By donationsoftware October 28, 2025
Getting back lapsed donors is all about rebuilding trust and reminding them why they contributed to your cause in the first place. Donors fall off for simple things—life events, forgetfulness, or lack of engagement. With the right strategy, effective communication, and gentle follow-ups, you can re-start their passion and encourage them to contribute again.
Understanding Why Donors Stop Giving
Donors will stop giving for a multitude of different reasons, and you can’t control all of them. Sometimes people will see shifts in their finances, move to a new area, or simply change their priorities. Which is fair enough, but there are other causes that you can influence, like not keeping pace, not thanking them properly, or making them feel disconnected from your cause. These small things can make a big difference in whether they stay or leave.
Even if you can’t do it all, you can become more effective in the way you connect, follow up, and show appreciation. Ongoing expressions of gratitude and sincere curiosity are a significant benefit in maintaining contact with donors. Many organizations lose more than half of their donors each year, and it’s even harder to retain first-time givers. However, improving donor retention even modestly can dramatically change your overall revenue.
It’s also far cheaper to retain your current donors than acquire new ones. It’s shown through research that it can cost as much as five times more to get a new donor than to retain an existing one.
Also let’s not forget that loyal donors give more in the long run, which helps to build stable, predictable income and minimize the need for constant replacement in the long term. That’s why keeping an eye on donor activity is so important.
Keeping an eye on trends in donations, communications, and event attendance helps you identify when someone is backing off. By seeing the first warning signs, you can interrupt with a kind word or action to win them back. Knowing when you need to pay attention and act quickly can make all the difference between keeping your donors active.
How to Successfully Identify and Follow-Up with Lapsed Donors
Until you are aware of who the lapsed donors are, you can’t reconnect with them. You need to start with defining what “lapsed” is for your organization. For most non-profits, it is someone who hasn’t made a gift in the last 12 months. Once you’ve created that rule, look at your donor information. Count how many donors gave last year but not this year. This simple test enables you to calculate both your retention rate and your attrition rate.
Suppose 1,000 donors gave last year and just 430 have given again this year, your retention rate is 43%, or 57% of donors lapsed. It can take years to do this by hand, but a CRM or donor management system will handle it much more effortlessly. You can get it to automatically mark and tag lapsed donors. Tools like LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This) reports allow you to simply see who hasn’t given recently.
Once identified, you’re able to save those donors as a segment and follow up on them specifically by email, phone call, or handwritten note. This simple step guarantees no one falls through the cracks and every lapsed supporter is given an opportunity to rejoin your cause.
How to Prioritise Donors Based on Data
All lapsed donors don’t need your attention to the same level. The secret lies in focusing your time and effort on those donors who have the best chance of coming back. Start with leveraging your donor management system to segment donors by category, like gift size, when they gave most recently, and how often they’ve given in the past. This makes it easier to see who’s going to be worth a personal touch and who can be contacted more effectively by automated communications.
As an example, you can segment donors by how long it’s been since they last gave. Donors who gave about a year ago are less difficult to re-engage than those who gave several years ago and haven’t reconnected since. You can also look at how often they gave—repeat donors are more likely to give again than single givers. Another way you can prioritize is by the size of the gift. Even with smaller donors, you can first try to re-engage the donors who gave larger amounts than your original first-time gift.
Before you initiate contact, make sure your donor data is up to date. Remove out-of-date email addresses, unsubscribed donors, and those marked as “do not contact.” Clean data allows you to come across as professional and reliable.
If you would prefer to take it a step further, you can assign each donor a re-engagement score by taking into account their donation history and activity. Reward more points to the openers of your most recent emails, visitors to an event, or repeat givers, and then target based on those scores. High-scoring donors can be phoned personally or handwritten notes can be sent to them, mid-scoring donors can be sent a personalized email series, and low-scoring donors can be targeted with a simple “We miss you” campaign.
By letting data guide your work, you’re spending less time guessing and more time paying attention to the people who actually care about your cause.
How to Reconnect with Lapsed Donors and Rebuild Stronger Relationships
It’s not about asking for a second gift—re-engaging lapsed donors is about rebuilding trust and reminding them why they first cared. When donors lapse, a little empathy, data insight, and a true relationship can go a long way toward winning them back. Here’s how to do it right.
1. Start with Getting in Touch with the "Why"
After you call, take a moment to appreciate why a donor drifted away. Maybe it was personal issues, shifting priorities, or they just lost contact. Go back to your files to see when they last donated, what they supported, and how engaged they’ve been since. Knowing their background, you can then write a more better considerate and empathetic note—one that is more personalized, not businesslike.
2. Segment Your Donors Carefully
Every lapsed donor is different. Some gave a one-time gift, and others were monthly donors. Some prefer texts, while others take calls. Segment your lapsed donors by their donation method, gift amount, or preferred contact option. That way, you can speak to them with words that are much more specific to their own journey and make your contact more better, personal and significant.
3. Send a Friendly "We Miss You" Message
A low-key, sincere tone can revive a connection. Start with appreciation and not jumping to ask for a donation. Let them know how their last donation made a difference and praise that you’ve missed them. A letter that says, “We’ve missed you and hope you’re doing well,” is sincere and empathic—and often results in re-engagement.
