Reignite Lost Support: A Guide to Winning Back Lapsed Donors

Many organisations face a common challenge to sustain long-term success: winning back lapsed donors. Donors who have previously contributed to your cause but have ceased giving represent a significant opportunity to reignite their support. 

The good news is that re-engaging lapsed donors is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Research shows it’s five times cheaper to win back lapsed donors than to find new ones. 

This article will dive into actionable insights & strategies to help your charity re-engage lapsed donors.

Prevention Is Better Than a Cure

First thing first, don’t wait for your donors to become lapsed; rather, be proactive and engage them from the early stages of your relationship (first donation).

Encouraging a second gift can dramatically boost overall donor retention rates and long-term support for your nonprofit.

Data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) shows that while first-time donor retention is very low, it increases significantly with each additional gift. For example, donors who give a second time are more than twice as likely to stay engaged as those who give only once.

Why Loyalty Matters?

Despite years of research proving its value, the charity sector continues to invest disproportionately in donor acquisition over retention. This leads to significant inefficiencies in fundraising budgets, especially given that acquiring a new donor still costs up to five times more than retaining one.

"Investing in acquisition while ignoring retention is like riding a stationary bike. You’re working hard, but you’re not going anywhere" - says Nathan Hill, a fundraising expert.

Studies today, like those from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, show that improving donor attrition by just 10% can more than double the long-term revenue potential of a donor base.

Why? Because loyal donors tend to:

• Upgrade their giving over time
• Contribute through multiple channels (e.g., volunteering, merchandise, events)
• Refer friends and family
• Leave legacy gifts or planned donations
• Provide valuable feedback that improves service delivery

Yet the opportunity remains largely untapped. With today's technology and access to data, the sector is well-equipped to do better—but it requires a shift in priorities from transactional fundraising to building long-term relationships.

What are Lapsed Donors?

Lapsed donors are individuals who have previously donated to a charity but have stopped making contributions for a specific period, typically 12 months or more. This duration can differ between organisations based on donation frequency, fundraising cycles, and donor segmentation.

Contributing Factors to Lapsed Donations:

Donor attrition is rarely caused by a single event. Instead, it’s often the result of overlapping factors. Some are outside a charity’s control, others are driven by communication, and some by relationship management. These triggers can be grouped into three main categories:

Triggers that Influence Donor Attrition

1. Situational

These factors are external and often beyond the charity's control. They reflect the broader environment in which donors live and give.

• Economic Factors and Donor Financial Capacity
  Financial constraints such as job loss, inflation, or rising living costs can cause donors to prioritise personal needs over charitable giving.
• Changes in Personal Circumstances
  Life events such as moving house, illness, or changes in family responsibilities can cause donors to lapse simply due to shifting priorities.
  

2. Influential

These factors are linked to how donors perceive and experience the charity’s work, transparency, and overall impact.

• Perceived Lack of Impact or Transparency
  When donors can’t see how their contributions are making a difference—or don’t receive clear communication about how funds are used—they’re less likely to continue giving.

The Charity Commission found that public trust in charities is closely tied to transparency and visible impact—with participants saying they trust charities more when they can see where the money goes and what it achieves.

• Donor Fatigue
  Being inundated with appeals can leave donors feeling overwhelmed and undervalued. Too many asks and not enough meaningful interaction may drive supporters away.

3. Reactive

These are internal responses to how the charity manages donor relationships. They reflect the donor's emotional response to their experience.

• Lack of Engagement and Poor Donor Stewardship
  Donors want to feel valued and part of something meaningful. When charities fail to thank, communicate, or build relationships, donors may disengage.

Insight: Organisations that implement structured donor stewardship plans experience a 40% increase in retention rates.

Strategies to Win Back Lapsed Donors:

1. Identifying and Segmenting Lapsed Donors

Before you can re-engage lapsed donors, it’s essential to identify them accurately. Start by defining who a lapsed donor is for your charity. Below are some key steps:

Criteria for Lapsed Status

While many nonprofits define a lapsed donor as someone who hasn’t donated within the past 12 months, the specific time frame can be adjusted depending on several factors, such as:

1. Type of Donations:
   
   
   • One-time vs. Recurring Donors: For charities that rely on recurring donations (e.g., monthly or quarterly), a donor may be considered lapsed after a shorter period of inactivity, such as 3 to 6 months.
     
     
   • Major Donors: For organisations that focus on larger, less frequent donations, donors may be classified as lapsed after 18 or even 24 months of inactivity.
     
2. Fundraising Cycle:
   
   
   • For nonprofits having annual fundraising campaigns or specific seasons (e.g., Lent, Ramadan, or end-of-year giving), a donor may be considered lapsed if they don’t contribute during a critical fundraising period.
     
