3 Questions All Fundraisers Should Be Able to Answer

"How many of our first-time donors give again?"

The Fundraising Effectiveness Project has been studying donor retention rates for years. Its "2016 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey" found that just 19 percent of first-time donors will give again. That stat makes me want to gnash my teeth and pull at my hair. After all the hard work we do to attract and inspire that first-time gift? Seriously?

Contrast that with the 63 percent of repeat donors who will continue to give, and the writing’s on the wall: Focusing on first-time donors is key to building a solid base of donors.