CFAR staff is stressed out the entire time, because they don't know if things will go as usual this year\. Will they raise the necessary amount at the last minute or will it go differently this time? This pattern makes it really hard for CFAR to adjust its fundraising strategy or try things during the fundraiser\. They basically have to sit there and wait until the last week or so, by which time it's usually too late to do anything\. It creates a bad signal for all other donors, especially if they haven't seen this pattern before\. "Hmm, the fudraiser has been going for three weeks, but basically no money has been raised\. May be there is a reason why everyone else is not donating that I just don't know about\." This causes the person to donate somewhere else or to wait and see, increasing the chance that others will adopt the same strategy\.
I would add an "I assume" here in parentheses, so you're not putting words in their mouth, or projecting feelings into their heads.