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The Five-Week Sprint
Everything from the session, on one page. Start with the go/no-go check, then plan your own dates with the calendar and workbook. Tap any card to jump to it.
Start here
Cheat sheets
Printing? Use your browser's print command. Each section starts on its own page.
Should you run a sprint?
A five-minute check before you commit. Tick what's true. If you can't tick all six, or a flag on the right applies, scale the sprint down instead of skipping it.
Green light: you have
- A number: a goal you can say out loud.
- A reachable list: people you can actually email or call.
- One story, with consent from the person in it.
- One owner: a single person who runs the sprint.
- A donation page you've tested yourself.
- A fast thank-you process.
Scale down if
- You're in the middle of a CRM migration.
- A new website launches mid-sprint.
- Nobody is available to thank donors.
- Your list hasn't been touched in a year.
The minimum viable sprint
Four sends. If that's all you've got, that's a real sprint.
The sprint calendar
A year-end giving plan you can run. Start at your deadline and count back. Five weeks isn't fixed (December 2026 runs six), so use the dates that fit your calendar.
Week by week
| Week | What it is | EOY example | Your dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plan. Goal, lists, story, owner. Set up suppression. | Nov 23–29 | |
| 2 | Launch. The first ask goes out (Giving Tuesday, Dec 1). Board sends. | Nov 30–Dec 6 | |
| 3 | Progress + story. Show what's happened and tell one story. Follow up with the board. | Dec 7–13 | |
| 4 | Check and reach. See who hasn't answered and reach them another way. Board follow-up again. | Dec 14–20 | |
| 5 | Follow up. A second ask to people who haven't given. | Dec 21–27 | |
| 6 | Last chance. The deadline email, segmented. | Dec 28–31 | |
| Rest | Take a breath. | Jan 1–4 | |
| After | Stewardship. Thank people properly and share results. | Week of Jan 5 |
Do / don't
Do
- Reuse stories you have consent for.
- Run the channels you're already good at.
- Segment with the lists you already have.
- Hand the board a template and a date.
- Suppress the moment someone gives.
- Thank within 48 hours.
Don't
- Invent a story or blend several into one.
- Add a new platform mid-sprint.
- Start a data cleanup.
- Ask the board to figure it out.
- Keep emailing people who already gave.
- Hold gifts for a perfect January letter.
- Use fake urgency or an invented match.
The Week 1 workbook
Print this page and fill it in by hand, or keep it open next to a spreadsheet of your own. Week 1 is the one week you never cut.
1. Goal
| Our number (dollars) | |
| Number of donors we need | |
| Deadline (date and time) | |
| What the money makes possible | |
| The one owner of this sprint |
2. Segments
Use the lists you already have. Don't start a data cleanup. The cheap version is two segments: has given, hasn't.
| Segment | Who's in it | How many | Ask amount | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top prospects | ||||
| LYBUNTs | ||||
| Never gave | ||||
| Annual fund | ||||
| Monthly donors | ||||
| Board | ||||
| Volunteers |
3. Channel plan
Run the channels you're already good at. Don't add a new platform mid-sprint.
| Channel | Already good at it? (Y/N) | Owner | Weeks we'll use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social | |||
| Phone / personal notes | |||
| Text | |||
| Other: |
4. Story consent tracker
Only stories you have consent for. Never invent one, and never blend several into one.
| Story | Person | Date asked | Yes / No | How to use their name | They saw the final text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5. Email calendar
The minimum viable sprint is four sends: one ask, one follow-up, one last chance, one thank-you. Add rows for the rest.
| Send | Week | Date | Segments | Owner | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | 2 | ||||
| Progress + story | 3 | ||||
| Follow-up | 5 | ||||
| Last chance (segmented) | 6 | ||||
| Thank-you (within 48 hours) | Every gift | ||||
| Results | After |
6. Board plan
Hand them a template and a date. They send in Week 2. You follow up in Weeks 3 and 4.
| Board member | Send date (Week 2) | Follow-up (Week 3) | Follow-up (Week 4) | Sent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
7. Suppression checklist
- Decide where our do-not-ask list lives and who updates it.
- Set it up in Week 1, before anything goes out.
- Add each donor the moment they give.
- Update it before every send.
- Check that the thank-you goes to the people on it.
8. Stewardship plan
| Who sends thank-yous | |
| How we'll thank within 48 hours | |
| Who gets a personal call or note | |
| Results email date (week of Jan 5) |
Eight emails you can copy
Swap what's in [brackets] and keep your own voice. These are scaffolding, not scripts. Only tell a story you have consent to tell, and never invent one or blend several into one.
- Story consent request
- Board template
- Launch
- Progress + story
- Follow-up
- Last chance (segmented)
- 48-hour thank-you
- Results
1. Story consent request
Subject: Can I share your story?
Hi [First name],
I keep thinking about [the moment or what happened]. It stuck with me, and I think it would help people understand what [Org] does. Would you be open to me sharing it in our year-end emails?
You get to decide how. I can use your full name, just your first name, or no name at all. I'll send you exactly what I'd write before anything goes out, and you can change your mind at any point.
If the answer's no, that's completely fine. It won't change anything between us.
