The reality: Mid-level givers often never receive a personal touch.

Nonprofit organizations aren’t losing donors because their missions aren’t meaningful, but because their follow-up isn’t. And when it comes to mid-level donors, the cost to nonprofits is high.

At a time of stagnation, with donor retention rates remain below 45 percent across the sector, nonprofits can’t afford to lose mid-level donors. These are the donors who typically give between $500 and $10,000 annually.

These donors are more generous and consistent than one-time donors, yet rarely receive the personalized attention offered to major donors. Organizations risk losing significant value with strategies to identify, engage, and steward these donors. 

Land of Limbo for Mid-Level Donors

Mid-level donors often occupy an undefined middle ground, not quite major gift prospects, yet more committed than general supporters. They are somewhere in limbo.

These donors don’t stop giving because they’re angry or don’t support the mission. They stop because they feel invisible.

According to AGP research,  mid-level donors want:

• They want to feel that they matter
• To be treated like people, not portfolios or a cash machine
• They expect personalization, recognition, and relevance
• They want to understand the impact of their gift

The Cost of Silence: Why Donors Exit

Too often, nonprofits are focused on campaigns and events, the fundraising calendar, instead of developing and nurturing meaningful relationships with mid-level donors. It’s a cyclical roller coaster development that teams are riding year after year.

Why You are Losing Donors:

• Donors are thanked generically – a one-size fits all message
• Outreach focuses on the organization’s greatness instead of the donors’ impact
• Organizations wait too long to follow up; there’s no stewardship

This leads to the costliest outcome of all: silence.

Organizations that delay action see:

• Donors lapse quietly
• Sustainers go without thanks and are unengaged
• Mid-level givers never receive a personal touch
• You miss opportunities for second asks and to build a relationship
• Board and staff morale decline as revenue flattens

These moments of non-communication are not just missed opportunities — they are silent signals to the donor that the relationship isn’t valued. Over time, these silences add up.

When donors don’t hear from you, they begin to wonder if their gift mattered. They question if your mission is still connected to their values. Silence breeds uncertainty, and uncertainty leads to quiet exits.

Waiting to act is costly.

Nonprofits don’t just lose sources of a reliable revenue stream, but donors who are most likely to be future sustainers, major donors, and loyal advocates. In addition, organizations risk staff burnout, fundraising fatigue, and loss of brand relevance.

Quick Steps to Boost Mid-Level Retention

The solution is to act now. Remember, the donor doesn’t want to hear less from you. They want to hear more about what they care about.

Organizations that act – even by taking small, consistent steps – see returns in higher retention and lifetime value; deeper engagement from first-time and mid-level givers; and clearer visibility into which strategies work.

How to get started:

• Personalize thank-you calls and notes. Enlist volunteers and board members to help.
• Follow up within days of a gift with stories showcasing the donors’ impact
• Create targeted digital content recognizing mid-level donors’ deeper commitment
• Asking for and reflecting donor feedback

You don’t need to overhaul everything to create intentional, meaningful experiences. Even small teams can put these practices into place.

To go deeper, AGP’s Mid-Level Accelerator Program, with scalable tiers for any sized team, offers a roadmap and guidance to unlock opportunities and grow your mid-level donor file. The program is geared for nonprofits who don’t have a mid-level program all the way to those with high-volume mid-level donors.

Case Study: How NAMI Designed a Scalable Donor Experience

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) partnered with AGP to assess the long-term health of their donor base and develop new strategies to drive stronger results. Despite a large, active donor file, NAMI was not acquiring new donors or reactivating lapsed donors in a timely manner.

AGP was able to work with NAMI to shift from transactional thinking to an intentional donor experience. For example, the giving threshold was lowered from $50 to $20 to bring more people int the donor community, Thoughtful welcome experiences were launched, and more touchpoints were integrated across platforms for a more donor-centric journey.

The results?

• Donors per mailing increased from 900 to 1,600
• Response rate nearly doubled
• Average gift adjusted to $34, helping drive volume and long-term potential

Fundraising is no longer just about dollars raised. It’s about trust earned. It’s personal. AGP believes donor experience is the new growth engine and is ready to help your organization tap into its power.

Read the full NAMI case study

Discover Hidden Opportunities in Your Fundraising Strategy

Ready to dive a little deeper? Explore our Fundraising Forecast Tool. It that helps you model fundraising scenarios by adjusting key inputs – including budget, donor behavior, and investment strategy across acquisition, renewal, and upgrade programs. It enables you to quickly compare outcomes, test shifts, and align spending with revenue goals before making financial commitments