Fundraising Insight: How Small Nonprofits Can Navigate the Canada Post Strike and Protect Year-End Revenue

The Canada Post strike couldn't have come at a worse time for Canadian nonprofits. With charities estimated to have lost over $266 million in donations during the 2024 strike, and another disruption currently affecting mail delivery during the critical year-end giving season, small nonprofit leaders are scrambling to adapt their fundraising strategies.

The reality? This strike has exposed a fundamental vulnerability in traditional fundraising approaches that many small nonprofits can no longer afford to ignore.

Why the Canada Post Strike Hits Small Nonprofits So Hard

Most Canadian charities rely heavily on the final quarter of the year for fundraising success. Meanwhile, Neon One's analysis of year-end giving patterns shows that 40% of annual revenue is raised in December alone, with a significant portion coming through direct mail campaigns.

The timing of postal disruptions during peak giving season creates a perfect storm:

• Cash flow challenges as mail-in donations are delayed by weeks

• Lower response rates for direct mail appeals that never reach donors

• Rising operational costs as organizations pivot to expensive courier services

• Donor confusion when acknowledgment letters and tax receipts are delayed

Immediate Response Strategies: What to Do Right Now

1. Communicate Transparently with Your Donor Base

Your first priority should be addressing the situation head-on with your supporters. Here's how to start:

Send a general e-blast to all donors that acknowledges the postal disruption directly. A successful approach includes: thanking supporters who have already mailed donations, explaining the impact on your organization's critical work, and providing clear alternative giving options with immediate impact messaging.

Or even better, create personalized messages based on donor segments:

• Monthly donors - invited to make an additional donation to help organizations get through the crisis

• Donors who normally mail-in their gift - invited to donate online with clear instructions

• Annual donors who normally give at this time of year - specific messaging referencing their seasonal giving behavior

Develop personalized Loom videos for major donors explaining the situation and your alternative giving options.

2. Optimize Your Digital Infrastructure

Use the time you're not spending logging cheques to enhance your digital giving experience:

Time to audit and refresh your online giving forms. Make sure they're mobile-optimized and user-friendly.

Put your phone number prominently on your giving page and homepage for those who don’t feel comfortable giving online.

Add an announcement bar at the top of your homepage mentioning the strike and directing visitors to your online giving form. Make sure your conversion tracking is set up properly.

Create a video from your Executive Director for social media explaining the impact and asking for continued support.

3. Test New Communication Channels

Talk to your leadership about freeing up extra budget to test some innovative features:

• Ringless voicemail drops - Leave a voice message in someone's inbox without ringing their phone (they'll see a missed call). Keep the tone friendly and casual.

• SMS campaigns for immediate donor outreach.

• Paid ads with video reels targeting your donor segments.

• Phone call campaigns for personal connection.

For your custom audiences: Create targeted lists in Meta, Google, and Bing using your direct mail database (even without all phone numbers and emails) to reach donors through digital ads.

4. Get Creative with Physical Outreach

While supporters aren’t expecting to receive mail during this time, there are other ways you can surprise and delight with deliveries:

• Private couriers for mid-level and major donors when mail isn't reliable

• Hand-delivered appeals taped to donors' doors with notes about program impact and postal strike risks

• Hand-delivered mail with thank-you treats for your most important supporters

5. Leverage Multi-Channel Outreach

If you have the bandwidth, consider putting together an informal 'virtual roundtable' with your ED, program staff, and a client/visitor/beneficiary who can tell an impact story tied to your year-end fundraising goals. Invite your donor list for this exclusive conversation and invite dialogue about your mission.

Planning for Different Strike Scenarios

Strategic fundraising experts at Build Good have developed a helpful framework for adapting to postal strikes based on their duration. Here's how to think about your response strategy:

For shorter disruptions (under a month): Focus on maintaining your existing mail schedule with enhanced digital support. Frame communications around temporary service interruptions.

For medium-length strikes (1-2 months): Shift significant resources to digital channels, particularly for key giving events like Giving Tuesday. Adjust your mail timeline but maintain December campaigns.

For extended disruptions (2+ months): Pivot to a primarily digital strategy with targeted courier services for your most important donor relationships. Consider messaging that emphasizes organizational resilience.

For prolonged strikes (extending into December): Implement a fully digital year-end campaign supported by phone outreach and strategic courier deliveries. Focus messaging on how your mission continues despite external challenges.

This framework is adapted from strategic guidance provided by BuildGood’s postal strike planning resources.

Long-Term Strategic Shifts: Building Resilience for the Future

The Canada Post strikes have accelerated a trend that was already underway: the need for small nonprofits to diversify their fundraising channels beyond traditional direct mail.

