If you\u2019ve been in fundraising for a while, you start to recognize the names, the gala captain who always brought friends, the monthly donor who replied to every newsletter, or the runner who raised big because a loved one was helped by your program. Then one day, you notice they haven\u2019t given this year. Your stomach sinks. Where did they go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is they might not be gone for good. While lapsed donors happen for a whole spectrum of reasons, many of them could come back with the right re-engagement strategy. Plus, re-engaging them usually costs way less than finding brand new donors. In short, recovery beats replacement every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll dive into why donors lapse, how to spot and prioritize who to reach out to first, what to say when you do, and how to create a multi-channel approach that won\u2019t overwhelm your busy team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to recognize that donors stop giving for all kinds of reasons; some are within your control, and some aren\u2019t. Maybe their financial situation changed, they moved, or their priorities shifted. That\u2019s life. But there are also reasons you can influence, like inconsistent communication, lack of acknowledgment, or a less-than-great experience with your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you can\u2019t control everything, focusing on the things you can improve, like how you thank, follow up, and stay connected, can go a long way in keeping donors engaged and coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many nonprofits keep fewer than half their donors year to year<\/a>. First timers? That number is even lower. Even though it\u2019s inevitable that many donors will lapse, small improvements in retention or reactivation<\/a> can add up to meaningful revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding a brand new donor is up to 5x more expensive<\/a> than keeping the ones you already have. So hanging on to people you\u2019ve already built trust with really matters. When more donors stick around, they give more over their lifetime, which means steadier revenue and less scrambling to replace everyone who disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why tracking donor behavior is step one. A CRM for nonprofits<\/a> makes it simple by pulling gift history, email engagement, event attendance, and more into one place so you can spot when someone is slipping and jump in early\u2013for their sake and yours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n First things first: you can\u2019t re-engage lapsed donors if you don\u2019t know who they are. Start by deciding what \u201clapsed\u201d means for your organization. A common benchmark is anyone who hasn\u2019t given in the last 12 months. The key is to define it clearly and stick with it so everyone on your team uses the same language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve set your definition, it\u2019s time to crunch some numbers. Look at the donors who gave last year and see how many haven\u2019t given again this year. Divide that number by your original donor count to get your attrition rate. Flip it around and you\u2019ve got your retention rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, say you have 1,000 donors that gave last fiscal year<\/em>. Now, here\u2019s where your CRM can do the heavy lifting. For example, CauseVox\u2019s CRM<\/a> makes it simple to spot lapsed donors with saved filters and automatic tags. You can run a LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This) report to get a clear picture of who needs to be re-engaged. Save that list as a segment so you can easily send them an email, create a task, or just become aware of who is slipping through the cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve established, the average donor retention rate is less than 50%. You can\u2019t (and shouldn\u2019t!) give every lapsed donor the same amount of energy. Smart prioritization is the way to go here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best place to start is by using your CRM data<\/a> to segment lapsed donors by things like gift size, last gift date, and campaign type. Once you\u2019ve grouped them, you can decide which groups to prioritize first, who\u2019s worth a personal touch, and who can go into an automated journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some helpful segments for lapsed donors<\/a> in your CRM include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you launch anything, clean up your data. Nothing hurts trust faster than emailing an address that\u2019s been marked \u201cdo not contact\u201d or pinging a deceased supporter. Use your CRM filters to weed out bounced emails and unsubscribed contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to go one step further? Build a quick re-engagement score. No need for anything fancy, just a simple point system in your CRM or a spreadsheet. Give points for things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add up the points and tier your outreach. This could look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you let your data guide your time, you spend less energy guessing and more time reconnecting with people who\u2019ve already raised their hand for your mission. CauseVox helps you see that data at a glance so you can act fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIdentifying Lapsed Donors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
430 have already given again. 570 have not.
So retention is 43%, while attrition is 57%.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nQualifying Lapsed Donors (So You Spend Time Where It Matters)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\nDownload our free Complete Guide to Nonprofit CRMs<\/a>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n