December 23, 2025
The Impact Issue #92: How To Start Strong in 2026: Tips, Funder Insights, and More!
The new year is almost here - make sure you’re ready!
Welcome to The Impact!
With the new year right around the corner, now is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and get intentional about what comes next.
From common strategic missteps (and how to avoid them) to funder engagement tips from a nonprofit pro, we’ve packed this edition with tools to keep you focused and funded.
Inside, you’ll also find:
- A grant management checklist for your year-end audit
- An AI-powered tool that makes storytelling a breeze
- Two high-value grants you can prep for now
- Events and resources to fuel your mission
Let’s dive in.
Pitfalls and Pointers
⚠️ Pitfall: Diving Into the New Year Without Looking Back
At the start of each year, many nonprofits rush into new goals and grant cycles without taking stock of what worked (and what didn’t) in the year they just finished.
When you skip the review, you risk:
- Repeating the same unsuccessful strategies
- Pursuing funders who aren’t a good fit
- Missing early-year deadlines because your plan isn’t mapped out
- Carrying the same funding gaps into the next calendar year
In a sector where funders set budgets early and spring grant cycles show up fast, starting the year without this clarity can limit your 2026 potential.
💡 Pointer: Ground Your 2026 Strategy in What Actually Worked
Before your calendar fills up with grant cycles and new-year urgency, carve out time to do a quick but powerful audit of your 2025 funding performance:
- Identify your strongest revenue streams. Which grants, donors, or events carried the most weight and which underperformed?
- Revisit your rejected grants. Some may still be worth pursuing in 2026 if alignment remains strong. Others should probably be shelved.
- Check your funding balance. Make sure your 2026 plan isn’t overly reliant on any one source (federal grants, major donors, or events).
- Map your grant calendar now. Many spring deadlines appear in early January, so outlining prep timelines today gives you and your team a head start.
Starting your review right as the year turns sets you up to launch January with clarity instead of chaos.
⚡ Check out this guide to developing a winning annual grant strategy!
Tech You Should Know
What:
MilkVideo is an AI-powered tool that turns long-form content—interviews, webinars, Zoom recordings, event footage—into short, polished, captioned video clips that you can use across email, social media, and donor communication. No editing skills required!
How Grant Writers Can Use It:
- Highlight impact stories quickly: Clip 20-30 seconds from interviews or program footage to show funders the real people behind your work.
- Repurpose workshops or webinars: Turn internal trainings or community events into bite-sized clips that support grant narratives or annual reports.
- Boost donor engagement: Use short videos in appeals, stewardship messages, or social posts to add emotion and authenticity to your outreach.
- Create assets for your board or leadership: Give decision-makers ready-to-share content that supports fundraising conversations.
Keep in Mind:
- Always double-check clips for accuracy and context before sharing.
- Make sure you have permission to use any footage featuring beneficiaries or program participants.
- Start with content you already have; MilkVideo is most powerful as a repurposing tool, not a filming tool.
📽️ Start experimenting with MilkVideo to make compelling stories today!
Expert Perspectives
🏆 Rachel Fidler Cannella on 7 Funder Engagement Secrets
If you’ve ever wished you could double your grant success without doubling your workload, you’re not alone. Rachel Fidler Cannella, Instrumentl’s Learning and Experience Manager, has some game-changing advice.
In her workshop, “Double Your Grants: 7 Funder Engagement Secrets for Funding Success,” Rachel shared the mindset shifts and relationship strategies that separate strong grant writers from truly unforgettable ones.
Here’s her expert advice:
- Start with what funders care about. Funders want alignment, sustainability, capacity, realistic budgets, and measurable impact—so make those elements unmistakably clear in every proposal.
- Make your research smarter, not harder. Rachel encourages using a simple “go/no-go” scoring tool to quickly prioritize your best fits and avoid wasting time on long shots.
- Customize your engagement plan. Generic outreach won’t get you far. Tailor your communication style, updates, and touchpoints to each funder.
- Go beyond reports. Share stories, outcomes, and meaningful moments that show the real impact your organization is making—check out the Michael J.Fox Foundation’s Our Impact page for inspiration.
- Invite funders into the process. Be transparent about challenges and openly ask for their feedback. It builds trust and a long-term partnership.
Want to hear all seven of Rachel’s secret funder engagement practices?
👀 Catch the full workshop here!
The Latest Numbers
Matching gifts are being left on the table—and it’s costing nonprofits millions.
