Building habits that support fundraising
Back-to-school season is habit season in our houses. Lunches get packed the night before. Homework gets done before anyone heads out to play. Bedtime stays (mostly) on schedule. None of it is glamorous, but all of it adds up to a school morning that doesn’t feel like we’re on fire trying to get the kids out the door.
The same principle applies to your fundraising.
We say it all the time: a strategy on paper is great, but only if you actually put it into action. And what turns strategy into action usually isn't one big push. It's the small, consistent things you do daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly. Build those in, and you never have a hole to dig out of.
A habit is an automatic behavior, triggered by a cue rather than a decision. Researchers at University College London, led by Phillippa Lally, asked 96 volunteers to adopt a new daily behavior and tracked them for 84 days. On average it took 66 days for the behavior to feel automatic, though the range was enormous, from 18 days to an estimated 254. More complex behaviors took longer.
Two takeaways for busy fundraisers. First, give yourself time: forget the "21 days" myth. Second, perfection isn't required. In that same study, missing a single day didn't reduce the chance of forming a habit.
Here are some ideas to get you started in your fundraising habit building :
Block 30 minutes a week for donor calls. No agenda - just connect. The research on donor calls is strongest for prompt thank-you calls, so if you need a starting point, begin there. A standing weekly block is how calls like these actually happen.
Log CRM notes as you go. Details fade fast, and a note you write the same day is far more reliable than one you try to reconstruct a month later. It also lets the next person on your team pick up the relationship right where you left off.
Review your fundraising communications quarterly. Check your website, donation page, email templates and appeals. Make sure nothing has gone stale.
Share regular updates with your Board. BoardSource's national survey of nonprofit boards found that a board's understanding of the organization's programs is linked to stronger engagement and stronger performance in areas like fundraising and community outreach. Board members can't share what they haven't heard. Make it easy for them to talk about the work.
Habits like these all point at the same thing: relationships that last. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project's 2025 data, overall donor retention was about 43 percent, and only about 19 percent of first-time donors gave again. Building up the habit of a weekly call, a same-day note and a steady drumbeat of updates are exactly how you keep new donors from becoming one-time donors.
These things can feel small, even unimportant, day to day. But they add up to a strategy that is fully activated rather than sitting in a binder.
Pick one habit.
Attach it to a cue (a day, a time, an existing meeting). Give it a couple of months. Then add another.
A year from now, you'll be glad you started today. And if you want a partner in building your plan, or just a second opinion on where to begin, we’re here to help.
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