What to Send December Donors in January

Every December the same thing happens. Gifts pour in during the last two weeks of the year, you send the receipts, you collapse over the holidays, and then January arrives with a board meeting and a grant report due. The December donors go quiet. Most of them won't hear from you again until next fall's appeal.

That's the gap this guide is about. The direct answer to how you should follow up with year-end donors: in January, send the giving statement in the first two weeks, then a short, specific note about what their December gift is already doing, with no ask attached. Save the next request for spring. It's a small amount of work, and it lands in the quietest inbox month of the year.

Why does January matter so much for year-end donors?

For many small organizations, December is when they meet the most new donors all year. Some came through an appeal letter, some through Giving Tuesday, some through a friend's post on December 30th. A lot of them are giving to you for the first time.

First-time donors are fragile. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project found that in 2025 only 18.9% of new donors gave again the following year, compared with 59.3% of repeat donors. The difference between those two numbers is mostly made in the months right after the first gift.

January is also unusually good timing. The appeals have stopped. Inboxes are calmer. A short note that says "here's what happened because you gave" doesn't have to compete with fifteen other year-end asks. It just gets read.

This isn't the same job as your fall progress update. That one, covered in showing progress before you ask at year-end, happens before the appeal. The January note happens after, and it's what turns a December gift into the start of a relationship rather than a once-a-year transaction.

What should you send December donors in January?

Two things, in this order.

Weeks 1 to 2: the giving statement

Donors who gave $250 or more in a single gift need a written acknowledgment for their taxes, and many will be looking for it as they gather paperwork. Plenty of organizations send a year-end statement that lists every gift, which can double as that acknowledgment. If you haven't set that up yet, here's how to send year-end giving statements.

Keep it clean and accurate. Spell names right. If you can, add one warm sentence at the top that isn't boilerplate. But don't try to make the statement do the relationship work. That's the next message.

Weeks 2 to 4: the "already doing" note

This is the one that matters. Three to five sentences, from a real person, about something concrete that has happened since they gave. Not a summary of your year. One fact. Nothing asked.

The goal is to answer the question every donor quietly has after giving: did it do anything?

How should you follow up with different kinds of December donors?

Not every December donor is in the same place in their giving journey. Three groups are worth treating differently.

First-time December donors

These are the ones to prioritize. They gave once, possibly on impulse, and they're deciding right now whether you're an organization they give to or one they gave to once.

Hi Rachel,

You gave to us for the first time in December, and I wanted you to see what it's doing. Our winter coat drive closed last week with 212 coats handed out, and your gift covered the last delivery to the shelter on Fifth Street. A volunteer there told me two of the kids wore them out the door that afternoon.

Thank you for joining us. I'll keep you posted.

Dana, Executive Director

Lapsed donors who came back in December

Someone who hadn't given in a year or two and then returned in December is telling you something. Notice it. A brief acknowledgment that they came back, plus one fact, goes a long way.

Hi Tom,

It was really good to see your name again in December. Thank you for coming back. Since then, our Saturday tutoring program has added a second room, and we're working with 18 students this winter instead of 11. Your gift is part of that.

Sam

Regular December-only donors

Some donors give every December like clockwork. They're loyal, but because their only contact with you tends to be the appeal and the receipt, they can drift without anyone noticing. Their January note should feel like a continuation, not a form letter.

Hi Linda and Mark,

Every December you give, and every year I mean to tell you more about what it does. So here's this year's: the community fridge on Elm Street, which your gifts helped start three years ago, is now restocked five days a week by neighbors. It's become the thing people mention when they talk about the block.

Thank you for being part of it from the beginning.

Priya

Their giving anniversary is next December, which makes them good candidates for a short anniversary note before the next appeal goes out.

When should you ask December donors to give again?

Not in January. And probably not in February either.

The donors most likely to give a second time are the ones who heard about progress first. Penelope Burk's research found donors want a report on what their last gift accomplished before they're asked for another, and the January note is that report. Give it a few weeks to do its work.

A sensible rhythm:

• January: statement, then the "already doing" note.
• February: a second touch for first-time donors. A photo with one line, or a short update on the same program. Still no ask.
• March to May: the spring appeal, which is now an earned second ask rather than a cold one. Here's how to get a second gift from a first-time donor.

If a first-time December donor gives again on their own before spring, thank them quickly and note it. It happens more often than you'd think when the January note lands well.

A January checklist for year-end donors

When	What	Who
Jan 1 to 15	Send giving statements; check names and amounts	All December donors
Jan 1 to 15	Pull a list of December donors by type	You
Jan 10 to 31	Send the "already doing" note	First-time donors first, then returning and loyal donors
Late January	Write down three progress facts to use in February	You
February	Second touch: photo or short update, no ask	First-time December donors
March to May	Spring ask that builds on what they've heard	Donors who received the January note

The whole January note round, for a list of a hundred or so December donors, is a few focused hours. Write one strong version of the note per group, then personalize one sentence for each donor.

Where Perennial fits

Perennial Giving sorts December donors into exactly these groups automatically: first-timers, lapsed donors who came back, and loyal annual givers. In January it drafts the "already doing" note for each, in your voice, using the progress updates you've added. You read, adjust, and approve. It also holds the spring ask until a donor has heard about progress at least once. A spreadsheet with three tabs and a calendar reminder can do the same job if you'd rather keep it manual.

The quiet month is the opportunity

December is when donors decide to give. January is when they decide whether it mattered. One short, specific note in the quietest inbox month of the year can be the difference between a donor you met once and one who stays. Send the statements, send the note, and let spring take care of itself.