This document summarizes a webinar about strategies for recapturing lapsed donors. The webinar focuses on analyzing why donors stopped giving and prioritizing them for outreach. Attendees learn to categorize donors based on common reasons for lapsing like deceased, suppressed records, or address changes. They also sort a sample donor list by giving history. The webinar then reviews strategies to get lapsed donors to resume support, from basic lapsed letters to volunteer calls or lowering gift levels. Additional resources on the topic are also provided.

1. BLUE STRIKE
Recapturing
Lost Donors

2. WELCOME
 This is a 45-minute webinar focused on one of the most
common fundraising problems: lost donors.
 Intended for development staff who have responsibility for
individual giving.
 Developed with advocacy organizations in mind.
 Features straightforward, low -cost strategies for getting
lapsed donors back on board.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

3. BLUE
STRIKE:
INSPIRING
SUPPORT FOR
CIVIC
E N G A G E ME N T
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

4. WEBINAR AGENDA
 The first part of the webinar will focus on some of the most
common reasons people stop giving.
 In the second part, we will use that framework to prioritize a
sample list of lapsed donors.
 Then, we will talk about the strategies for getting priority
donors back in the fold.
 We will pause between each section for comments and
questions.
 And we will wrap up by 2:00 PM.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

5. ASSUMPTIONS
 These are short-term lapsed donors; last gift was between 12
and 24 months ago.
 We are looking for donors with a high probability of coming
back as well as those who are worth a special effort.
 Allocating resources carefully.
 The goal is to develop a target list for high -touch contact
and . . .
 Bring donors back on board!
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

6. RUN THE
“LYBNT”
LIST:
ALL DONORS
WHO GAVE
LAST YEAR
BUT NOT THIS
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

7. NAME
LAST GIFT LAST GIFT
DATE
AMOUNT
Margaret Chen
2012-03-15
$1,000.00
Al Johnson
2012-06-20
$1,500.00
Henry Abrams
2012-08-25
$250.00
Carlos Gonzalez
2012-04-10
$100.00
Craig Arroyo
2012-12-31
$350.00
John Miller
2011-12-15
$2,500.00
Amanda Jones
2012-11-15
$250.00
Maria Salas
2011-12-31
$1,000.00
Mary Smith
2012-06-18
$250.00
Robert Stein
2012-08-20
REASON
$750.00
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
PRIORITY

8. COMMON REASONS
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
WHY
DONORS
STOP
GIVING

9. NAME
LAST GIFT LAST GIFT
DATE
AMOUNT
REASON
Margaret Chen
2012-03-15
$1,000.00 tribute gift
Al Johnson
2012-06-20
$1,500.00 deceased
Henry Abrams
2012-08-25
$250.00 suppressed
Carlos Gonzalez
2012-04-10
$100.00 memorial gift
Craig Arroyo
2012-12-31
$350.00 intermittent
John Miller
2011-12-15
$2,500.00 angry donor
Amanda Jones
2012-11-15
$250.00 crisis donor
Maria Salas
2011-12-31
Mary Smith
2012-06-18
$1,000.00 unaware lapsed
change in
$250.00 circumstance
Robert Stein
2012-08-20
$750.00 moved/changed
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
PRIORITY

10. 1. QUESTION OR COMMENTS
Does your
organization have
other common
reasons for donors
dropping off?
Do any of the 10
reasons listed here
NOT pertain to your
organization?
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

11. PRIORITY:
YES, NO OR
MAYBE?
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

12. COMMON REASONS FOR
LAPSED DONORS
1.
Donor gave b/c business associate Priority? MAYBE
2. Deceased. Priority? MAYBE
3. Record was suppressed. Priority? YES
4. Memorial gifts. Priority? NO
5. Intermittent donors. Priority? YES
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

13. COMMON REASONS (CONTINUED)
6. Angry donors. Priority? YES
7. Crisis givers. Priority ? NO
8. Unaware donors. Priority ? YES
9. Change in donor’s circumstances. Priority? YES
10. No address, no phone, no email. No contact info. YES
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

