5 Ways to Involve Volunteers in Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Year-end fundraising is an important opportunity for nonprofit organizations to secure financial support, strengthen relationships with supporters, and prepare for the coming year. While development teams typically lead fundraising efforts, volunteer coordinators can also play an important role in helping organizations reach their campaign goals.

Volunteers already have a connection to your organization's mission. They contribute their time, understand the work being done, and often see firsthand how programs benefit the communities they serve. These experiences make volunteers valuable advocates who can help expand the reach of fundraising campaigns and introduce new supporters to your organization.

However, involving volunteers in fundraising requires a thoughtful approach. Organizations should recognize that volunteers are already making a meaningful contribution through their service, and any additional involvement should be encouraged rather than expected.

By coordinating efforts between volunteer management and development teams, nonprofits can create opportunities for volunteers to support year-end fundraising without placing unnecessary demands on their time or resources.

Here are five practical ways to involve volunteers in your year-end fundraising campaign while maintaining a positive volunteer experience.

Why Volunteer Engagement Matters for Year-End Fundraising

Year-end fundraising represents a significant portion of annual charitable giving. According to the Blackbaud Institute's 2025 Trends in Giving report, approximately 36% of annual charitable revenue was generated during the fourth quarter, with December accounting for roughly 18% of annual giving. For nonprofits, this makes the final months of the year an important period for communicating impact, engaging supporters, and encouraging contributions.

Volunteer programs can help support these efforts by connecting organizations with people who already understand their mission. According to research from the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, approximately 75.7 million Americans formally volunteered through an organization between September 2022 and September 2023.

The contributions volunteers make are also significant. Independent Sector estimates the national value of a volunteer hour at $36.14, based on 2025 data. Although this figure does not capture the full value of volunteer service, it helps demonstrate the substantial support volunteers provide to nonprofit organizations.

These contributions are worth remembering when developing fundraising strategies. Volunteers are already supporting the organization's mission, and fundraising should provide an additional opportunity for involvement rather than an expectation.

Communicate Your Year-End Fundraising Goals to Volunteers

Effective volunteer involvement begins with communication. Before asking volunteers to support a fundraising campaign, explain what the organization hopes to accomplish and how the funds will be used.

Volunteer coordinators and development staff should work together to communicate a clear campaign purpose. Rather than making a general request for donations, explain the specific programs, services, or operational needs the campaign will support. A food bank, for example, might explain how year-end contributions will help purchase food, maintain distribution operations, or expand services to additional families.

Volunteers who understand the purpose of a campaign are better equipped to communicate its importance to others. They can also help connect fundraising messages to the work they see happening throughout the organization.

Organizations can introduce fundraising initiatives through volunteer newsletters, email communications, orientation materials, and regular program updates. These communications should emphasize that financial contributions and fundraising participation are optional.

Establishing a coordinated communication strategy also helps prevent volunteers from receiving repeated or conflicting requests from different departments. Development and volunteer management teams should agree on campaign messaging, communication frequency, and responsibilities before outreach begins.

Make It Easy for Volunteers to Support Your Fundraising Campaign

Once volunteers understand the campaign's purpose, organizations should provide straightforward ways to participate. Some volunteers may be interested in donating, while others may prefer to share fundraising information or assist with campaign activities.

For volunteers interested in contributing financially, the donation process should be simple and accessible. A clearly organized donation page with suggested contribution amounts, a concise campaign description, and secure payment processing can make it easier for interested supporters to give.

Organizations can also incorporate fundraising opportunities into existing volunteer communications rather than creating an entirely separate outreach process. Donation links can be included in newsletters, shared through email, or made available during volunteer registration and event sign-up.

VolunteerHub's Volunteer Fundraising capabilities help organizations incorporate fundraising opportunities into the volunteer experience. Nonprofits can create customizable donation pages with their own campaign messages, suggested donation amounts, and thank-you messages. Donation pages can be shared through email, text messages, landing pages, and volunteer registration or sign-up processes.

