5 Year-End Actions for a Resilient 2026

As 2025 ends, the social impact sector looks back on a year of uncertainty, with few answers about what 2026 will hold. Throughout this year, the Blackbaud Institute reached out to professionals across the sector to get a pulse on not only how organizations were performing, but how confident they felt in their ability to tackle the challenges they faced. The results were compiled in our latest report Risk Readiness: Leading with Confidence in Uncertain Times.

We found a common thread amongst those leaders who were undaunted by the risks their organizations faced: to them, uncertainty isn’t just a challenge—it’s an invitation. An invitation to rethink, to innovate, and to build resilience that will carry them into a successful 2026 and beyond.

Here are five practical actions—based in the real-world strategies of confident leaders—you can take now to strengthen your organization’s impact:

1. Establish Clear Policies for AI Use

If your organization is experimenting with AI or other new tech, create or update your policies. Unifying your organization around a shared AI policy is critical to security and effectiveness. Spell out how you use AI responsibly and bring stakeholders to the table to discuss your unique responsibilities and use cases.

Transparency builds trust and prepares you for future opportunities. If you’re using AI, make your policy public. This isn’t just compliance—it’s a differentiator.

Unsure where to get started? In this video, Carrie Cobb, Blackbaud’s Chief Data and AI Officer shares five steps to create a responsible AI policy at your organization.

2. Review and Diversify Your Funding Sources

Diversification is an antidote to uncertainty. Proactive organizations are less concerned about changing funding landscapes because they haven’t put all of their eggs in one basket.

Before year-end, identify one new revenue stream—maybe it’s a partnership with a local business for an employee fundraiser, or launching a recurring giving program. Even small pilots can spark big results.

3. Clean and Update Your Data

Clean data is the backbone of effective fundraising. Organizations with robust data hygiene practices report higher campaign ROI and fewer missed opportunities.

Now is the perfect time to review your donor and stakeholder data. Use your year-end appeal as a hands-on data hygiene exercise. Document your goals, track bounce-backs, and fix inaccuracies. Set up a shared dashboard so everyone can see progress in real time.

4. Foster Cross-Department Collaboration

Proactive organizations are focused on getting the most out of their resources. A collaborative organization is more effective, innovative, and prepared for unknowns. Break down silos by setting shared goals across teams. Bring together marketing, development, finance, and IT for a year-end planning session. Set shared goals and milestones and use collaborative tools to keep everyone aligned.

5. Pilot a New Initiative

Innovation starts small. Organizations that tested AI on a single pain point—like automating donor thank-you emails or predicting lapsed donors—can scale successful pilots across their operations.

Identify a challenge and launch a small-scale pilot project to address it. Measure results, learn quickly, and be ready to scale what works.

Ready to take action? Download our comprehensive Risk Readiness Report for more insights and practical strategies to make 2026 your most resilient year yet.