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For nonprofits
Donor retention and stewardship for nonprofits
Fewer than 1 in 5 people who gave to a nonprofit for the first time in 2024 gave to it again in 2025, according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project.
The fix is stewardship: a few simple habits that make donors feel their gift mattered. Here is what a small team can actually do.
Retention basics
| The problem | Fewer than 1 in 5 first-time donors gave again in 2025 |
| The fix | Prompt thanks, reporting back, staying in touch |
| The gap | Repeat donors came back at 59.3% in 2025, about three times the first-time rate |
| The tool | A simple record of who gave and when |
Why the second gift matters
It is easy to pour energy into finding new donors while the ones you have quietly slip away, the leaky-bucket problem. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project tracks how many donors come back. In its report for the full year 2025, just 18.9 percent of people who first gave to a nonprofit in 2024 gave to it again in 2025. Repeat donors, who gave in 2024 and in some earlier year, came back at 59.3 percent. So the hard gift is the second one.
The report’s advice is to treat the first month after a gift as the start of a relationship: a prompt thank-you, then a clear sense of what the gift made possible, then a more personal follow-up. That is stewardship.
The stewardship cycle
- Thank promptly. Within 48 hours, warm and personal, every time. See how to write a thank-you.
- Report back. Tell donors what their gift did. Impact, not overhead. Our impact reporting guide helps.
- Stay in touch between asks. A short update or story, not only appeals.
- Then ask again. A stewarded donor gives more readily the next time.
Segment lightly
You do not need a marketing engine. Just tell apart first-time, repeat, and lapsed donors, and treat them a little differently, welcome the new, deepen the loyal, win back the lapsed.
You can only steward what you track
Stewardship falls apart when giving history lives in someone's memory. Keep a simple record of who gave, how much, when, and what you have said since. See donor management for small nonprofits.
The small-team version
If all you do is thank every donor within 48 hours and send one honest update a quarter on what their gifts did, you have the heart of stewardship covered.
Ember Giving
Ember Giving keeps every donor's giving history in one place and shows who has gone quiet. Each gift you record with a donor lands on a needs-a-thank-you list, and Ember writes a draft you send yourself. Unlimited users on every tier.
General information for people starting or running a nonprofit, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm specifics with the IRS, your state, or a qualified professional.
Sources: Fundraising Effectiveness Project, 2025 Q4 FEP Report (the full year 2025) and its Retention Rate by Donor Type, read 25 September 2026 · councilofnonprofits.org · IRS, charitable organizations, verified August 2026.