Are you gaining enough donors to offset the ones you’re losing? Every nonprofit organization, regardless of how large or small they are, needs to know the answer to this question.

While revenue metrics are important, keeping an eye on the number of donors you have has become equally important. Every organization loses up to 1/3 of their donors every year. How many will you lose?

To find the answer to this important question, let’s use a bucket analogy as a tool:

1. Fill your bucket: Adding new donors and reactivating lapsed donors is the lifeblood of every organization. Put strategies in place to acquire and re-engage donors year-round, with a special emphasis during the times of year when there is an impactful reason for donors to give to your organization. For many organizations, that’s the fall giving season. How many new and reactivated donors did your organization add in the past 12 months?
2. Minimize leaks: Donors continue to give because they believe in the organization’s mission and trust their gifts can make a difference. Stay focused on consistent, donor-focused communication through all available channels. How many donors have given to your organization in the past 12 months (not including the new and reactivated donors)?
3. Lost water: There is no way around it. You will lose donors; this is just the natural attrition of a donor file. How many donors stopped giving to your organization in the last 13+ months?

Is the combined quantity of the new and reactivated donors higher than the number of donors who stopped giving?

Hopefully the answer is yes. This means your organization is doing a nice job offsetting donor attrition and growing! And if the answer is no, our team would be happy to put the right strategies in place for you in 2022!