plan that feels manageable, authentic, and aligned with your mission, because stronger donor relationships lead to stronger missions. And your mission deserves the support it needs to thrive.

So if you’re ready to strengthen your donor relationships, book a free consultation with us and let’s talk.