3. 0Industry Norms:
   
   
   • Certain sectors, such as health-related charities or environmental groups, may experience different giving patterns compared to others, leading them to set their own criteria for lapsed donors. For example, a cause that experiences a lot of event-driven giving might have shorter windows for identifying lapsed donors.

Data Analysis and Segmentation

By leveraging your CRM system, you can segment lapsed donors based on:

• Frequency of past donations
• Donor demographics
• Average donation amount
• Previous campaign involvement

Segmentation lets you personalise communication efforts (the next step) and focus on those most likely to re-engage.

Data Enhancement

Ensure that your donor data is up-to-date. You can achieve this by using data appending services to fill in any missing information or correct errors, ensuring a more effective outreach.

2. Crafting Personalised and Impactful Outreach

Once you've identified your lapsed donors, the next step is to craft outreach that will resonate with them. Effective communication should make the donor feel valued and remind them of the impact they can continue to have.

To craft such communication, nonprofits must examine the factors that influence donor behavior: primarily satisfaction, identification, trust, and commitment.

2.1) Satisfaction

• Donor satisfaction is a strong predictor of loyalty.
• It stems from comparing expectations with service quality.
• Satisfaction impacts differ by donor profile and include both service to donors and beneficiaries.
• Despite its importance, few nonprofits consistently measure donor satisfaction, though some now track it through organisational metrics.

Goal: Remind donors that giving felt good — and that it made a difference.

Remind Donors: “My past experience with the charity was positive.”

Actions:

• Share impact stories linked to their previous support.
• Send a "Look what you helped us achieve" update.
• Create a “Year in Review” message that highlights milestones tied to past donors.
• Offer a quick, personalised survey asking: “How was your experience?” and use the insights to improve.

Comms: ✉️ “Your gift helped 45 children access clean water last year. Here’s what they’re up to now.”

2.2) Identification

• Donors are more loyal when they identify with a cause or organisation, often through a sense of shared values or social identity.
• Identification can be shaped by a charity’s brand personality, including traits like emotional stimulation, voice, service style, and tradition.
• These traits must be distinct and resonate with the donor’s self-image.
• However, over-reliance on external identity cues (e.g., group membership) may reduce long-term giving.

Goal: Reignite a sense of personal connection to the cause.

Remind Donors: “I see myself in the mission. This charity reflects my values.”

Actions:

• Use segmented messaging that aligns with the donor’s values (e.g. if they gave to education, send education impact stories).
• Highlight shared values: justice, compassion, faith, and community.
• Use language like: “You’ve always stood with us on [cause] — we’d love to walk together again.”
• Invite lapsed donors to mission-centered events or webinars.

Comms: ✉️ “You believed in education for all. So do we — and your voice still matters.”

2.3) Trust

• Trust strengthens donor loyalty directly and indirectly through satisfaction and commitment.
• Built through transparency, good judgment, shared values, communication, and positive frontline interactions.
• Non-material benefits, such as perceived effectiveness and ethical alignment, are key to trust.

Goal: Rebuild confidence and show transparency.

Remind Donors: “This charity is honest, competent, and will use my donation wisely.”

Actions:

• Share clear financial reports and explain where donations go.
• If the donor lapsed after a crisis or issue, acknowledge it and outline improvements.
• Include third-party validation: awards, partnerships, and testimonials.
• Show the human side of your team: introduce staff or volunteers.

Comms: ✉️ “We know trust is earned. Here’s what we’ve been doing to grow and stay accountable.”

2.4) Commitment

• Commitment is a forward-looking desire to maintain a relationship, distinct from satisfaction.
• It has two dimensions: affective (emotional connection) and normative (sense of obligation).
• Strong commitment can sustain loyalty even when satisfaction dips.

Goal: Make re-engagement meaningful and easy.

Remind Donor: “I want to be part of this charity’s future.”

Actions:

• Send a “We miss you” message with a clear path back (e.g. donate, volunteer, receive updates).
• Offer small first steps: low-value gifts, community events, and feedback surveys.
• Make the donor feel needed again: “Your support made a difference — and we still need you.”
• Recognise past giving with warm appreciation, not guilt.

Example: ✉️ “We’ve missed you in our community — and we’d love to welcome you back, in whatever way feels right for you.”

More on Personalisation:

Research shows that personalised emails have 6x higher transaction rates than non-personalised emails. Personalising outreach by addressing donors by name and referencing their past contributions makes your communication more impactful.

Storytelling and Impact

Donors want to see the real-world impact of their contributions. Share powerful stories, testimonials, and data-driven results that show how their past support made a difference. This could include:

• Success stories of beneficiaries.
• Impact reports showing measurable outcomes from past donations.

