Are your donors sticking with you?

Especially in times like this, when it is challenging to attract new donors, tracking your retention rate (how many donors return year over year) is essential.

Not only does your retention rate measure the effectiveness of your fundraising tactics and messaging, but it also measures the level of connection donors have to your organization.

Knowing how donors respond to your solicitation and stewardship efforts is essential to guide you in achieving the strongest net revenue. Why? Because it’s far less costly to keep the donors you have than to secure new ones.

Tracking retention over time is also useful because external factors will affect your program, such as the economy, the characteristics of your community, the type of people who typically donate in your sector, and the ways you bring people into your program in the first place.

While there are many elements that play into your retention rate, this one simple metric is a powerful tool for making decisions about when and how to solicit donors, when and how to focus on stewardship and engagement, and even how urgent or assertive your appeals should be to achieve maximum response.