Thank you either way,
[Your name]
2. Board template
Subject: A quick favor before [deadline]
Hi [First name],
I'm helping [Org] raise [$goal] by [deadline] so [what it makes possible]. I just gave [amount, if you're comfortable sharing], and I'd love for you to join me.
[One or two sentences from the story.]
You can give here: [link]
Thank you,
[Board member name]
3. Launch
Subject: [Story hook, or: Five weeks, one goal]
Hi [First name],
[Two or three sentences of the story.]
That's why [Org] is raising [$goal] by [deadline]. [What a specific gift does, like: $50 covers ...].
Give here: [link]
Thank you,
[Your name]
4. Progress + story
Subject: [$raised] so far, and here's what it's doing
Hi [First name],
We're at [$raised] of [$goal], thanks to [number] people.
[The story, with consent. One person, one moment.]
We have [$remaining] to go by [deadline]. If you haven't given yet, here's the link: [link]
Thank you,
[Your name]
5. Follow-up
Subject: In case this got buried
Hi [First name],
I sent a note a few weeks ago about [goal]. If you meant to give and it slipped, here's the link again: [link]
We're at [$raised] and the deadline is [date].
Thank you,
[Your name]
6. Last chance, segmented
Top section: LYBUNT (gave last year, not this year)
Subject: You were part of this last year
Last year you helped [what their gift did]. This year we're [$remaining] short of [$goal], and we'd love you with us again.
Ask: your last gift, or a little more if they can.
Top section: Never gave
Subject: You've been watching this all year
You've followed along with [Org] all year. If you've been meaning to give, [deadline] is a good moment to start.
Ask: a small first gift.
Top section: Major donor
Subject: A note from [Name]
A real note from a real person, sent from their own address. Two or three personal sentences about why you're writing to this person in particular, then the ask.
Ask: a specific amount you've thought about for them.
Top section: Volunteer
Subject: You already gave us your Saturdays
You've given [Org] your time. Before the year ends, we're asking if you'd add a gift too.
Ask: any amount, with no pressure.
Shared body (goes under every top section):
[The story, short.]
[Why this matters, and why it matters now.]
The deadline is [date and time]. Give here: [link]
Thank you,
[Your name]
7. 48-hour thank-you
Subject: Thank you, [First name]
Hi [First name],
Your gift of [$amount] came in, and I wanted you to hear it from us right away. Thank you.
[One specific sentence about what it does.]
We'll write again in January to tell you where we landed.
With gratitude,
[Your name]
8. Results email
Subject: Here's where we landed
Hi [First name],
We raised [$total] from [number] donors. [Say how that compares to the goal, plainly.]
[What it makes possible, and one detail or story that shows it.]
Thank you for being part of it.
[Your name]
Cheat sheets
Five one-pagers. Print the page and each sheet lands on its own sheet of paper.
Suppression cheat sheet
Suppression means keeping people who already gave off the next ask. It's one of the two threads that run through every week.
The rules
- Set it up in Week 1, before anything goes out.
- Suppress the moment someone gives.
- Update it at every send.
- Thank within 48 hours, and don't hold gifts for a perfect January letter.
The board one-pager
Hand the board a template and a date. Don't ask them to figure it out.
The board thread
- Week 1. Give each board member the template and their send date.
- Week 2. They send.
- Weeks 3 and 4. You follow up with them.
- Give them a ready-to-send template.
- Give them one date, not a window.
- Follow up in Weeks 3 and 4.
- Ask them to write their own message from scratch.
- Leave the date open.
The template is email 2 on the email samples above.
Story consent one-pager
Reuse stories you have consent for. Never invent one, and never blend several into one.
How to ask
- Ask in Week 1, before you build the sprint around the story.
- Tell them where and how you'd share it.
- Let them choose how their name is used: full name, first name, or none.
- Show them what you'll write before it goes out.
- Tell them they can change their mind at any point.
- Write down what they said, in the workbook tracker.
Segment cheat sheet
Segment with the lists you already have. In the last-chance email the story, the why and why now, the deadline, your voice and the call to action stay fixed. Only the subject line, ask amount and framing change. It's one email with four top sections.
The segments
| Segment | Who |
|---|---|
| Top prospects | People you'd most like to give |
| LYBUNTs | Gave last year but not this year |
| Never gave | On your list, no gift yet |
| Annual fund | Your regular annual givers |
| Monthly donors | Giving every month |
| Board | Your board members |
| Volunteers | People who give their time |
Hooks for the last-chance email
| Segment | Hook |
|---|---|
| LYBUNT | "You were part of this last year." |
| Never gave | "You've been watching this all year." |
| Major donor | A real note from a real person. |
| Volunteer | "You already gave us your Saturdays." |
What-to-cut triage card
Time got tight. Here's what goes first.
- The middle weeks: progress + story, check and reach, follow-up.
- Week 1, the planning week.
- The last chance.
- The thank-you.
The floor
If you can only do the minimum, that's four sends: one ask, one follow-up, one last chance, one thank-you. Suppress as you go, and thank within 48 hours.
Not sure the sprint is worth running at all? Start with the go/no-go check.
Giant Squid Group · giantsquidgroup.com · From the CauseVox Nonprofit Fundraising Summit, Sept 30, 2026