10/01/2026
Annual appeal season is here!
For many nonprofits, the final few months of the year represent one of the most important fundraising periods of the year. In 2025, 36% of annual charitable revenue was raised during the fourth quarter, with December alone accounting for approximately 18% of annual giving.
And while fundraising continues to become more digital, direct mail is far from disappearing. Direct-mail fundraising revenue increased 9% in 2025, while online giving increased approximately 11%.
At ENVISION, we've had the opportunity to work with nonprofit
organizations on annual appeals for nearly 20 years. During that time, the tools and technology have changed considerably, but many of the fundamentals haven't.
A successful annual appeal isn't simply a letter asking for a donation. It's an opportunity to remind donors why the organization matters, demonstrate the impact of their support, and make it easy for them to respond.
The most effective campaigns bring a lot of pieces together—strong messaging and design, personalization, accurate donor data, response cards and envelopes, mailing preparation, and increasingly, coordination between print and online giving.
One thing we've learned over the years: planning matters.
October is the time to make sure the pieces are coming together for year-end appeals.
For those of us who work with nonprofits, it's always exciting to see annual appeal season arrive—and to see what a thoughtfully executed campaign can help an organization accomplish.
