December is an important month for donations, but it isn’t the strongest month for every organization. According to the 2026 Digital Fundraising Study, December accounted for a total of 12% of the annual digital donation volume in 2025. For charities, December’s share was around 18%. Religious organizations, on the other hand, peaked in March, around the time of Ramadan. The data shows that anyone planning seasonal fundraising should consider not only the end of the year but also their own mission, their own community, and recurring events such as Giving Tuesday.
The study analyzes actual digital transactions. On average, more than 10,000 organizations and associations are included each year; the vast majority of the data comes from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The following figures describe shares of the digital donation volume, not the share of all donors or the number of donations.
The end of the year remains a reliable peak period for digital fundraising. At the same time, the trend toward the end of 2025 was weaker across all organization sizes compared to 2023 and 2024. Thus, a strong month for donations does not result solely from the fact that December is on the calendar.
Extraordinary events also alter the annual trend. In February 2023, the study shows a significant spike related to the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Such spikes illustrate how quickly digital channels can mobilize support. However, they are of limited use for planning a recurring campaign: A crisis event can neither be predicted nor replicated.
For your annual planning, it’s therefore worth looking at data spanning several years. Which months are consistently strong? Which peaks are linked to a specific campaign? And in which cases does an extraordinary event explain the results? Only by making this distinction can a month-by-month comparison become a helpful basis for decision-making.
The 2026 Fundraising Study distinguishes, among other things, between charities, religious and political organizations, and associations. Their digital transactions follow different patterns.
| Organization Type | Notable Pattern in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Charities | Peak month: December |
| Religious Organizations | Peak Month: March, around Ramadan |
| Clubs | Peak months include June and August, among others |
| Political organizations | Several strong months rather than a clear peak at the end of the year |
For charities, December 2025 was the strongest month, accounting for 18.23% of the annual digital volume. November alone contributed an additional 11.15%. An end-of-year campaign can therefore account for a significant portion of the annual volume for this type of organization.
This does not imply a one-size-fits-all launch week for every campaign. What matters is that you prepare a clear fundraising reason, a straightforward appeal, and the appropriate communication channels well in advance. After the campaign ends, you can evaluate which messages and channels actually led to donations.
In March 2025, religious organizations generated 17.99% of their annual digital fundraising volume. The study attributes this peak to Ramadan. December accounted for 11.96% in this group and was therefore also significant, but not the strongest month.
When it comes to campaign planning, the occasion matters more than a fixed month: Ramadan shifts from year to year in the Gregorian calendar. Those who take it into account for their own community should check the specific dates early on and tailor their messaging, preparation, and support accordingly.
For clubs, the monthly shares in 2025 were 10.62% in June and 11.10% in August. December, by contrast, reached 6.19%. The study describes greater activity among clubs during the summer months and cites events as a possible explanation.
Important to note: The analysis of organizations includes digital transactions, which may include not only donations but also membership dues or payments for events. The higher summer figures therefore do not prove that organizations generally receive more donations in the summer . However, they do show why an organization should align its calendar with events and its own payment data.
The best time to run a campaign is when the occasion, target audience, and donation opportunity align. The study’s findings help identify potential time windows. Your own data will show whether these apply to your organization as well.
A simple starting point is a month-by-month comparison of the past few years: Record the volume of digital donations and the number of donations, and note any campaigns, events, or exceptional occurrences alongside them. For clubs and organizations, you should analyze donations separately from membership dues and event payments whenever possible. This will help you determine whether a high monthly figure is due to many individual donations, larger contributions, or other payments.
Next, plan your communication strategy for each important occasion —before, during, and after the campaign. For example, a charity can prepare its year-end campaign and then inform supporters about the impact of their donations. An organization can use a recurring event as an opportunity to explain why additional support is needed. These are possible approaches for planning—not guarantees of success based on the study.
You can find even more context on donation amounts, payment methods, and device usage in the full 2026 Fundraising Study. If you’d like to compare trends over a longer period, you’ll find all RaiseNow Fundraising Studies on the page .
Seasonal fundraising aligns fundraising campaigns with time periods and occasions that are relevantto an organization and its supporters. These can include the end of the year, religious holidays, or recurring events. The best way to determine the right timing is to analyze your own data and target audience.
In the overall analysis of the 2026 Fundraising Study, December accounted for 12% of the annual digital donation volume in 2025. However, the importance of this month varies by organization: for charities, December’s share was 18.23%; for religious organizations, 11.96%; and for associations, 6.19%.
That depends on the type of organization and the occasion. In 2025, religious organizations reached their highest monthly share of the annual digital donation volume around Ramadan in March: 17.99%. For clubs, the summer months tend to be stronger; however, their data may also include membership dues and event payments.
The study reveals patterns within the types of organizations examined, but does not identify a guaranteed peak month for any single organization. Compare the study’s findings with your own monthly data and examine which campaigns or events account for notable results. Keep in mind that past crisis peaks are not predictable events.
Organizations engage people on different occasions and sometimes process different types of payments. In the study, this is particularly evident when comparing charities, religious organizations, and clubs. The data highlights these differences; on their own, they do not prove which single factor caused a monthly peak.
The 2026 Digital Fundraising Study analyzes real digital transactions from 2023 to 2025. On average, each year’s data includes more than 10,000 organizations and clubs using RaiseNow with at least 75 registered transactions. Recurring payments are counted individually; the vast majority of the data covers the DACH region.