Did you know that UK nonprofits and charities only retain 40-50% of donors? This donor retention statistic tells us that a vast majority of your contributors quietly slip away, and you’ll need to double your efforts to find new donors. The expense to reacquire a lost donor can be five-to-seven times higher than retaining an existing donor.
Although the UK showed its generosity by donating £15.4 billion to charity in 2024, a 11% increase in donations over the previous year, the proportion of people giving to charity has fallen to only 50%, according to the CAF UK Giving 2025 Report.
This drastic change underscores the importance of retaining your contributors quickly. Even a 1% improvement in your donor retention rates can mean hundreds of additional pounds for your organisation without needing to find new contributors. This is possible by implementing donor retention strategies.
In this guide, we’re exploring the 6 ways to turn your one-time givers into lifelong supporters of your cause.
Why is Donor Retention Important?
First, let’s understand what donor retention is. Donor retention is all about keeping your donors coming back year after year. Beyond that, it prioritises maintaining strong relationships with your current givers over searching for new givers.
Donor retention metrics include:
- Donors Lost = # of donors from last year – # of donors from this year
- Donor Attrition Rate = (# of donors lost / # of donors from last year) X 100 or
(Total donors in year 1 – total donors in year 2)/ total donors in year 2) x 100
- Donor Retention Rate = (returning donors in year 2/ all donors in year 1) x 100
- Donor Lifetime Value = Average annual donation amount x length of relationship
Here are just a few of the key reasons to retain your donors:
Lower Fundraising Costs
Attracting and acquiring new donors can be more expensive than the cost of keeping an existing donor.
Stronger Donor-Charity Relationships
The longer a donor is associated with your cause, the more connected, engaged, and loyal they are to your mission.
Steady Funding
Retained givers are more likely to offer reliable support, which makes it easier to plan programs and services.
Positive Word of Mouth
Loyal contributors tend to share your cause with family and friends.
Likelihood of Recurring Contributions
Repeat donors are more likely to sign up for monthly giving programs.
Higher Donor Lifetime Value
A repeat contributor will probably contribute more over time than a one-time contributor.
Better Budget Forecasting
Planning your finances becomes easier when you better understand how much funding to expect.
Sustained Impact
Having a loyal base of givers means you don’t have to worry about shortfalls in donations.
Higher Engagement
Donors who stay true to your cause have a higher tendency to actively volunteer, advocate, or participate in events and initiatives.
Now you know why donor retention matters, read on for our top six recommended donor retention strategies to help your nonprofit grow and stay financially stable.
1. Personalised Communication
Communicating with your contributors regularly is great, but how impactful is your communication in building and maintaining relationships? Sending generic messages and mass forwards probably won’t help your cause. Relationship building and engagement with your donors start by making them feel seen and valued. You can show that their contribution matters by personalising your communications.
Sending emails with a personalised subject line is likely to get opened more than generic newsletters. You should also focus on sharing relevant content and updates that are more in line with what a donor supports. For example, share the next upcoming fundraiser with your donors who have recently contributed to an event.
With KindLink’s easy-to-use donor engagement CRM, it doesn’t take much effort to personalise your communication, but it makes your donors feel appreciated and engaged long into the future.
2. Share Donation Impacts Often
Another smart donor strategy to employ is showing contributors the impact of their generosity.
When people see the results of their contributions, it assures that their donation is making a difference, as well as building trust with your organisation by demonstrating how the contributions are being used. This keeps donors connected to your cause, and they’re more likely to stay involved.
Use the medium of storytelling to share real-life impact stories through email, social media, or newsletters. Pictures and videos from someone who has received help, as well as a before-and-after moment, are easy ways to show how a donor’s support is making a real impact and changing lives. You could even take it a step further and clarify how donations are being used through visual reports and statistics, made easy with KindLink’s donor management software.
3. Engage Lapsed Donors
Some donors may stop giving, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. They’ve likely stopped contributing simply because they feel unrecognised for their contributions or lack connection to your cause. But with a little effort, you can bring them back.
Reengage your lapsed donors through personal outreach messages to individual donors and special re-engagement campaigns for a broader audience. A well-worded, personalised message that reminds them of their earlier generosity is an effective way to reengage lapsed donors and give them a fresh reason to give.
4. Engage Donors on Social Media
A multi-channel approach allows you to connect with your donors in more than one way.
Aside from being a medium to talk more about your cause, social media can also be used to engage donors through a little public acknowledgement. Using social media channels to recognise donors’ contributions is respectful and strengthens their connection to your charity.
Volunteer event photos, images of in-kind donations, and peer-to-peer fundraising milestones are excellent opportunities to engage donors through social media content.
5. Use Data-Backed Strategy
Understanding donor behaviour is simple when you have a comprehensive donor database and a management tool like KindLink CRM. Timelines help you understand giving behaviour and patterns of donations over time. This is a smarter way for your nonprofit to build stronger relationships and personalise outreach.
Analyse data for frequency of donations, average donation amount, engagement levels (email open rate, shares, etc), and other helpful metrics to adjust your approach accordingly.
6. Seek Donor Feedback
Sometimes, listening and acting on what your donors have to say can be the best donor retention strategy. Givers who are asked for their input and see their comments acted on are more likely to feel a stronger connection to your charity.
Use simple survey forms or a personal check-in via email or message to hear donors’ feedback and thoughts. When donors see their input leading to change, they’re more likely to stay engaged.
Feedback means nothing if donors don’t see the results, so make sure you share updates with them.
Use KindLink CRM for Improved Donor Engagement
Donor retention is all about building and maintaining a community that believes in your cause. The strategies we’ve shared in this guide can help you stay connected with your contributors and consistent with your communication efforts, ultimately helping your charitable organisation grow.
KindLink’s user-friendly, no-cost online donor engagement platform and CRM offer a suite of tools for registered charities and trusts looking to keep donors engaged, informed, and connected.
Watch a demo to learn more about how our online platform can help you. Sign up and get started for free today.