Multi-Channel Approach

Don’t rely on just one method of communication. A multi-channel approach can increase donor engagement. Combining emails, handwritten letters, and phone calls offers a better chance of re-engaging lapsed donors. 

“Donors who give offline and online are over 3x more valuable to your organisation than those who only give offline.”

“And multichannel donors are 56% more likely to stick around compared to offline only.”

3. Offering Flexible Giving Options

One of the best ways to win back lapsed donors is by offering them flexibility in how they can contribute. This makes it easier for them to give and encourages recurring donations.

Recurring Donations

Lapsed donors may be more willing to resume giving if they know they can set up a recurring donation. 

Research shows, recurring donors give 42% more than one-time donors over a year.

Recent data also shows that repeat retained donors—those who have given for multiple consecutive years—make up 43.8% of all donors, the largest segment. While every donor group saw declines in 2024, repeat donors had the smallest year-over-year drop (−7.8%) compared to much steeper declines in new and first-time retained donors.

This underscores the value of cultivating ongoing giving habits: donors who give more than once are not only more generous over time but also more resilient during challenging periods. 

Alternative Contributions

Sometimes, lapsed donors may be more inclined to donate in ways that don’t require direct financial contributions. Consider promoting options like:

• Peer-to-peer fundraising or event registration.
• In-kind donations, such as goods or services.

Matching Gifts

Employers often match their employees’ charitable donations. By educating donors about matching gift opportunities, you could significantly increase the amount of each donation.

4. Building Trust and Loyalty: Transparency Meets Stewardship

Regaining lapsed donors—and keeping them—requires two key ingredients: trust (to win them back) and connection (to inspire ongoing support). Here’s how to deliver both effectively.

4.1) Be Transparent About How Donations Are Used 

Impact Reports

Provide detailed reports showing how donations have been spent and the tangible outcomes achieved. Share figures and avoid vague statements.

Include annual reports, budget breakdowns, and future program projections to demonstrate accountability and reassure donors of your organisation’s legitimacy.

Visual Storytelling

Infographics, photos, and videos are incredibly effective at conveying the impact of donations. Visual content is shared on social media, 3-4x more than text-based content, making it an essential part of your outreach strategy.

4.2) Strengthen Relationships Through Ongoing Stewardship 

Once you’ve re-engaged lapsed donors, it’s important to maintain a strong relationship with them.

Acknowledgment

A simple thank-you note or phone call can go a long way in demonstrating appreciation. Studies show that donors who feel appreciated are more likely to give again.

Offer Meaningful Engagement

Offer exclusive experiences to your donors, such as:

• Behind-the-scenes tours
• Invitations to special events or webinars
• Recognition in annual reports or donor walls 

Keep the Conversation Going

Keep donors engaged through regular updates on ongoing projects and future campaigns. The more involved they feel, the more likely they are to stay committed to your cause.

5. Timing and Frequency of Re-Engagement Efforts

Timing is critical in donor re-engagement. Too early or too late, and you might miss the window of opportunity.

Optimal Timing

Reach out to lapsed donors during key moments, such as:

• Anniversaries of their last donation.
• Relevant campaigns or events that align with their past interests.

Consistent Communication

While it’s important not to overwhelm lapsed donors, consistent engagement ensures that your charity stays top of mind. Regular updates can rekindle interest and trust in your cause.

Testing and Optimisation

Experiment with different strategies to determine which timing and messaging resonate best with your lapsed donors. This could involve testing A/B campaigns or surveying donors about preferred outreach methods.

6. Leveraging Technology and Data Analytics

Data-driven decisions can dramatically improve the success of your re-engagement efforts.

CRM Utilisation

CRM systems like Engage by N3O can track donor interactions and allow you to tailor your outreach based on donor behavior. Utilise CRM data to personalise emails, track engagement, and optimise future campaigns.

Predictive Analytics

Leverage predictive analytics tools to identify which lapsed donors are most likely to respond to re-engagement efforts. These tools can analyse past donation behaviour and determine the best approach for each donor.

Automation Tools

Automated tools can streamline the re-engagement process, ensuring that no donor is overlooked. Automating emails, reminders, and thank-you notes can help keep the donor relationship alive without requiring manual effort.

Conclusion: Building a Sustainable Donor Base

Re-engaging lapsed donors requires a strategic, data-driven approach. 

Remember, re-engagement is not just about asking for money—it's about building lasting relationships based on trust, appreciation, and shared values.

By continuously assessing and refining your strategies, you can create a loyal, long-term donor base that will ensure the sustainability and success of your mission.