Got a lengthy list of tasks for the final weeks of the year? I know I do. Maybe your year-end list involves family travels, preparing the house for visitors, holiday decorating and shopping, kids’ school activities and more.
We know your attention is focused on another year-end task, too: bringing in gifts. The final quarter is a critical season for fundraisers to close out the calendar year successfully.
With that in mind, how about another list—not of responsibilities but of insights and tools you can use to end 2026 on a high note?
First, I’d like to offer our free year-end article on tax law changes and smart giving ideas. Splice it, dice it and customize it across your marketing channels to inspire generosity from your supporters during the season of giving.
We think these three takeaways from the article are especially worth promoting:
1. New gift option = new donors
The universal charitable deduction (UCD) allows taxpayers to deduct up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples without having to itemize. Given that about 90% of individuals take the standard deduction—that’s 147.6 million returns, according to the IRS.
This is a major change that empowers Americans to make a difference without having to make an extra effort. Yet research from Dunham+Company earlier this year shows that 75% of taxpayers still don’t know it exists.
It’s time to get the word out. This isn’t just new tax policy—it’s a potential new pipeline of givers to your nonprofit. The deduction amounts may look modest, but history shows that even small incentives can encourage giving.
Those small incentives add up, too. According to the Lilly School of Philanthropy, the UCD is expected to add about 8 million new donors and increase giving by about $4.4 billion annually. Many givers may be entry-level, younger or returning mid- to lower-level donors.
Your next steps: Does your organization have a special day set aside for giving or perhaps is promoting Giving Tuesday on December 1? If so, include this messaging in your marketing material. Donors who usually give $500 may consider doubling their gift to take advantage.
Any content focused on year-end giving should highlight the UCD. It’s new, easy and impactful.
2. Open the DAF tap
Donor advised funds (DAFs) are excluded from the UCD, but do not discount their power at year-end. Consider these numbers from the DAF Research Collaborative’s 2025 Annual DAF Report:
- More than $326 billion is held in DAF assets.
- Nearly $65 billion in grants were recommended last year.
- There are now more than 3.3 million DAF accounts.
With only about 10% of taxpayers itemizing, they’re seeking new ways to benefit every April 15. DAFs are the ultimate tool for bunching, the act of making larger gifts in a single year to capitalize on tax incentives from itemizing deductions. DAF owners can add a significant amount to their fund, then maintain their normal cadence of giving to your organization via grant recommendations over many years.
Your next steps: You should increasingly be asking donors: “Do you already have charitable dollars set aside in a donor advised fund?” If so, then they likely already know about DAF tax benefits but may infrequently recommend grants.
Consider tracking this information in your CRM so you can segment DAF holders and deliver more targeted communications throughout the year. Reminding donors through print, email and social media posts in the coming weeks can jog their memory and explain how impactful a year-end grant from their DAF can be to your organization.
3. RMD + QCD = win-win
Many retirees wait until late in the year to take their required minimum distributions (RMDs). In fact, Fidelity reported that as of November 30, 2025, 53% of its eligible IRA customers hadn’t taken an RMD for the year.
You can turn this fact in your favor as retirees seek ways to lessen their tax burden at year-end.
For donors age 70½ and older, gifts from their IRA—often referred to as qualified charitable distributions (QCDs)—may be more valuable than ever with most donors taking the standard deduction. QCD donors benefit regardless of whether they itemize because the distribution does not count as income.
And when an IRA distribution comes in the form of a QCD, 100% of the amount (which can be up to $111,000 in 2026) goes to the nonprofit.
A gift that does that and reduces taxable income and satisfies all or part of an RMD—are you kidding me? No wonder QCDs are the most popular, tax-smart pipeline of the post-tax-reform era.
With approximately $19 trillion held in IRAs and more than 11,000 boomers turning 65 every day (and about the same number turning 70½), it’s critical to market to your older donors about IRA gifts, especially at year-end.
Your next steps: Include QCDs in every print or digital summary of year-end giving options. A QCD-focused targeted email directed at donors 73 or older could reach many who have yet to take their RMD and give them a tax-savvy plan to ponder.
Don’t forget the ticking clock
It’s essential that you refer to deadlines in your year-end marketing, prompting donors to action.
That said, just because Dec. 31 is the “official” deadline of many gifts doesn’t mean that’s the date you should list. As you know, some gifts take time to process, and the holidays are a time of reduced hours or closings.
The solution? Encourage donors to complete their gifts by early to mid-December, giving everyone a little breathing room before year-end. Many donors have a lot on their plate the last two weeks of the year, so your request won’t seem unreasonable.
This cushion will also make an allowance for gifts traveling by mail. The last week of 2025 saw the beginning of new U.S. Postal Service regulations around postmarks. Dropping envelopes in a blue mailbox, even if it’s outside your local post office, no longer guarantees a postmark that day.
The year may be winding down, but your opportunities are ramping up for generosity from several directions. By focusing on both new and familiar giving options that provide your donors with flexibility and tax advantages, you can end 2026 with more pizzazz than a Times Square ball drop.