If your fundraising appeal could go out any day of the year, it’s probably not urgent enough. Urgency is what turns that’s nice into I should give right now. It’s not panic or pressure—it’s focus. Donors want to know why their gift matters today, not someday. Here’s what works: keep your appeals time-bound, spell out what’s at stake if someone waits, and give supporters a clear next step. Because when donors understand why now, they act—every time.