4. Be Real and Personal
Humans connect with emotions, not with pre-made templates. Instead of robocalls, send a personal note or a short video message. Mention something specific about their earlier involvement or the project for which they contributed. A hint of personal touch reminds them that their contribution counts to ensure they remain in your cause.
5. Share What's New and Inspiring
Donors tend to get disconnected because they have no Idea of what has been happening. Give them updates on your latest projects, success stories, or achievements. Show them the positive impact of your work. When donors see good progress, they’re likely to be inspired to donate again.
6. Make It Easy to Give Again
If your giving process is clunky or too complicated, people won’t complete it. Keep it easy by offering simple options like mobile-friendly forms, quick links, or online payment facilities. The easier you make it, the more they will return.
7. Begin with Appreciation
Before asking again, take time to say thank you. Send a personal thank-you note or a small card expressing gratitude for their previous support. Thankfulness generates warmth and makes donors feel seen and appreciated—it’s the basis for any solid relationship.
8. Reconnect Through Community
Remember to remind your donors they’re not donors at all—they’re members of a community. Invite them to events, share behind-the-scenes stories, or ask them to volunteer. Interacting with them in ways beyond money connects them emotionally and encourages long-term loyalty.
9. Measure What Works Best
Never act on assumption, track what messages get the most responses, which donors activate again, and what channels are most effective. Tracking donor’s data from information smooths out your strategy and builds stronger, longer-lasting relationships.
10. Use Empathetic, Supportive Language
Avoid guilt messages like, “Why haven’t you given?” and instead use inclusive, warm-toned language like, “You’ve been an integral part of our journey,” or “We’d be privileged to share what your past generosity has enabled.” This shifts the emphasis from requesting funds to rebuilding a full relationship.
When you reach out to them with warmth, gratitude, and straightforwardness, donors feel appreciated , not bothered and are far more likely to return and stay connected for longer time.
Crafting the Correct Message
When you reach out to lapsed donors, your message must be heartfelt and genuine, not pushy or guilt-inducing. The objective is to remind them of how their support has mattered and bring them back into your work. Start by giving them thanks for what they did to make a difference.
Then, inform them of what is actually going on and how further support can progress things. You can send a short email series beginning with gratitude, followed by an inspirational story or update, and ending with a humble, straightforward way to ask to give again.
Sometimes, a brief survey of why they gave and what they are interested in now will re-motivate them, especially if you personally follow up. You can also invite them to a casual nonprofit event or volunteer opportunity so you can get together without asking. Finally, make it easy and meaningful to give by providing clear, low-dollar donation levels—like “$20 feeds a family for a week.”
Different Channels to Connect with Your Donors
You don’t connect with all your donors the same way. Some will want a call, while some will relate better with a note or social media. The idea is to catch them where they feel most true and comfortable. A friendly call says so much more than an email. It says you’re willing to take time out of your day to check in. Keep it short, friendly, and centered around gratitude. Talking about something particular about their previous support makes the call sound sincere and personal.
A postcard or handwritten note will shine against the backdrop of today’s digital age. It seems kind and considerate. Mentioning a couple of sentences about how their previous contribution had an effect on other’s life makes them feel connected once more. Including a minor update or photograph of your work in progress indicates to them that their support is not forgotten.
Text messages are another simple way to reach out, especially to younger donors. They’re quick, direct, and friendly. A short message that thanks them and includes a link to reconnect makes it easy for them to take action. It’s a light way to remind them that you’re still thinking of them.
A short personalized video can also leave a much more lasting impression. Face expression and voices resonate much more better with many individuals. A one-minute video from the team or the leader speaking about how their earlier support helped can make people feel real emotion. End with a warm invitation to reconnect without any strings of having to give.
Lastly, sharing impact stories on social media keeps past donors engaged at a distance. They may not be giving today, but they might still be with you. True stories of life changing stories, photos, and thank-you’s impact their minds about the difference they made in the past and encourage them to support your cause once again.
The goal is not merely to request support again—it’s to rebuild trust and connection. A genuine, human connection is the key to making a difference.
Conclusion
Reestablishing contact with lapsed donors is more important than guilt-tripping them. Many will return when you show sincere appreciation, share stories of real impact, and make donations much more easy. Your organization can become stronger and better over time with some modest improvements in donor retention.
FAQs
What is a lapsed donor?
A donor who has not made a donation within the allotted period, usually 12 months, is considered a lapsed donor.
What causes donors to stop giving?
Donors stop contributing because of changes in their finances, a lack of communication from the organization, or going out of touch.
How can nonprofits locate donors who have stopped making contributions?
Utilize your CRM to keep tabs on past donations and identify donors who haven’t contributed or participated in campaigns recently.
How can lapsed donors be re-engaged?
Invite them to re-connect through events or opportunities for small, meaningful donations, send them personalized messages, and share impact stories.
How frequently should donor data be examined?
To spot lapses early, modify communication tactics, and preserve solid donor relationships, review donor data every three months.