VolunteerHub also uses Stripe for secure donation processing, and donors receive an on-page confirmation and thank-you email that includes a PDF receipt.

By providing these opportunities within existing volunteer processes, organizations can make fundraising more accessible without requiring volunteers to donate or participate in additional activities.

Encourage Volunteers to Share Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Financial contributions are not the only way volunteers can support year-end fundraising. Volunteers can also help introduce an organization's mission to new audiences by sharing campaign information with their personal and professional networks.

Many volunteers have established relationships within their workplaces, neighborhoods, community organizations, and social circles. Encouraging them to share fundraising information can help nonprofits reach potential supporters beyond their existing contact lists.

Volunteer coordinators can make this process easier by providing materials that volunteers can distribute, including donation links, social media graphics, and short descriptions of campaign goals. These resources should explain the organization's fundraising priorities while leaving room for volunteers to personalize their messages.

Personal experiences can be particularly valuable. Volunteers understand why they chose to get involved and what their service means to them. Sharing these perspectives can help potential supporters develop a stronger understanding of the organization's work.

Nonprofits should also be mindful of how they approach fundraising participation. Volunteers should not feel responsible for meeting donation goals or soliciting financial contributions unless those responsibilities are part of an agreed-upon role.

The objective is to encourage volunteers who want to help raise awareness, not to turn every volunteer into a fundraiser.

For additional ideas on strengthening volunteer relationships, explore our post on recognizing volunteers.

Recognize Volunteers and Donors for Their Contributions

Recognition is an important part of maintaining strong relationships with volunteers and donors. During year-end fundraising campaigns, organizations should acknowledge the different ways individuals support their mission.

Some volunteers may make financial contributions, while others share fundraising information, assist with events, or continue serving in their regular volunteer roles. Each contribution supports the organization differently and deserves appropriate recognition.

Personalized appreciation can be particularly meaningful when it connects an individual's involvement to the organization's accomplishments. Rather than sending a general thank-you message, nonprofits can recognize specific volunteer activities, service milestones, or campaign contributions and explain how those efforts supported organizational goals.

Volunteer coordinators and development teams should also coordinate recognition efforts. When an individual contributes both time and financial resources, acknowledging both forms of support can reinforce the organization's appreciation and demonstrate an understanding of the person's relationship with the nonprofit.

Technology can help organizations manage these communications more consistently. VolunteerHub's Workflows allow nonprofits to automate communications based on defined activities and milestones, including volunteer registrations and accumulated service hours.

These automated communications can support timely recognition while reducing the administrative work associated with managing individual follow-ups.

For organizations looking to strengthen their recognition programs throughout the year, VolunteerHub also offers volunteer rewards and recognition capabilities.

Share Fundraising Results and Maintain Volunteer Engagement

Year-end fundraising should not conclude with the final donation request. Communicating campaign results is an important opportunity to demonstrate accountability, recognize contributions, and maintain relationships with supporters.

After the campaign ends, nonprofits should share the total amount raised, explain how the contributions will support their programs, and acknowledge the individuals who helped make the campaign possible.

Volunteer coordinators can contribute by highlighting the role volunteers played throughout the campaign, whether through service, outreach, fundraising assistance, or financial contributions. Sharing these results helps volunteers understand how their involvement contributes to the organization's broader goals.

The beginning of the new year is also a good opportunity to review volunteer engagement and identify areas for improvement. Organizations can evaluate participation trends, review volunteer hours, and determine whether additional outreach may be needed to reconnect with less-active volunteers.

VolunteerHub's reporting tools help organizations analyze volunteer participation, hours, registration history, and engagement across different user groups. Standard and custom reports can provide information to support volunteer program planning and communication.

Maintaining these relationships beyond the fundraising season can help organizations build a more engaged volunteer community throughout the year.

For more information on the connection between volunteer engagement and charitable giving, read Your Volunteers Might Be Your Best Donors.

Creating a Year-End Fundraising Timeline

Successful year-end fundraising requires coordination between volunteer management, development, and communications teams. Establishing a timeline can help ensure volunteers receive relevant information and have opportunities to participate throughout the campaign.

