Charities Must Focus on Retention in 2015

If you work or volunteer for a charitable organization, you may not know that the median donor retention rate in 2013 was only 43%. That means only 43% of donors who made a gift in 2012 did so again in 2013.

According to an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, based on The 2014 Fundraising Effectiveness Project report, “For every $100 in new donations the 3,576 groups in the survey received in 2013, they lost an average $92 from supporters who failed to give again and others who contributed less than they had previously.”

And, even though the retention rate represents a slight increase over the previous year, it is still a big red flag for charities. It reinforces my saying:

No Marketing. No money. No mission. 

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