Nonprofits are raising more dollars — but from fewer donors. While an increase in donations sounds like great news, it can shift focus in the wrong direction. It’s easy to prioritize major donors who fill the gap left by those giving $100 or less. 

But chasing short-term wins risks losing the long game. For the past four years, donor retention has steadily declined, sending valuable support out the door. 

Keeping donors at every level coming back is key to your organization’s long-term success. When you retain donors, you save time, money, and resources while building deeper, more meaningful relationships. 

The good news? You don’t need an elaborate retention plan to make an impact. Start with these four quick tips to turn one-time donors into lifelong supporters. 

Keep Them Coming Back: Why Retention Matters 

Tired of the endless search for new donors? Retention is the key to moving your nonprofit from simply surviving to truly thriving. With an average donor retention rate of just 45%, more than half of your donors disappear each year — forcing you to spend valuable time and resources replacing them. 

It’s also expensive — it costs five times more to acquire a new donor than to retain an existing one. That money could be invested in stewarding current donors and strengthening your programs. 

Retention can be tricky, but it’s worth the effort. Retained donors tend to give two to three times more over their lifetime than single-gift donors. With a deep well of sustained support in your corner, you can focus on engaging your audience and delivering your mission. 

But retention doesn’t just happen. Even a recurring giving program will only last so long if you just set it and forget it. True retention starts by developing relationships. You must continuously give donors a reason to support you. Those whose values align with your cause are the most likely to form a lasting connection with your organization. 

4 Quick Retention Wins to Try Today 

Many retention strategies are effective on any channel. If you use an omnichannel approach to reach donors, you’ll want to prioritize retention on each platform.  

The best part? Getting started is simple. Retaining donors doesn’t have to drain your budget or your time. We’ve rounded up top tactics you can put into action today to build lasting relationships — no matter how or where you connect with your supporters. 

1. Personalize All Communications 

More than half of nonprofits already personalize communications, but it’s often only done on one channel or to a single segment of donors. Personalization is more than using a donor’s first name. It can include their giving amount and frequency, volunteer history, and program interests.  

Don’t just show donors you know their names; show them you know who they are. Relevant outreach demonstrates that you value them beyond their monetary gift. With this as your guiding light, it comes down to finding the right channel for the right form of personalization. 

For example, use email, text, and direct mail to highlight the impact of the donor’s previous gifts through storytelling. You only need a nice photo and compelling copy: “Your $100 gift enabled us to groom these five dogs and place them with loving families,” or “Your $250 donation filled these backpacks with supplies for seven students.” 

2. Use Data to Segment Your Audience 

When it comes to segmentation, age and income level are only the beginning. There are countless ways to group your donors: donation amount, the year they started giving, events they attended, how frequently they give, programs they support, communication preferences, or anything else that reflects their experience with your organization.  

Rather than casting a wide net, segmentation enables you to deliver relevant messages that align with your donors’ interests and values. Personalization then becomes easier, which signals that you care about building a relationship, not just a transaction. 

Social media targeting is an excellent way to share programs or event updates with interested supporters. Say you created a Facebook event for an upcoming fundraiser or program. You can save the audience that responded to it and retarget them with additional posts or ads to promote that need further.  

3. Deliver a Better “Thank You”

An automated “thank you” email or text is better than nothing, but aiming higher can acknowledge the gift, start a conversation, and share your mission all at once. Include a testimonial, photo, or video explaining their real-world impact. Specify how their donation will be used.  

Be sure to thank monthly or recurring donors after each gift, too. Share the running tally of their donation and the difference it has made: “You’ve given $300 so far this year, which has helped us feed 1,500 hungry families in our community.”  

This is also a good way to upgrade donors. If you offer special perks or free items to people who give $1,000 annually but the donor’s monthly gift totals $900 ($75/month), explain the extra benefits they’ll receive by upping their monthly gift to $84. 

Finally, use your website to get creative in recognizing donors. Display donor names prominently on a virtual “donor board” or spotlight a donor of the month. You could also use an interactive map, graph, or other features to share real-time impact updates.  

4. Start and Promote Recurring Giving

Thanks to for-profits, most people are conditioned to subscription plans for nearly everything, from meals and clothing to skincare products. Take advantage of this by starting a recurring giving program, which offers convenience for your donors and passive income for you. 

Recurring giving programs also give you multiple touchpoints with your supporters throughout the year. A few days before the donation is drafted, send a quick text or email to remind and thank them for the upcoming gift. You might also consider offering them the option to skip that month. Follow up on the transaction with a heartfelt thank you note on how the donation will further your mission. 

Once your recurring giving program is in place, promote it everywhere — especially on your donation form or pages. When you thank a donor for a one-time gift, use clear and concise terms to illustrate how they can double or triple their impact through a monthly gift.  

You can also use your customer relationship management (CRM) software or another data tool like GivingDNA to find donors more likely to upgrade to monthly giving. Then, use social media, email, and other channels to target this group directly.  

Altogether, It’s Retention Made Easy  

Download the Guide!

Not only are these retention tips easy to implement, but they also work hand-in-hand. Segmentation leads to more relevant and personalized messages and “thank yous,” which deepen your connection with donors. As this connection grows, donors become more loyal to your cause — and more likely to support it through a recurring gift.  

These four steps are just the beginning of a robust retention strategy built on strong donor relationships. Our new eBook, “Retention Guide: 30 Strategies to Optimize Retention Across Channels,” is chock-full of channel-specific actions you can take to retain more donors.