5 Steps to Start the New Fiscal Year with a Stronger Midlevel Plan

For many, July 1 is the new fiscal year. New goals. New plans. New caseloads. A new fiscal year can feel like a fresh start. 

Before you move too quickly into what is next, we highly recommend you take time to understand what just happened.  

Your new fiscal year plan will only be as strong as your understanding of last year’s results.  

In midlevel, there are five steps we think will help (and honestly, most of this relates to major giving too, although retention numbers do differ). 

1. Make Sure the Books Are Closed

Before you do a deep review, talk with finance and make sure the books are closed (or, rely on your leader to do so). In some orgs, this can take anywhere from 7 to 30 days after the fiscal year ends. 

Books are closed when all gifts are entered, revenue is checked, pledges are reviewed, and finance and development agree on the numbers. 

This step matters. If the books are not closed, you may be looking at numbers that will still change. And if your numbers change, your analysis plus your plan for next year may be built on the wrong information. 

2. Start With the Basics: Did We Hit Our Goal?

With the books closed, ask the most basic question: Did we hit our goal? “We” matters here. Each person should review their own caseload, but the team and leadership also need to look at the full picture. 

If the answer is yes, take time to understand why. What worked? Which donors gave again? Which donors upgraded? Which emails, letters, calls, or impact received the best responses?  

If the answer is no, don’t rush past it. It’s important to understand the “why.” Was the goal too high? Did donor retention drop? Did fewer new donors give again? Were major gifts delayed? Did the team have too many donors and not enough time? Were the right donors in the right portfolios? 

The point is not to blame anyone, but rather to learn. What’s that old adage – information is knowledge.  

3. Review Your Midlevel Metrics

If you are in midlevel, this is the time to look closely at your results. We recommend looking at three core areas: retention (stay), average gift size (stretch), movement to major gifts (soar) and meaningful conversations (strengthen ties). 

Donor Retention (Stay)

For returning donors, a strong midlevel program should usually retain around 70-75%. Returning donors are donors whose first gift was more than 2 years ago – so if you just closed FY26, you’re looking at donors who gave in FY24 or earlier. 

Then look at new donors – those donors who were new in the fiscal year prior to the one just ended. Did you retain them last year at around 25-33%? 

These numbers help tell you if your program is building trust over time. 

Average Gift Size (Stretch)

Did your average gift size go up, stay the same, or go down? 

Average gift size helps you see if donors are growing in their giving over time. In midlevel, we want donors to stay with the organization. But we also want to help them grow when it makes sense. 

A good goal is to grow average gift size by about 5% each year. This does not mean every donor should be asked to give more every year. It means your full caseload should show some growth over time. 

If average gift size went down, ask why. Did some larger donors stop giving? Did more donors give smaller gifts? Did we miss chances to ask donors in the right way? Did donors hear enough about the impact of their gifts? 

This number helps you see if your program is not only keeping donors but also helping them grow in a way that feels connected to the mission. 

Movement to Major Gifts (Soar)

Start with tracking how many donors moved through the pipeline to your major gifts team. At a minimum, you should be moving 2-3% of your caseload to major gifts each year. These should be donors who are relationally qualified. That means there has been real two-way contact. The donor has shown interest, connection, or readiness for a deeper relationship. And their giving has increased to a major gift level (there are times when we move them even if their giving hasn’t hit the MG level too). 

If you didn’t move that many donors, that’s okay. That means it should become an area of focus in the plan for the new fiscal year. 

Meaningful Conversations (Strengthen Ties)

Revenue matters. Retention matters. But relationships matter too. 

How many meaningful conversations did you have last year? 

A good goal is meaningful conversations with 20-30% of your caseload. This may depend on the quality of phone numbers, email addresses, and how much time you were able to spend reaching out. 

A meaningful conversation does not have to be long. It simply means you learned something new about the donor. You may have learned why they give, what they care about, how they want to hear from you, or what questions they have. 

These conversations help you know your donors better. They deepen the donor’s connection to your organization. They also help create some of the cleanest and most useful data in the organization. 

4. Build Your Plan for the New Year

Once you understand last year, you can move into the new year with a stronger plan. 

Remove lapsed donors

Start by reviewing donors who are 24 months lapsed. If they haven’t responded and haven’t given in two years, it may be time to remove them from the active caseload and move them back to the right communication stream (in most cases they’re already in direct mail and will just get unassigned, yet continue to receive direct mail). 

Review Unassigned Donors

Next, review donors whose cumulative giving from the prior fiscal year reached your midlevel threshold but weren’t assigned. Those donors should be reviewed and added to a caseload. 

Set Goals and Metrics

Use the information learned from last year to set smart goals for the coming year. Your goals should reflect the makeup of your caseload, including how many donors are new, how many are returning, and what outcomes you want for major gift movement, retention, and meaningful connections. 

At FourPoints, we’ve built a tool to help you build and track these metrics.  

Be Prepared for Upcoming Touchpoints

Ideally, your communication calendar is already built before the fiscal year begins. If it is, use this review time to make sure your first few touchpoints still make sense. 

If you don’t have a communication calendar, now is the time to build one! 

5. Kick Off the New Year with a Bang

Start With Gratitude and Impact

New donors on a caseload need to know who you are, why you’re reaching out, and how you can be a helpful contact for them. Start that through an introduction process. Your first touchpoint after the introduction should never be an ask. It should be about impact. 

For donors continuing on your caseload, rely on your communications calendar.  Make sure you have the right donors in the right place, and that your first few touchpoints this fiscal year are clear. 

Make sure donors understand what their support made possible in the prior fiscal year. The best way to do this is through the story of one person, family, or community impacted by your mission. 

Donors don’t just need numbers. They need to feel connected to the difference they helped make. 

Start the Year with Clarity

The new fiscal year isn’t just a time to do more. It’s the time to do the right things with more focus. 

Close the books. Review the numbers. Learn from the prior year. Clean up the caseload. Add the right donors. Start with gratitude and impact. 

That is how you begin the year with clarity. 

And clarity gives your team a better chance to grow donors, deepen relationships, and keep the donor at the center of the work.