Digital-First Fundraising Approach

Smart organizations are implementing:

• Recurring giving programs that provide predictable monthly revenue

• Multi-channel donor communications using email, SMS, and social media

• Online donation optimization with streamlined, mobile-friendly processes

• Donor relationship management systems that track preferences and giving history

Tips to Plan Ahead for Future Postal Strikes

Some more tips from BuildGood to help plan ahead of future postal strikes are:

• Plan to invest and focus on building a healthy Monthly Giving Program

• Invest/experiment in online Lead Generation Programs

• Prepare digital and phone-first backstops now (email, SMS, ads, ringless voicemails, call scripts)

• Scenario plan what activities you're going to trigger when

• Test new channels now (ringless voicemail, SMS, private courier)

• Identify the top 20% of donors who need to hear from you, no matter what - and create a plan for them

Fractional Fundraising Solutions

For many small nonprofits, the expertise required to successfully navigate these digital transformations is beyond their current capacity. This is where fractional fundraising services become invaluable - especially during crises like postal strikes.

When a postal strike hits, Executive Directors are suddenly scrambling to:

• Pivot donor communications to digital channels they may not be familiar with

• Redesign campaign timelines and messaging strategies

• Manage donor confusion while maintaining stewardship relationships

• Implement new giving technologies under pressure

Or, let’s be honest, in some cases, the campaign simply does not go out. Have you been here before?

Rather than hiring a full-time development coordinator (with salary, benefits, and training costs), small organizations can access senior-level fundraising expertise through fractional partnerships that provide:

Immediate Crisis Response:

• Emergency communication strategies that maintain donor confidence during disruptions

• Multi-channel campaign pivots leveraging email, social media, and digital platforms when mail fails

• Donor stewardship continuity ensuring relationships stay strong regardless of delivery method delays

• Technology implementation for online giving optimization and donor database management

Strategic Capacity Building:

• Crisis response protocols with pre-built templates and workflows for future postal strikes

• Channel diversification planning that reduces dependence on any single communication method

• Staff relief for overwhelmed EDs who can focus on mission-critical work while fundraising continues seamlessly

The greatest advantage? Fractional fundraisers bring proven experience from multiple organizations that have navigated similar crises. They don't need weeks to develop strategies - they can implement tested solutions immediately while your in-house team focuses on program delivery.

This approach transforms crisis management from reactive scrambling into proactive, strategic response - exactly what small nonprofits need when every donation dollar counts during challenging times.

Creating Donor-Centric Alternatives

The key to maintaining donor loyalty during disruptions is providing convenient, secure alternatives that match donor preferences. Treat this as a forcing function to get closer to donors.

Immediate Implementation Ideas:

• Text-to-give campaigns for instant mobile donations

• Social media fundraising tools on Facebook and Instagram

• Peer-to-peer fundraising, empowering supporters to raise funds within their networks

Donor Education Initiatives:

• Email tutorials showing how to donate online

• Phone support for donors uncomfortable with digital giving

• Clear communication about security measures protecting online donations

Measuring Success Beyond the Crisis

While adapting to the immediate crisis is crucial, small nonprofits should use this disruption as an opportunity to build more robust measurement systems:

• Track donor retention rates across different giving channels

• Monitor average gift sizes for digital vs. traditional donations

• Measure response rates for email vs. direct mail campaigns

• Calculate cost-per-dollar-raised for each fundraising method

Ready to stop feeling constantly overwhelmed by fundraising challenges? Join our community of nonprofit leaders who get weekly strategies for reducing stress, creating better work-life balance, and building sustainable systems that work even during crises.

The Silver Lining: Accelerated Innovation

Despite the challenges, Imagine Canada reported that 65% of Canadians planned to donate during the 2024 holiday season - up from 49% in 2023, with average intended giving amounts increasing from $100 to $118.

This demonstrates that Canadian generosity remains strong - the challenge is simply connecting with donors through reliable channels.

Your Next Steps

If you're a small nonprofit leader feeling overwhelmed by the need to rapidly digitize your fundraising:

1. Audit your current giving options - How easy is it for donors to give online?

2. Segment your donor database - Who gives how, when, and why?

3. Develop crisis communication templates - Be ready for future disruptions

4. Consider fractional fundraising support - Access expertise without full-time hiring costs

Update donors now, once. But remember that a strike alone is not a reason to give. Update your website and make sure conversion-tracking is setup. Prepare digital and phone-first backstops now (email, SMS, ads, ringless voicemails, call scripts).

The Canada Post strike has highlighted a critical truth: small nonprofits can no longer rely on single-channel fundraising approaches. Those who adapt quickly and strategically will not only survive this crisis but emerge stronger and more resilient.

Ready to future-proof your fundraising strategy? The organizations that thrive in this new landscape will be those that combine strategic thinking with consistent implementation - exactly what fractional fundraising partnerships provide.