Although campaign timelines vary based on organizational needs, the following schedule provides a practical starting point for planning fundraising activities during the final months of the year.

GivingTuesday falls on December 1 in 2026, making it an important opportunity to engage supporters before the final weeks of the year.

For additional planning ideas, review our post on creating a high-impact GivingTuesday fundraising campaign.

Common Challenges When Involving Volunteers in Fundraising

Although volunteers can play an important role in fundraising, nonprofit organizations should consider how campaign activities may affect the volunteer experience. Clear communication, appropriate expectations, and coordination between departments can help prevent several common challenges.

Avoiding Fundraising Fatigue

Volunteers participate because they want to contribute to an organization's mission. Frequent donation requests can create unnecessary pressure, particularly when volunteers are already giving significant amounts of their time.

Fundraising communications should complement regular volunteer engagement rather than dominate it. Maintaining a balance between volunteer opportunities, program updates, recognition, and fundraising requests can help organizations preserve positive relationships.

Coordinating Volunteer and Donor Information

Volunteer management and development responsibilities often fall under different departments. When volunteer information and donor records are maintained in separate systems, organizations may have difficulty developing a complete picture of supporter engagement.

Connecting volunteer management software with donor management systems can help address this challenge. VolunteerHub offers integrations with platforms such as Blackbaud and Salesforce, allowing organizations to better coordinate volunteer information with their existing technology.

This can help development and volunteer management teams understand how individuals engage with the organization across different activities.

Maintaining Consistent Communication

During busy fundraising periods, nonprofit staff may struggle to manage personalized outreach and follow-up communications.

Establishing clear responsibilities and developing a communication schedule can help reduce confusion and prevent unnecessary duplication. Volunteer management software with automated communication capabilities can also help organizations maintain regular contact with volunteers without increasing administrative demands.

How VolunteerHub Supports Volunteer Engagement and Fundraising

VolunteerHub helps nonprofit organizations manage volunteer participation, improve communication, track engagement, and provide opportunities for interested volunteers to support fundraising initiatives.

Through volunteer fundraising capabilities, automated workflows, customizable reporting, and integrations with leading nonprofit CRM platforms, VolunteerHub can help organizations coordinate volunteer engagement and development activities more effectively.

These capabilities are especially valuable during busy periods when volunteer coordinators and development staff are balancing fundraising priorities with regular program responsibilities.

Ultimately, successful year-end fundraising is about more than securing donations. It is an opportunity to strengthen relationships with individuals who already support your mission and provide meaningful ways for them to stay involved.

To learn more about how VolunteerHub can support your organization's volunteer management needs, request a demo.

Frequently Asked Questions About Year-End Fundraising With Volunteers

What is year-end fundraising?

Year-end fundraising refers to donation appeals, fundraising campaigns, and related activities nonprofit organizations conduct during the final months of the calendar year. These campaigns often focus on November and December, when charitable giving represents a significant portion of annual fundraising revenue.

How can volunteers help with year-end fundraising?

Volunteers can support fundraising campaigns by sharing campaign information, raising awareness within their networks, assisting with fundraising events, and making donations if they choose. Organizations should provide several opportunities for involvement without placing financial expectations on volunteers.

Should nonprofits ask volunteers to donate?

Nonprofits can provide volunteers with opportunities to make financial contributions, but donations should always be optional. Volunteer coordinators should recognize the value of volunteer service and avoid creating the impression that financial support is required or expected.

How can volunteer management software support fundraising?

Volunteer management software can help organizations coordinate communication, track engagement, and provide fundraising opportunities. VolunteerHub includes volunteer fundraising functionality and integrates with nonprofit CRM platforms to support collaboration between volunteer management and development teams.

When should nonprofits begin planning year-end fundraising campaigns?

Planning should ideally begin in early fall to allow sufficient time for campaign development, communication, and coordination between departments. Organizations starting later can still benefit from establishing clear fundraising goals, preparing campaign materials, and communicating opportunities to volunteers.