Invite them back the way they left.
Most lapsed donors never decided to leave. Life changed, or they never heard what their gift did. Each one gets a likely reason, a page built from their own giving, and a way back that fits.
Included in the Growth Team, or on its own. How pricing works
Every donor left differently.
A donor whose finances changed, one who was asked too often, and one whose card expired need three different notes. Most win-back campaigns send one.
- One letter for everyoneThe donor whose finances changed and the donor who was asked too often get the same "we miss you."
- Noticed two years lateBy the time anyone looks, the donor has stopped hearing anything that mattered to them.
- No idea what workedSome donors come back on their own every year. Without a comparison, nobody knows what the campaign caused.
Of every 100 lapsed donors
3give again in a given year. Returning donors are still 14.3% of all donors, so the few who come back matter.
Fundraising Effectiveness Project, Q4 2025: 3.0% recapture rateA way back for every donor.
Why they left
A reason for each one
From each donor's own record: their gifts, how often they were asked, what they opened, whether a person ever thanked them, and any notes. Every donor gets a likely reason, and a way back that fits it.
- Read from your CRM
- A likely reason, never a label
- Their own answer wins
Each reason is a likely one, read from the donor's own record. Their answer always wins.
Their page
Built from their history
Every message links to a page made for that donor: what their giving did, what changed since they last gave, and ways back that fit. A smaller gift, a monthly option, an invitation, a fixed card, or hearing from you less.
- What their gifts did
- What changed since
- Ways back that fit
- Tell us what changed
For Maria
Hi Maria. It's been a while, and that's okay.
What your giving did
Since March 2024
- June 2024A new welcome center
- Feb 2025Storytime boxes begin
- May 2026Sibling placements
Your team
Fitted to your time
Board thank-you calls, staff calls, personal videos, and letters go where they change the most. Everyone else gets a results note or a short sequence through your CRM's own automation. Respect rules come first, and a person approves every message.
- Board and staff calls
- Videos and letters
- Your CRM's automation
- A person approves
This month, 1,860 donors
- Board thank-you calls30 of 30
- Staff calls80 of 80
- Personal videos48 of 48
- Personal letters239 of 640
Illustrative plan for a fictional organization. When personal time runs out, donors move to the next best step. Nobody is dropped.
Results
Proof, not a guess
A small group is held back on purpose, so you can see what the plan caused beyond the donors who would have come back anyway. You see donors back, cost per donor, and who gave again after.
- A held-back group
- Cost per donor back
- Second gifts
Back over the year
With the plan Held back- Donors back because of the plan
- Cost per donor brought back
- Who gave again after
Illustrative. If a result isn't proven yet, the report says so.
What we borrowed
Learned from subscriptions. Kept for donors.
Subscription companies have spent years on bringing people back. Some of what they learned fits a donor. Some of it would cost you their trust.
Borrowed
- Pause instead of cancel
- Keep their history in view
- Show what's new since they left
- Ask why, and listen to the answer
- Fix a failed card fast
Left behind
- Discounts and free months
- Countdowns and last chances
- Emailing until they give
- Promising someone else's save rate
Four weeks to the first wave.
- Read the fileEvery lapsed and at-risk donor from your CRM, with their history.
- Find the reasonsA likely reason and a next step for each one, fitted to your team's time.
- Approve and sendYou approve the plan. Tasks, tags, and pages go live in your tools.
- MeasureResults against the held-back group, then the next cycle. We stay with it.
Questions nonprofit leaders ask.
Straight answers to what nonprofit leaders ask before they start.
Ask something elsePriced to your size: your team, your revenue, and what you need. You'll know the price before anything starts.
On its own
Typically from $6,500
About 4 weeks, then we stay with it.
Get a quote for Lapsed Donor Win-Back.
Tell us about your file and the CRM you use. You'll have a scope and a price in writing before any work starts.
What we'll cover
- What you needThe problem, the people it serves, and the tools you use today.
- A clear scopeWhat we'd build, how long it takes, and what it costs.
- Your callGo ahead, change the scope, or wait. You decide.
You'll talk with Jason VanLueFormer VP of Product and Design at Virtuous