Year-end fundraising campaign: a September to January plan

A year-end campaign in a nutshell: calendar, segments, copy, tax certificates in BE, FR and NL, and measuring. Get the full guide.

A good year-end fundraising campaign has one story, one goal and several touches over about ten weeks, starting in September and ending with the thank-you and tax paperwork in January. This overview shows the plan. The full guide has the calendar, appeal templates and checklists.

Start with last year's numbers and one story

Many organisations receive a large share of their annual gifts in November and December, but how large differs for each, so look at your own records. Write a baseline: number of gifts, total, average gift, new and returning donors, and which message worked.

Then pick a single, concrete need, such as winter meals for 200 families, and build the goal from the bottom up: people in each segment x the share who might give x the average gift. In an invented example, that adds up to about €7,000.

The calendar, September to January

September: baseline, story, goal, clean lists, check the donation page on a phone.
October: impact update to donors, write and test all mails, check data for tax certificates.
November: preview for loyal supporters, then the main launch mail, then a progress reminder.
December: a second story, a reminder to non-openers, a "last chance for this year" message, and thanks within 48 hours for every gift.
January: result mail, tax certificates, evaluation.

Segments and copy

Do not send everyone the same message. Useful groups are monthly donors (thank first), recent donors, major donors (a personal call), lapsed donors, volunteers and event guests, people who never gave, and company partners. Keep a person in one main segment and exclude people who just gave from reminders.

Appeals work best when they are simple: a person, a problem, a solution, a clear ask and thanks. The full guide contains ready-to-copy launch, lapsed-donor, reminder, last-call and social texts.

Tax certificates: three countries, official figures

Donors ask about tax at year-end. According to the official pages we read: in Belgium, gifts of at least €40 per year to a recognised institution give a 30 percent reduction for gifts since 1 January 2025, with a ceiling of 10 percent of net income or €408,130; the institution issues the attestation, usually in March or April.

In France, the reduction is 66 percent of the gift (75 percent up to €2,000 for help to people in difficulty since 14 October 2025), capped at 20 percent of taxable income, on a Cerfa 11580 receipt.

In the Netherlands, a regular gift to an ANBI is deductible above a threshold of 1 percent of threshold income (minimum €60), and a periodic gift has no threshold but needs a written agreement for at least five years.

Rules change, so check the official page for the year of the gift. This is not tax advice.

Thank and measure

Thank in layers: an instant mail, a personal note for larger gifts within 48 hours, and a result mail in January. Then measure total raised, average gift per segment, response rate, new and monthly donors, retention, cost per euro raised and unsubscribes. Write a one-page handover so next year starts from a real baseline.

How WeGlow helps

WeGlow gives you a phone-friendly donation page with one-off and monthly gifts, community fundraiser pages, and a thank-you mail after each gift if your organisation has written a thank-you text. WeGlow CRM keeps one dossier per person and builds smart lists such as "gave in the last 6 months".

WeGlow Mail has a block editor, test sends, a pre-send check, scheduling and an unsubscribe footer on every mail. Belgian organisations can send yearly tax certificates to all eligible donors with one click, and French organisations get numbered tax receipts.

Mail is free up to 250 contacts and included up to 2,500 contacts with the Pro platform plan (€40 per month or €400 per year, excl. VAT). CRM starts from €29 per month (excl. VAT) for up to 1,000 contacts. Check the current prices in your dashboard.

Get the full guide

The full guide has eleven chapters with the calendar, segments, copy templates, channels, thank-yous, tax admin for three countries and measuring. Get the full guide.

When should I start a year-end fundraising campaign?

Start in September. A good campaign has one story, one goal and several touches over about ten weeks, up to the thank-you and tax paperwork in January. In September you set the baseline, choose the story and the goal, clean your lists and test the donation page on a phone.

How do I set the goal for a year-end campaign?

Build the goal from the bottom up: people in each segment, times the share who might give, times the average gift. Start from your own records of last year and one concrete need, such as winter meals for 200 families. In the guide's invented example, that adds up to about €7,000.

What tax benefits do donors get in Belgium, France and the Netherlands?

In Belgium, a gift of at least €40 a year to a recognised institution gives a 30% reduction. In France it is 66% of the gift, capped at 20% of taxable income. In the Netherlands, a regular gift to an ANBI is deductible above 1% of threshold income, with a minimum of €60. This is not tax advice.

How quickly should I thank donors?

Thank in layers. Send an instant mail, and a personal note within 48 hours for larger gifts. A result mail follows in January. Donors then see what their gift achieved, and next year starts from a real baseline, with a one-page handover.

Sources

FOD Financien: giften: Belgian rates, minimum, ceiling and timing.
service-public.gouv.fr: dons aux associations: French rates and ceilings.
Belastingdienst: gift aftrekken: Dutch threshold, maximum and periodic gifts.
WeGlow features and prices: WeGlow code base and fact sheets, checked on 2 October 2026.

Worked examples are invented. Checked on 2 October 2026.