The Giving Season: How Nonprofits Can Increase Donations With Mobile-First Donor Engagement

Year after year, the giving season consistently accounts for a significant portion of nonprofits' annual revenue. In 2024 for example, Giving USA reports that individuals, corporations, and foundations gave an
estimated $592.50 billion to U.S. charities! 2025 saw even bigger donations and over 381 million participants (yes, you read that right) for a shockingly generous single day of giving coming in at $22.5 billion donated since GivingTuesday's launch in 2012.

As we head into the Giving Season, donor engagement continues to evolve, with mobile-first strategies emerging as the innovative champion for maximizing your year-end campaigns.

The Giving Season: An Anchor of Nonprofit Revenue

Despite fundraising ebbs and flows over the course of the year, the final months of the year are still consistently driving the largest share of charitable donations. This stems from several factors: the spirit of giving during holidays, tax incentives, and supporters reflecting on their impact. For many mission-minded organizations, a strong fourth quarter isn't just a bonus; it's essential for funding vital programs and services throughout the following year. Neglecting to optimize your year-end approach is simply not an option for nonprofits.

Tools for Nonprofits During the Giving Season

With increased costs and concerns about future funding, nonprofit leaders now more than ever must rely on their messages being seen and opened in order to receive the donations to further fund their mission.

Mobile messaging boasts higher open rates and engagement than other communications channels, such as direct mail and email. When using mobile messaging as part of an omnichannel engagement strategy, nonprofits will see an increase in donations across all channels. The stats emphasize this with the Digital Outlook Report for Nonprofits reporting that nonprofits using SMS indicates "significant growth for urgent campaigns and Giving Tuesday".

Why Nonprofits Must Use Mobile Messaging During The Giving Season

A warm audience increases open rates, engagement, and donations. Simply sending out a donation ask on GivingTuesday or December 31 may not elicit a strong donation response if the audience has not heard from your organization since the year prior. However, sending cultivation messages at a regular cadence and frequency will keep your organization top of mind and supporters are more likely to interact with and donate to your mission. From animal welfare organizations to conservation and healthcare to faith-based, mission-minded nonprofits across all sectors will see success in year-end donations by using mobile messaging.

Wrap-Up

Heading into the Giving Season, nonprofits need a fundraising strategy with the right tools in place to increase donations and amplify impact. Mobile messaging will be a key component of a holistic fundraising strategy. When used in combination with other traditional tools such as email or direct mail, mission-minded nonprofits will see an increase in donations across all channels.