Retain Your Donors — Sustain Your Mission
Keep Your Donors Engaged
The idea is simple: Keep active donors actively giving. But the strategy behind this idea needs to be grounded in research and solid fundraising practices. This is where BBS can help you — starting today.
Don’t welcome new donors onto your file just to leave them hanging. They won’t automatically keep giving after their first donation! BBS has learned how to keep donors involved — through relationship, engagement, and impact — and how to build a strategy for your ministry that holds up for the long haul.
Better Retention Rates = More Ministry for the Kingdom
Here’s The Math
Don’t just find a donor, or win a donor. KEEP a donor. Let’s say you have 5,000 active donors, giving a total of $150, on average, per year. But you know you lose about 30% of these donors each year. We can help you keep more of them, and that’s meaningful. Because for each 1% you improve your retention of these donors, you will see $7,500 in additional donations. And that means more ministry.
Ministry is about people — but the numbers tell us how many people you can help, and how effectively. We don’t want to see you missing out on the opportunity to help anyone in need.
Case Study
OneHope’s 7.17 ROI Fundraising Appeal
“We have a big project coming up and need a unique way to inspire support from both active givers and those who have lapsed.” With huge Christmas outreaches on the horizon, OneHope needed a stand-out mailing that would serve this dual purpose.
BBS helped accomplish both goals: Our “invitation” card package had a highly personal look and feel, utilized a handwritten effect without huge costs, and created plenty of curiosity and interest. Learn how…
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The Donor Data Doesn’t Lie
Tap Decades of Know-How — Now!
Built on decades of data that identifies what works and what doesn’t, BBS can help you develop a plan to keep your donors giving over time. Our strategies are focused on building trust and reliability with your supporters, while keeping your sights set on achieving your God-given goals through fundraising across multiple channels.
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- One Single Voice “If the written word of the Bible could be changed into a spoken word and become one single voice, this voice, more powerful than the roaring of the sea, would cry out: ‘The Father loves you!’” —Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa My prayer this week: Help my heart hear your voice of…
“Our ministry would not be the same without the BBS team. They consistently bring wisdom, diligence, and expertise to the table as well as invaluable assistance in the execution of strategies.”
Nate Curtis, Minister of Broadcast – First Baptist Dallas, Pathway to Victory
The Reality of Lapsed Donors
Insights to Keep Them From Disappearing
Not a happy subject: lapsed donors. But they’re a reality for any ministry. BBS has made several critical discoveries in our multiple “Disappearing Donor” studies — and these insights will help you keep your donors engaged long-term. Four key findings:
- Three types of lapsed donors — “Idles,” “Intentionals,” and “In-betweeners” — and the specific traits, attitudes, and motivations of each.
- Qualities donors universally consider important in a ministry.
- The main reasons a donor stops giving.
- How to increase a donor’s likelihood of renewing their support.
We’d love to tell you more about what we learned, and help you reengage donors who have, for one reason or another, “disappeared.”
See Study Get Discovery CallDonor Retention FAQ
Donor retention is both a calculation and a strategy. Calculating your donor retention means simply measuring how many donors continue to give to your organization. To calculate your donor retention rate, simply compare the number of donors in one previous period (i.e. last year) to the number of donors in a more recent period (i.e. this year).
A high donor retention rate means you have loyal donors who keep giving over time. But nonprofits with a low donor retention rate have an increased need to acquire new donors … which is usually much more difficult and more costly than retaining existing donors.
The decisions and choices your ministry makes to improve or maintain your current donor retention rate boil down to your strategy. BBS can help maximize this strategy and empower your nonprofit going forward.
Donor retention is important simply because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It is far, far cheaper and easier to retain a donor who currently gives to your ministry than it is to find and acquire a brand-new one. Donor acquisition is proven to be more expensive to nonprofits than keeping existing donors.
A straightforward way to calculate donor retention rate is to take the total number of donors who gave a gift in a baseline period (let’s say last year) and divide that by the total number of donors who have given in this period (this year). If 100 donors gave to your nonprofit last year, and 50 have given to you this year, your donor retention rate would be 50%.
A good donor retention rate is 30-33% as a general average for donors moving from their first year to second year of giving. For donors moving from year two of giving to year three and beyond (we call this segment ‘multi-year’ givers), a good donor retention rate is 70-75% on average.
Regardless of where your donor retention rate is today, we’d love to help you increase it. Get a complimentary discovery call to learn more below.
Essential Questions for Your Donor Retention Strategy
What’s Your Score?
If you’re unable to answer the following questions, you’re not alone. But you might want to claim a free discovery call below to hear how you can avoid overlooking just how essential a thriving donor retention strategy really is!
- What is the retention rate for each of your ministry’s key donor segments?
- How do you engage first-time donors to encourage a second donation?
- Which communication channels have proven most effective in maintaining long-term donor relationships for your ministry?
Retaining New Donors for Maximum Impact
Free Discovery Call
Get a trusted partner with a track record of results in donor retention who will put in the hard work — with a servant’s heart. We’ll get to know your existing donor file and collaborate with you to effectively move your ministry into the future.
Learn how to leverage donor data in order to drive strategy and deliver results. We have decades of experience coming alongside nonprofits like yours — some ministries have been with us for 10, 20, even 30 years and more. Let’s connect, and start this journey of maximizing your reach together. Complete the form below and request a free discovery call with our team!
