The Giving Season accounts for 30% of all charitable giving, but almost 50 percent of non-cash donations. As the perennial super bowl for fundraisers, this year should be different:
- Inflation and economic uncertainty are weighing heavily on household budgets.
- Financial markets remain near all-time highs, and investment portfolios have never looked better.
- Changes to the 2026 tax law should result in 50% more taxpayers itemizing deductions.
For these reasons, tax-advantaged, gifts of non-cash assets will be even more strategic for fundraisers this year.
Why are Non-Cash Assets so important?
As cash comprises less than 10% of household liquid assets, fundraisers are increasingly eyeing non-cash assets, namely public securities (stocks, mutual funds, ETFs and bonds), Donor-Advised Funds, crypto and IRA accounts.
These assets are attracting increased attention for several reasons:
- Donors simply have more to give with investments comprising 82% of liquid household assets.
- The tax advantages of gifting assets are far superior to donating cash.
- When donors share their wealth, they are deepening their commitment to the organization.
For more on this topic, please see Why Non-Cash Assets are a Must.
How can nonprofits unlock donor wealth?
The path to unlocking donor wealth is navigated through the following steps:
- Remove friction and fixing the experience for donors and financial advisors
- Improve stewardship by automating the reconciliation and acknowledgment process
- Educate and invite donors to give in more tax-advantaged ways.
To learn more, please read How to Unlock Donor Wealth
Your Giving Season Roadmap for Non-Cash Giving
If you are seeking to unlock donor wealth this giving season, here are steps every nonprofit can take.
Step 1 (October): Make non-cash giving easy for donors, advisors and your team. Implement a non-cash giving solution with easy buttons for gifting securities, DAFs, crypto and QCDs. While a few options exist, GivingIQ has the most advanced platform, training, enablement and support with no upfront or monthly fees.
Step 2 (October): Optimize Your Website by adding “Ways to Give” to your navigation bar. Then showcase all ways to give above the fold on the Ways to Give page. Then link each method to either 1) a section below the fold, or 2) a dedicated page for each way to give, making sure to explain the benefits of each method.
Step 3 (October): Identify prospective asset donors. Start by identifying donors who have gifted assets in the past or have put you in their will. Then expand your list based on giving history. Start with your major and mid-level donors, keeping in mind that 65-72% of households ages 30-64 have investment portfolios.
Step 4 (October/November): Educate donors via email, SMS, social, direct mail and website banners to introduce new ways to give and explain the benefits (and ease) of donating assets. Incorporate non-cash giving into all communications and link the CTAs to your Ways to Give page.
Step 5 (November 10): Launch and announce your GivingTuesday Page and invite donors to make pledges to give on December 1, 2026.
Step 6 (November 17 – 30): Remind donors about GivingTuesday via email, social, SMS, direct mail and website outreach.
Step 7 (December 8 – 31): Begin the final push with weekly reminders through the end of the year. Donors are likely to be overwhelmed, so use educational headlines such as “smarter ways to give” to differentiate.
As asset donors represent larger gifts and higher, the prize is worth the effort. By implementing a digital solution, updating your website, and educating donors, every nonprofit can win the giving season while laying the foundation for long-term success.
Want to join a FREE Session to learn exactly what to do to win this giving season? Don´t miss our free webinar October 13th at 1p ET where Steve Latham shares the exact plan.
Special Giving Season Offer! For nonprofit attendees who set up their free account by November 1, our sponsor, GivingIQ, will match your first stock or crypto gift up to $500
