Don’t give up on your lapsed donors. With the right strategy, you can bring them back into the fold — and it’s easier than trying to win new ones.

By Cary Castle

Try using an easy, inexpensive offer test to differentiate these donors. Two to consider: testing the ask-string amounts or asking for a single amount.

Some is better than none
It’s important to make an upgrade effort relatively soon after a donor has made an initial gift. This makes sense in your quest to maximize revenue, and it keeps the mid-level and major-gifts people happy.