What to Expect From The Giving Groove in 2026 (And How to Set Yourself Up to Win Big Grants)
A veteran grant fundraiser’s game plan for foundation and generalist fundraisers who want more joy, more money, and less chaos this year
Happy New Year, friends,
I hope you found time to sit in the sunshine, go for long walks or bike rides, and otherwise unplug over the holidays and year-end break. The world feels like it’s moving so fast right now, making it even more important to take respite. Remember to laugh, sing, and feel your joy.
Taking a real pause is not a luxury; it is a survival-level strategy for people like us whose job is to think clearly, build relationships, and keep the money moving for the mission.
Since launching The Giving Groove in August, this newsletter has gone out as a free weekly issue most Tuesdays, focused on practical, real-life strategies to help you win more grants and gifts without burning out.
After 25 years of experience and many millions in grant revenue, the goal here is simple: give you the playbook of “tips and tricks” tht no one handed over at your first “Congratulations, you’re the development person now!” staff meeting.
What’s coming from this newsletter in 2026
In 2026, The Giving Groove will keep the free weekly Tuesday issue and add a second weekly issue with gated, premium content starting around March. Think of it as the extended director’s cut for foundation and generalist fundraisers who want to go deeper.
Premium content will include things like:
Written issues that unpack complex topics (like multi-year grant strategy or how to recover from a “no”) with step-by-step guidance.
Webinars where we walk through live examples, case studies, and scripts you can actually use.
Templates and short guides on how to strategically win more grants and gifts for your organization.
Opportunities to book coaching or strategy sessions if you want one-on-one or team support.
How this helps you win more grants
This newsletter is designed for fundraisers who want to move beyond survival-mode grant writing into intentional, strategic fundraising that feels sustainable. The focus is always on impact, equity, and building a healthier funding ecosystem—not just chasing the next RFP.
Across the year, you can expect: Clear, concrete breakdowns of how to find, qualify, and prioritize foundation prospects (without spending your entire life in a database).
Guidance on planning your revenue mix, so you’re not silently hoping one heroic grant will magically plug all the gaps.
Candid talk about how to advocate for your organization while being a good partner to funders. And being realistic about the playing field.
The tone stays what you’re used to: practical, a bit nerdy, occasionally funny, and always on your side. Less jargon, more “Here’s how to say this in an email on Thursday afternoon when your brain is fried.”
The three big moves for January
Now that we’ve somehow already landed in mid-January (time is doing Marvel multiverse things again), let’s talk about what to do right now to set yourself up for success—not just this year, but into 2027.
There are three big buckets of work in January: reviewing, planning, and prospecting. Done with intention, they become your early-year groove instead of yet another to-do list.
1. Reviewing: harvest the lessons
Start by looking honestly at last year. Not in a self-blame way, but in a “Let’s look at the game tape” way.
Ask yourself and your team:
What worked? Where did you exceed your expectations?
What disappointed you, and what did you simply not have time to get to?
What key lessons did you learn about timing, messaging, and which prospects were actually worth the effort?
Where do you need to re-orient so your energy matches your true opportunities?
This is where you turn vague “We were so busy” feelings into concrete insight. You’re building the muscle of critical reflection that separates reactive fundraising from leadership-level strategy.
2. Planning: name your targets and tools
Next, move into planning—not as a 50-page document that nobody reads, but as a clear map you can return to all year.
Work through questions like:
What are the main fundraising trends in 2026 that will actually affect your shop?
What is your financial target, broken down by funding streams (foundations, individuals, events, corporate, etc.)?
Where are your strengths as a team and as an organization—relationships, programs, storytelling, data?
How many resources do you realistically have (people + money + tech) to get where you want to go?
The goal is to align ambition with capacity. As a veteran fundraiser, nothing has helped more than being brutally honest about what can be done well with the humans and tools actually on hand.
3. Prospecting: deepen and widen your bench
Finally, prospecting. This is where future money is born. The idea is not to generate a massive spreadsheet you’ll never touch; it’s to build a living bench of real possibilities.
In January, focus on:
Identifying the people and institutions you know you need to connect with as a priority and naming the immediate next steps for each.
Finding the key conferences and forums in your region and your issue areas where funders will be present—and figuring out how to secure an invite or a speaking role.
Building or refreshing a list of 50–75 funders you’re not currently receiving funds from, so you have a healthy pipeline to research and approach over the next few quarters.
Engaging your board and leadership—who can introduce you, host a small gathering, or simply send a warm email that opens a door?
Done right, prospecting becomes less “cold outreach” and more “systematically putting your organization in the rooms where alignment is possible.” It’s patient, cumulative work that compounds over time, much like interest—only significantly more interesting.
Let’s have an epic year
Thank you again for all the support in 2025, and for the work you do every day to keep missions funded in a world that keeps throwing curveballs. This year, The Giving Groove is here to help you think more strategically, experiment more boldly, and—yes—find more joy in the craft of fundraising.
One request: If you value what you’re reading, please share this newsletter!
Here’s to an epic year of better grants, stronger relationships, and a little more ease in your inbox and your calendar.
Yours, Tonya