14. NAME
LAST GIFT LAST GIFT
DATE
AMOUNT
REASON
PRIORITY
?
Margaret Chen
2012-03-15
$1,000.00 tribute gift
Maybe
Al Johnson
2012-06-20
$1,500.00 deceased
Maybe
Henry Abrams
2012-08-25
$250.00 suppressed
Yes
Carlos Gonzalez
2012-04-10
$100.00 memorial gift
No
Craig Arroyo
2012-12-31
$350.00 intermittent
Yes
John Miller
2011-12-15
$2,500.00 angry donor
Amanda Jones
2012-11-15
$250.00 crisis donor
Maria Salas
2011-12-31
Mary Smith
Robert Stein
Maybe
No
Yes
2012-06-18
$1,000.00 unaware lapsed
change in
$250.00 circumstance
2012-08-20
$750.00 moved/changed
Yes
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
Yes

15. 2. QUESTION OR COMMENTS
Do you have any
concerns about the
low-priority
groups?
Do you prefer to
give greater weight
to high-dollar
donors regardless of
reason for lapse?
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

16. SORT
YOUR
LIST
USING DONOR
GIVING
HISTORY
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

17. NEXT STEP: A SECOND CUT
 Once you’ve prioritized your list based on the reason for not
giving, you can push the low probability recaptures to the
bottom of the list.
 Then, you will want to sort by giving levels and giving
history to focus your efforts on donors who are well worth
your time to recapture, usually long-time donors, high
dollar donors.
 Other key stakeholders may merit special attention, such as
former board members.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

18. RE-INSTATEMENT
STRATEGIES
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
FOR
LAPSED
DONORS

19. THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM
 Send a lapsed letter as soon as the fiscal year closes and you
have a reasonable handle on who has fallen off.
 Do not send a special appeal or additional program info.
Just a one-page letter that says “your membership has
expired” or “the date of your last gift was [date of last gift]
and amount” with a request for renewed support and a
deadline.
 Include language that says, “if we somehow missed your gift,
please contact us so we can update our records.”
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

20. THE BLITZ
 Send a personal email, mail a statement -style letter and
make a personal phone call - all at the same time.
 This all-at-once approach is designed to cut through the
noise, to get their attention.
 Make sure your contacts all reference one another .
 Set aside a week to 10 days as a reinstatement campaign and
enlist other staff.
 Recruit and train interns to call as volunteers.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

21. ENGAGE VOLUNTEER LEADERS
 Share lapsed list with board members or development
committee members and ask for help with follow up.
 Recruit volunteers for outreach, not fundraising .
 Brief volunteers on the importance of these donors by
highlighting their giving history.
 Try three-way conference calls to facilitate calls.
 Make calls in evenings or Sat/Sun afternoon.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

22. CHANGE THE ASK
 Lower the threshold or minimum ask.
 Develop affinity groups or new categories for donors who
have to scale back.
 Send a case statement that provides more substantive
program info; an explanation for a position on issue.
 Appeal to them with a special request, such as a matching
campaign.
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

23. 3. QUESTION OR COMMENTS
Have you used other
strategies that have
been successful?
Which donors seem
to be the toughest to
get back on board?
Do you have any
special categories for
donors whose
circumstances have
changed?
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

24. ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014
MORE
INFO

25. PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
The Hidden Gold in Your Donor File – Lapsed Donors
Presentation by Becky Odom CFRE, Barton Cotton and Krista
Humphrey, Nat'l Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund,
direct mail, file segmentation, retention is the new acquisition
Baby Come Back? Wooing Lapsed Donors
Presentation by Amy Ricigliano, Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, Nicole Titus, OMP, and Graham
Hunter, Direct Media for the Direct Mail Association. See
page 4.
How to Write a Fundraising Letter that Wins them Back by
Alan Sharp for Network for Good
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

26. BLUE
STRIKE:
INSPIRING
SUPPORT FOR
CIVIC
E N G A G E ME N T
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

27. BLUE STRIKE WEBINARS
Simple Tips for Publishing Your Donor List
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Introduce Your Board to Fundraising
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Sending Your Executive Director on Tour
Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 01:15 PM
The Magic of Thank You Calls
Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Charity Watchdogs: Managing Your Organization's Profile and Ranking
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014

28. BLUESTRIKE.ORG
THANK YOU!
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
January 28, 2014