Matching gift programs are one of the easiest ways to increase revenue without increasing workload. Yet most nonprofits barely tap into them.
New data from Kindsight shows just how wide that gap has become:
- 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gifts and 51% of Russell 1000 companies do, too.
- But only 1.31% of individual donations are actually matched.
- Here’s the kicker: 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give when a match is offered.
That means organizations are missing out on millions in eligible, free-to-claim dollars every single year. Not because donors don’t care—but because they’re never told.
Matching gifts don’t just increase revenue; they increase donor confidence. They give supporters a sense of amplified impact, and in a crowded fundraising landscape, that emotional lift matters more than ever.
Here’s how to close the gap:
- Mention matching gifts in every appeal, not just in year-end campaigns.
- Automate match reminders in your donation receipts and thank-you emails.
- Make matching visible on your giving page, with simple prompts like “Check if your employer matches your donations!”
- Train staff and volunteers to proactively ask donors about employer programs.
When donors feel their $50 can instantly become $100, giving becomes way more powerful.
📍 Explore the full breakdown from Kindsight!
Opportunities Spotlight
🎭 William Penn Foundation: Arts & Culture General Operating Support
Who It’s For: Nonprofit arts and culture organizations serving the Philadelphia region
Next Deadline: Rolling (multi-year opportunity)
Grant Amount: Unspecified
The Details:
- Designed to support a diverse range of arts and culture organizations, regardless of size or cultural practice, serving Philadelphia communities.
- Focused on advancing equity by investing in programming, operations, and staff development that reflect and uplift historically marginalized communities.
- Prioritizes applicants working with or led by communities of color, economically vulnerable groups, or underrepresented cultural traditions.
- Emphasizes internal and external practices that make organizations welcoming, inclusive, and relevant to the communities they engage.
✨ Kauffman Foundation Capacity Building Grants
Who It’s For: US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits of any size
Next Deadline: Application window opens Summer 2026
Grant Amount: $100,000-$250,000
The Details:
- This is not a program-specific grant but instead focuses on organizational infrastructure, strategic growth, leadership development, communications, and evaluation.
- While applications open in Summer 2026, this means organizations have time now to plan, align their leadership/board, and gather internal readiness materials.
- Since the grant amount is substantial, this is a good fit for nonprofits thinking about scaling, strengthening sustainability, or preparing for growth.
Don’t miss out on good-fit grants!
🔍 Explore thousands of other grant opportunities now!
Networking Nook
💻 Webinar: Nonprofit Tech Roundtable 2026
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | 3-4 PM ET
Join this live session, hosted by Community IT Innovations, to ask experts the latest in nonprofit technology: AI, cybersecurity, cloud tools, budgeting for IT, and more. It’s designed for anyone in the nonprofit sector who wants to stay ahead of tech shifts impacting mission delivery.
Hurry - Get your spot before seats fill up!
📅 Conference: Innovate 2026 (by JMT Consulting)
May 4-6, 2026 | Washington, D.C.
A multi-day conference tailored to nonprofit finance professionals - CFOs, controllers, analysts - focusing on emerging trends, best practices, networking with peers, and earning CPE credits.
Hurry - early-bird spots are limited!
To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.
In Case You Missed It
📑 Article: Top 6 Grant Management Best Practices for Nonprofits
This Instrumentl piece walks you through six foundational practices that keep your grant workflow clean, strategic, and funder-ready: from setting up dashboards to designing realistic impact metrics. Great for any organization that wins grants and wants to manage them well.
📼 Video: Nonprofit’s Funding at a Glance! Master Class
Hosted by the Rayvan Group, this YouTube Master Class offers a clear, big-picture view of current funding trends and how nonprofits can structure their approach to match. Useful if your team wants a refresher or an external learning moment.
🎙️ Podcast: How Fundraising Can Be a Bridge-Builder
In this episode of the Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Dr. Harter interviews Jill Vorndran of Covenant House International about reframing fundraising as relationship-building rather than transactional asks. Especially timely for nonprofits aiming for long-term sustainability.
Crush Year-End Chaos with Confidence
The end of the year can feel like a sprint and juggling act all at once. But what if your grant systems actually made things simpler?
Instrumentl brings all your funding work—research, tracking, reporting—into one smart hub. No more scattered docs, no more deadline anxiety. Just clarity, focus, and a whole lot less stress.
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