Rethinking Summer Fundraising: Strategies to Stay Engaged and Prepare for Fall

Let’s be honest: summer fundraising can be tough. 

Donors are on vacation. Board members are hard to reach. Even your most reliable supporters may be taking a break from their inboxes. Meanwhile, your team is juggling grant deadlines and trying to maintain momentum during one of the slowest times of the year.

It’s easy to feel stuck, but summer doesn’t have to be a lost cause. With the right strategies, this season can become a valuable opportunity to refocus, re-engage, and prepare for the busy months ahead.

Here’s how to stay connected and proactive, even when donor response rates are at their lowest.

1. Embrace the Slow Season (and Use It Strategically)

Think of summer as your nonprofit’s “off-season.” Yes, gifts slow down, but so do meetings, calendars, and inboxes. Take advantage of the lull to:

• Clean your donor database and optimize your CRM (finally merge that “Katherine with a K” and “Catherine with a C” and use this time to implement or customize your CRM to support segmentation, automation, and reporting better)

• Audit your comms (Are your email templates still referencing 2018?)

• Map out fall campaigns (October will arrive sooner than expected, and preparation now will pay dividends later.)

• Update your website with fresh photos, recent stories, and any new program information.

• Refresh your profiles on giving platforms like Candid, Charity Navigator, and local giving guides.

These are the projects that often get pushed aside during a busy fundraising sprint. Now’s the time to get your house in order.

2. Show Up Where People Actually Are

If inboxes are collecting dust, try meeting your supporters somewhere else:

• Go social – Lighten up your tone and experiment with behind-the-scenes content, Q&As, and success stories.

• Pop into inboxes sparingly, but smartly – A cheerful “Here’s what we’re up to this summer” update goes further than another ask. Leverage events – From farmers markets to festivals, show up with a smile (and a clipboard). Highlight your services and programs to a broader community. Donor acquisition doesn’t always start online.

3. Steward, Steward, Steward

You know who isn’t on vacation? Your monthly donors. Your most loyal supporters. The people who are keeping the lights on while you plan the next big push.

Now is the time to show love:

• Send handwritten notes.

• Share a 90-second video update from your team.

• Call just to say thanks, no ask, no pitch, just appreciation.

These low-lift stewardship touches can deepen relationships and set you up for bigger wins in the fall.

4. Conduct a Messaging Refresh

Summer is a great time to revisit how you talk about your work. With fewer active campaigns and a bit of breathing room, this is an ideal time to step back and evaluate whether your messaging remains aligned with your mission and goals.

• Review your boilerplate language across platforms.

• Reassess how you describe your impact, programs, and theory of change.

• Interview staff, board members, or program participants for fresh insights.

• Host a summer team-building session to reenergize staff and strengthen internal alignment around mission and messaging.

A messaging refresh can enhance donor engagement, energize your team, and lay the groundwork for more effective campaigns in the fall. 

5. Don’t Panic. Plan Ahead.

Most importantly, don’t let slow summer results shake your confidence. This is normal. Fall is coming, and with it, the big giving season.

Use these quieter months to line up:

• Fall appeals with tested messaging

• End-of-year campaign calendar

• Matching gift opportunities

• Major donor touchpoints

When you focus on preparation now, you can hit the ground running when donor attention returns.

TL;DR: Make Summer Work for You Strategically and Sustainably

Take a breath. Shift your focus. And remember: engagement isn’t always about the ask. It’s about connection, creativity, and setting yourself up for success when the sun sets on summer.