The importance of reaching out to your lapsed donors

Lapsed donors deserve attention from fundraisers. These donors supported your organization in the past, so there’s a good chance they’ll support you again—if you ask them to. Communication is key to recapturing lapsed donors, so review your lapsed donors and make a plan to connect with them.

Here are some important things to keep in mind when reaching out to lapsed donors:

Know how to identify your organization’s lapsed donors

A lapsed donor is someone who contributed to your organization in the past but hasn’t made a gift within a defined recent period, like the last 18 months. If you use Little Green Light, you can define this time period by customizing your Giving Status definitions as needed.

Strike the right tone

It’s entirely possible that with the busy-ness of life, some lapsed donors don’t even realize they’re lapsed. Your goal is to re-engage them, which makes it important to strike the right tone so that lapsed donors never feel shamed or scolded. Since lapsed donors aren’t new to your organization, avoid speaking to them as prospective donors in your communications. Instead, thank them for their past support, which lets them know that you recognize and appreciate their contributions. Share some brief updates, so they’re reminded of what their support has made possible.

Make it easy to support you

In your communications, include a clear call to action. Ask your lapsed donors to make a gift to your organization. Give them the option of donating online; if you’re mailing a letter, include a QR code so it’s convenient to make a gift online. You can design a payment form specifically for this purpose. When donors see a message that says, “Yes! I’d like to renew my support,” it reinforces the message of your targeted outreach. If you’re mailing an appeal, include a remittance envelope with your solicitation letter.

Make it easy for lapsed donors to communicate with you

Rather than listing generic contact information, such as “info@nonprofit.org”, include the name, email address, and/or phone number of the point person that people can contact if they need to. Sometimes donors lapse because of a change in circumstances. If you make it convenient for them to contact someone directly, they may feel more comfortable being in touch to explore other ways to engage with your organization. Those conversations can be very effective in re-engaging lapsed donors, and will help strengthen your stewardship of these donors.

Conclusion

Lapsed donors hold a lot of potential—but unless these valuable donors hear from you, it’s unlikely they’ll renew their support. Refer to our tips to help ensure you’re engaging your lapsed donors effectively.